Discusses the four stages of writing development through which children progress. Discusses what the early writing and reading of children can teach adults about emergent literacy. (MG)

Explores why so many people in Arizona--and elsewhere--have polarized themselves with regard to beginning reading instruction. Finds that at the root of this debate lie fundamental beliefs about the role of authority in child rearing. (SR)

Discusses three children who successfully learned phonics in three very different instructional settings (conventional, whole language, and tutoring in a learning center). Notes that the children developed in similar ways, yet at different rates; the teachers nudged the learners toward literacy development; and writing was a part of the curriculum…

Describes an action plan to help every child read well. The research base for successful reading is outlined, and specific suggestions are made for reading strategies for preschool, beginning reading, and later elementary school programs. Ten strategies are mapped out to achieve the goal of every child reading. (SLD)

Interview with three Ohio directors of Reading Recovery, an intervention that accelerates the literacy acquisition of low-achieving first-grade readers. Discusses the dramatic growth of the program since its pilot year, 1984-85; how Reading Recovery differs from traditional remedial reading programs; the program's theoretical underpinnings and…

Offers brief annotations of 21 picture books that address cultural diversity while offering language that supports beginning readers. Includes a chart noting which language features that support beginning readers are part of each book. (SR)

Investigates some of the biological constraints that shape the process of literacy acquisition. Explores the possibility of isolating processing components of reading which correspond to computational units of equivalent size in the neural architecture. Suggests that the process of literacy acquisition is largely constrained by a specific…

The oral reading of 65 first-graders experiencing difficulties in beginning reading was observed during primary reading instructional time. Findings indicate most instruction for struggling readers was not aligned with recent research on preventing reading difficulties, and even struggling readers receiving reading instruction aligned with best…

Argues that young children have a distinct intuitive ability to process literary experiences, well before they have the ability to decode the symbols on a page. Offers suggestions of ways to work with and develop this capacity when reading stories to young children. (SR)

Describes Marie Clay's word boxes that help children attend to phonological and orthographic features of words, developing phonemic awareness and improving word recognition and spelling. Describes a study showing that the use of word boxes with several elementary school students with learning disabilities was effective for improving and…

Applies onset-rime theory in a randomized controlled trial to the authentic reading task of reading aloud to an adult. Finds that the rime-prompt method has potential for helping children recognize one- and two-syllable words. Notes that it is suitable for use by parents, teachers, and other helpers. (SG)

Describes how interactive writing is used in one primary classroom, and shows how it provides a means for teachers to engage in effective literacy instruction within the framework of constructing texts filled with personal and collective meaning. Discusses the roots of interactive writing, interactive writing in practice, what interactive writing…

Applies the Canonical Story Grammar Model to a major beginning reader computer series. Analyzes the teaching manual and interviews the series' representative. Finds that the stories did not contain adequate story grammar. Notes weaknesses in the manual analysis and interviews. (RS)

Describes an instructional activity (used with kindergarten students) called "What Can You Show Us?" which embeds phonemic awareness in quality, contextualized reading, and writing activities. (SR)

Using an identify matching-to-sample procedure, three typical prereaders who matched individual letters with high accuracy did not show high accuracy in matching three-letter printed words that differed only in the first letter. Teachers cautioned against assuming the children who can discriminate between individual letters can also discriminate…