This book provides beginning teachers and educational leaders with a series of articles that can help them build their curriculum knowledge base. Features include: (1) Provides a historical context of the curriculum field, giving educators a solid foundation for curriculum knowledge; (2) Describes the political nature of curriculum and how we must…

This study examined the validity of Nonsense Word Fluency as an index of beginning reading proficiency for students in kindergarten through second grade. Validity evidence for Nonsense Word Fluency is addressed in the context of research-based instructional practices implemented on a large scale. Technical adequacy data are presented for all…

In its current adoptions of reading series for the elementary grades, California has chosen literature-based programs rather than the more traditional basal readers. A study investigated whether the contents of such readers for grades K-3 truly consist solely of literary selections, since it is well-recognized that quality books carry heavy…

Discusses some of the reasons why basal readers confuse two long u sounds. (RB)

The language experience approach to early reading is currently receiving renewed attention. Too often its full potential is not realized due to certain limitations. This article reports on a project in which those limitations were overcome and highly gratifying results achieved. (Author)

Argues that the best approach to teaching beginning and remedial reading is one that incorporates a variety of methods and techniques. (RB)

Proposes a diacritical marking system for occasional use in initial reading instruction. (RB)

This curriculum and discussion guide explains how teachers can include written words in the on-going activities of a preschool classroom. Practical suggestions are given, and actual classroom incidents are used to illustrate how they can be implemented. (Author)

Effective involvement in early reading instruction is predicated on the pupil's ability to scan, encode, and retrieve the appropriate visual/aural language information. This paper specifies these components for the purpose of providing input to a program that seeks to induce children to successfully and continuously participate in elementary-level…

Various reference sources were examined in an attempt to delineate and analyze the historical development of the controversy regarding the use of phonics in teaching reading during the period from 1930 through 1964. Information was examined in 10-year spans, which indicates the number of articles written during those periods. The analysis…

The more than one hundred approaches to initial reading instruction can be grouped under ten headings: basal reader, phonemics, phonemic reading, "linguistics," total language arts, language-experience, one-to-one sound symbol, individualized reading, early reading, and perceptual discrimination. Although the basal reader approach is used in more…

Beginning readers must be made aware of the differences between elements of language such as words and sentences before reading instruction can proceed successfully. (MKM)

Draws a suggested framework for beginning reading instruction from psycholinguistic insights into the reading process. (DD)

Suggests that teachers try "mumble Reading" with beginning readers who have difficulty understanding what reading silently is. (JM)

Describes and evaluates the Test of Awareness of Language Segments (TALS), discussing the test administration, scoring, interpretation, reliability, and validity. Recommends TALS for evaluating a child's readiness for reading instruction, and for suggesting appropriate instructional interventions. (MM)