Argues that Piaget's cognitive stage theory complements psycholinguistic theories of fluent reading by clarifying how readers acquire and then use prior knowledge. Suggests that, in this light, teachers may want to rearrange the order and manner in which they present units from basal readers. (FL)

A method of teaching phonics to primary grade disabled readers which combines analytic, synthetic, and linguistic methods is described. The method involves starting with sight words, starting phonics synthetically with consonants, teaching other consonants analytically, adapting linguistic methods for vowels, and encouraging the use of context.…

Identifies several reasons why children do not enjoy reading, including rote learning, unjustified reduction in number of words contained in primers, patronizing of the reader, unnatural sentence structure, and teacher dominance. Describes a Swiss reading program as an example of a better alternative to American primers. (DC)

Cites a number of references from linguists and other researchers about the relative unimportance of knowing where to divide words according to rules. Offers alternative ideas for teaching syllabication. (FL)

Describes a method for using children's own dictated stories for assessment purposes. (FL)

Reviews two orientations, skill orientation and ideational orientation, of teaching practices in beginning reading. Describes in detail child behaviors linked with teaching tactics for each of these modes of instruction. (Author/SS)

Twenty-four good beginning readers and 24 poor readers from 12 suburban first grades were tested on three measures of grammatical morpheme use: sentence recall, speech production, and language compehension. The two groups did not differ in sentence recall. Good readers produced more correct grammatical morphemes than poor readers, but the…

Discusses the language experience approach (LEA) to teaching adults to read. LEA capitalizes on the adult's rich experience and advanced learning and speaking skills. (JOW)

Summarizes a study in which third-grade students were asked to read a book passage aloud, then recount as much as they could remember. Results show that overemphasizing accuracy of word pronunciation can actually retard comprehension of material by student. (HTH)

Emphasizes the need for teachers to perceive the process of reading as a process of predictions so that teaching techniques emphasizing reading comprehension will be used. (MKM)

A research review of the relationship between children's oral language proficiency and the development of linguistic awareness and learning to read. (CM)

Responds to criticism about the method of "assisted reading" and clarifies the author's beliefs about using the method as the first method of instruction. (MKM)

Describes the use of a structured language experience approach and an imitative, or taped book, approach to teaching reading to children who were reading with difficulty. (MKM)

Describes a study of the visual discrimination abilities of children who varied in their ability to recognize words. Indicates that visual discrimination skills of the type needed to discriminate between single artificial graphemes do not seem essential for the word recognition aspect of reading. (TJ)

Two studies were conducted regarding the reading instruction of hearing impaired children. (Author/DLS)