The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of two instructional approaches designed to improve the reading fluency of 2nd-grade children. The first approach was based on Stahl and Heubach's (2005) fluency-oriented reading instruction (FORI) and involved the scaffolded, repeated reading of grade-level texts over the course of each week. The second was a wide-reading approach that also involved scaffolded instruction, but that incorporated the reading of 3 different grade-level texts each week and provided significantly less opportunity for repetition. By the end of the school year, FORI and wide-reading approaches showed similar benefits for standardized measures of word reading efficiency and reading comprehension skills compared to control approaches, although the benefits of the wide-reading approach emerged earlier and included oral text reading fluency skill. Thus, we conclude that fluency instruction that emphasizes extensive oral reading of grade-level text using scaffolded approaches is effective for promoting reading development in young learners.
The purpose of the study was to investigate (a) the prevalence of word callers in elementary school, (b) the accuracy of teachers’ word caller nominations, and (c) teachers’ conceptualization of reading fluency and reading comprehension. To this end, 2 cross-sectional studies of second- and third- (N = 868) and of third- and fifth-grade (N = 202) children were conducted. Our findings suggest that word callers occur infrequently in the primary grades but that they are more prevalent in late elementary school. Regardless of grade level, teachers often overnominated children as word callers. Furthermore, a great deal of ambiguity and inconsistency seems to exist regarding teachers’ understanding and use of the term. These findings suggest that the term should be used relatively rarely and that reading educators should be cautious about their identification of word callers in early elementary school.
The development of fluent reading skills is a primary educational goal for elementary school-aged children. Partner reading, a form of paired reading, is a classroom
To achieve academically, young children need a strong foundation in literacy. Alphabet knowledge is one aspect of early literacy. This article presents the importance of and the components of alphabet knowledge.
An exploratory study in which prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers read aloud three different alphabet books to their students in a whole‐class setting is described. Results indicate that teachers do talk about letters when reading alphabet books, but they emphasize letter names over letter–sound knowledge. Further, text features influenced what aspect of the alphabet teachers emphasized, resulting in relatively little talk about letters for one of the alphabet books. Finally, this article describes how various alphabet books may be used to introduce and to teach young children about literacy.
A formative experiment investigated how two strategies aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of language interactions could be integrated into a preschool classroom. Strategies for enriching language interactions were introduced during book sharing, semistructured group activities, and mealtimes. Mixed methods revealed factors that enhanced, inhibited, or sometimes prevented the integration of enriching language interactions during the school day and accordingly what adaptations might be warranted. Specifically, data revealed increases in the quantity and quality of teacher-child interactions during book sharing and mealtimes, but not during semi-structured group activities. Implications are discussed for professional development, classroom practice, and how formative experiments reveal unique insights about preschool classrooms.
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