Reading Project Research Articles

Conducting a National Study of Title I Reading Programs

DESCRIBES the design and the procedures of a national study of ESEA, Title I, reading programs. General purposes of the study were to determine the types and the extent of reading programs operating under Title I funds and to identify promising practices and model programs. Data on a sample of 1,244 school systems were gathered via written questionnaires. Telephone interviews were conducted with 632 systems that reported current Title I reading projects. Thirty-four systems were visited for on-site observation. Criteria for assessing Title I programs were developed and applied by a committee of national authorities on Reading for Disadvantaged (Title 1) Children. The types of data available through this kind of study include numerical statistics (75 percent of Title I programs focus on reading), program assessments (generally weak in evaluation plans and techniques), and descriptions of model reading programs under the following categories: developmental, remedial, enrichment, in-service, special, and combination.

LEARNING TO READ UNDER COMPUTER CONTROL

Abstract Three general levels of CAI are distinguished: drill and practice, tutorial and dialogue. Stanford CAI reading project is tutorial, i.e., involves real time decisions to branch based on the last response or a sub‐set of previous responses. Sixteen student stations, with time sharing imperceptible to the student, have CRT and light pen, projector, typewriter and a tape cartridge audio device. Learning tasks used in teaching reading by decoding, comprehension and games are described. Coursewriter II programming language was used, in particular a macro command technique for several tasks with the same format. Preliminary analysis of comparison study data involving 100 first‐grade children showed a range of progress of thirty‐five to 170 main line problems per hour, and significantly superior attainment after CAI on several standard reading tests.

An Exploratory Study of the Effect of a Public Library Summer Reading Club on Reading Skills

C HILDREN 'S summer reading clubs or summer reading programs are sponsored by a great many American public libraries, and generally a relatively large number of children take part in them. Carolyn Field has characterized summer reading club as the major in children's departments in most public libraries.2 According to a study by Gross and Namovicz, 377 of 562 libraries conduct kind of summer reading program for children.3 In a survey of small city libraries Eva Nelson discovered that 33 of 43 libraries conducted vacation reading clubs.4 She wrote as follows concerning large enrolment of clubs sponsored by libraries surveyed: Of these, six enrolled less than 100 children. Fourteen enrolled 100 to 500 children, seven enrolled 500 to 1,000 children, and four enrolled 1,000 to 2,000 children. Salina, Kansas, and Mason City, Iowa, reported over 2,000 children engaged in 1959 vacation reading project.5 Further evidence that clubs have large memberships is found in Public Library Abstracts, some issues of which contain information about reading clubs of particular libraries (see Table 1). Reading programs usually begin in June soon after schools close,6 and they generally have a theme that librarians expect will be popular with children, such as space travel, hobbies, historic events, or distant places. Children are usually required to read a certain number of books, and, in some cases, subject or reading level is stipulated by librarians. Sometimes boys and girls are required to make an oral or written report on each book read. A roster of club members is often placed in a prominent place in library, and whenever a child finishes an approved book, a silver or gold star is placed after his name. A child who completes all reading requirements usually receives an additional reward. Sometimes a special ceremony is held, and children who have completed reading requirements receive certificates. In other cases children receive free tickets to a special entertainment. If number of clubs sponsored by 1 The research reported here was supported by a grant to University of Illinois Library Research Center from Illinois State Library.

