| Share: | More

Beginning Reading

A text—whether it is on a sign or in a book—is central to reading.   The texts in school can be thought of as a diet for beginning and struggling readers.  To get a good start in reading (or restart, in the case of struggling readers), texts need to give students core and critical information about written language.  TextProject is the premiere site for information on appropriate texts for beginning and struggling readers.

Featured Content

RRR-10-01 Cover Image

An Examination of Current Text Difficulty Indices with Early Reading Texts

This report examines the difficulty of early reading texts over the years as measured by today's prevailing indices.

Hiebert, E.H. & Pearson, P.D. (2010). An Examination of Current Text Difficulty Indices with Early Reading Texts (Reading Research Report 10.01). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.

Presentations from the Library section

Beyond the Decodable Text and Leveled Book Paradigms

Conference handout for Literacy Research Association/NRC 2010 conference, A Legacy in Literacy: Practice, Policies, and Research in Early Reading, December 3, 2010 in Fort Worth, TX.

Frankly Freddy Posts

Immunizations and treatments in early reading

Might it be that the immunization effort of the past decade in early reading education has contributed to problems that are far more serious than word recognition ever was? Might it even be that students’ word recognition is, in fact, quite good and that it is their background knowledge and engagement in reading that is the real problem?

What Exactly is a Decodable Text?

Any text written in English is decodable at some level in that the code never deviates from the alphabetic system. However, the degree to which the letter-sound correspondences within words are common or consistent can vary considerably.

Have the texts of beginning reading been dumbed down over the past 50 years?

Whatever Happened to Dick and Jane?

If you were 6 years old between 1930-1967 in the U.S., there is a high likelihood that this text was the first of your school career.

Identifying Principles for the Creation of Texts in A Variety of Languages for Beginning Readers

Beginning readers need substantial and consistent data about language they are learning.

Research Articles from the Library section

Perspectives on the Difficulty of Beginning Reading Texts

Hiebert, E.H., & Mesmer, H. (2005). Perspectives on the difficulty of beginning reading texts. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Early Literacy (Vol. 2, pp. 935-967). NY: Guilford.

A Comparison of First Graders’ Reading Acquisition with Little Books and Literature Anthologies

This study examined the effectiveness of a little book curriculum in facilitating the independent reading skills of first-grade readers. The curriculum was based on a theoretical model that identified two critical dimensions of text-based support for beginning readers: linguistic content and cognitive load.

Menon, S. & Hiebert, E.H. (April 2003). A Comparison of First Graders’ Reading Acquisition with Little Books and Literature Anthologies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April 22, 2003 in Chicago, IL.

State Reform Policies and the Task for First-Grade Readers

Hiebert, E.H. (2005). State reform policies and the task textbooks pose for first-grade readers. Elementary School Journal,105, 245-266. 

Paper was also presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA.

Text Matters in Learning to Read

Hiebert, E.H. (1999). Text matters in learning to read. The Reading Teacher, 52, 552-568. [Augmented with foreword in N.D. Padak et al. (Eds.), Distinguished educators on reading (pp. 453-472). Newark, DE: IRA.]

Are There Alternatives in Reading Textbooks? An Examination of Three Beginning Reading Programs

Hiebert, E.H., Martin, L.A. & Menon, S. (2005). Are there alternatives in reading textbooks? An examination of three beginning reading programs. Reading & Writing Quarterly 21(1), 7 – 32.

The Effects of Text Difficulty on Second Graders' Fluency Development

Hiebert, E. H., (2005). The effects of text difficulty on second graders’ fluency development. Reading Psychology, 26(2), 183-209.

Fluency from the First

Hiebert, E.H., & Fisher, C.W. (2006). Fluency from the first: What works with first graders. In T. Rasinski, C.L.Z. Blachowicz, & K. Lems (Eds.), Teaching Reading Fluency: Meeting the Needs of All Readers. (pp. 279-294). New York: Guilford Press.

Text and English Language Learners

Hiebert, E.H., Brown, Z.A., Taitague, C., Fisher, C.W. & Adler, M.A. Texts and English Language Learners: Scaffolding Entrée to Reading. To appear in F. Boyd, C. Brock, & M. Rozendal (Eds.), Multicultural and multilingual literacy and language practices. New York, NY: Guilford Publications, Inc.

The Critical Word Factor in Texts for Beginning Readers

Hiebert, E.H., & Fisher, C.W. (2007). The critical word factor in texts for beginning readers. Journal of Educational Research. 101(1), 3-11. Paper was also presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA

Textbooks and Model Programmes

Hiebert, E.H. (2002). Textbooks and Model programmes: Reading Reform in the United States. In R. Fisher, M. Lewis, & G. Brooks (Eds.), Raising standards in literacy. (pp. 157-174) London: Falmer Press.

Curious George and Rosetta Stone: The Role of Texts in Supporting Automaticity in Beginning Reading

Hiebert, E.H. (in press, August 5, 2011). Curious George and Rosetta Stone: The Role of Texts in Supporting Automaticity in Beginning Reading. In T. Rasinski, C.L.Z. Blachowicz, & K. Lems (Eds.), Teaching Reading Fluency: Meeting the Needs of All Readers. (Vol. 2). New York: Guilford Press.