Clues in the Context: A reading project on new words

Clues in the Context<i>: A reading project on new words</i>

Reading Project in Biology

Reading Project in Biology

A Ninth-Grade Exploratory Reading Project

A Ninth-Grade Exploratory Reading Project

A "Motorized" Reading Project

A "Motorized" Reading Project

A Radio Reading Project

A Radio Reading Project

A Differentiated Reading Program for French

ONE of the most frequent and difficult problems in foreign-language teaching is the sudden loss of interest apparent in many pupils after the first few weeks of the initial term. The novelty of the foreign words wears off at about the time the grammatical difficulties begin, and the combination is too much for a large number of pupils. Experienced teachers acquire over a period of years numerous devices for stimulating new interest and simplifying these early problems, but few instructors are consistently successful in wholly eliminating either this initial slump or the later ones which threaten at intervals during the first two years. One device which many teachers admit will bring results but which they feel to be too difficult to organize is the differentiation of reading materials according to the interest range of the pupils at all levels. Such a reading program entails extra work and does not lend itself to a neatly organized schedule, but it creates and holds the interest of the pupils and challenges the teacher to find and to adapt new materials. A differentiated reading program may be carried out in a class of any size without special sectioning or the expenditure of additional time. It is true that one group--pupils interested in music and especially those who wish to sing-would profit immensely from more emphasis on pronunciation than the ordinary class can receive. If the teacher finds it possible during part of the period once or twice a week to give that group special instruction in oral work while the other pupils are busy on their individual or group reading projects, so much the better. The main interest of these pupils can be served, however, in their French work whether such special training is possible or not, just as the dominant interests of other groups can deter-

A Reading Project

A Reading Project

Launching a Reading Project

Launching a Reading Project

Encouraging the Leisure-Time Reading of Elementary-School Pupils

The progressive school is vitally interested in the ways in which the boys and girls in the community spend their leisure time. Such a school makes an effort to educate for leisure time by incorporating in its program those activities that are most likely to carry over into the pupils' leisure time without interfering in any way with the regular work of the school. A most worth-while leisure-time activity is reading. For two years the school system of Richmond, Indiana, has been working on a reading project that has had for its object the encouraging and improving of the leisure-time reading of the boys and girls. This article describes briefly a survey of leisure-time reading in 1926, the classroom procedures which followed and are still in practice, and a second survey made after two years of work. In October, 1926, all pupils from the low third grade to the high sixth grade were asked whether they were reading books at home. The survey was made by the writer. Neither pupils nor teachers knew that the pupils were to be asked about their reading. The writer went from room to room asking the questions, counting the pupils, and recording the pupils' answers. Each pupil reporting that he was reading a book at home during his leisure time was asked to name the book. Of a total of 1,631 pupils, 694, or 43 per cent, stated that they were reading books at home during their leisure time. There was no indication that the pupils were becoming more interested in leisure-time reading as they progressed through the elementary school, the percentage of pupils reading books at home during their leisure time being approximately the same in the low third grade, the low sixth grade, and the high sixth grade. The greatest percentage, 53 per cent, was found in the high fifth grade. 586

A fifth‐grade library project

Among the many elementary-school subjects clamoring today for thoughtful recognition and study, there is, perhaps, none which so intrigues the attention of educators in general as does reading. This may be accounted for by the fact that, after all, reading is literally the key to everything taught in the elementary school. In fact, a pupil's ability to read accurately and rapidly, and his background of reading experience, determine, to a large extent, his use of leisure time in the future. The acquainting of pupils with the right kind of literature, as well as the overcoming of the mechanical difficulties in reading, form, therefore, one of the greatest responsibilities of the school of today. In connection with this, it is a noteworthy fact that the teacher who accepts this responsibility and attempts to meet it in a situation which produces social activity and development achieves for those under her tutelage infinitely more than could be hoped for in a nonsocial situation. For that reason the following article will be of help to all those interested in combining social development with the inculcating of library habits. In it is given a simple but complete description of a reading and language project as worked out through the forming and conducting of a library club. The present Fifth-Grade Library of the Demonstration School of George Peabody College for Teachers had its motivation in the spring of 1920. While reading, then, poetry from language and reading texts, pupils developed a desire for more, which caused many to bring other poems from their homes. From the reading of poetry came, a little later, a desire and request to bring from home books of stories from which to read. The request was granted and fifteen minutes each day given over to this work. Many pupils became interested in reading before the group-in fact, so many that all did not have the opportunity. The period was, therefore, increased to thirty minutes; but still many were disappointed at not having the opportunity to read. A demand then came from the group that only those who had