Editors' Note: When this article was posted in Reading Online in June 2000, readers were invited to comment on it through a bulletin board feature that was discontinued when the journal was redesigned in July 2000. Following are the comments posted to that bulletin board.

Readers who would like the opportunity to comment on this or other articles in the journal are invited to contact the author directly (e-mail address is available on the opening page) or to post messages through ROL Communities.

Post 1

Author: Sarah M_Tobergte
Date: 06-27-2000 10:49

I really enjoyed reading the "Literacy at the Millennium" article. I think that this would provide a great overview for teachers that are just starting to dive into the area of teaching reading. There were several points that were made that I agreed with suchas the fact that vocabulary and comprehension should be getting more attention. However, I am not sure why phonemic awareness is no longer considered hot topic. Are they saying that it isn't useful? I was unclear on that.

Reply 1a

Author: Maureen_Fennessy
Date: 06-27-2000 11:35

I agree that this provides a great overview, and was also confused about the references to phonemic awareness. I also appreciated the links at the end of the article which pointed to other sources. As a fifth grade teacher, I continue to be amazed at how many people just assume those kids can read and comprehend well. There isn't nearly as much razzle dazzle going on in that age range as there is in the early elementary grades. I find the kids have a lot of trouble with reading in the content areas, and so I always have an eye out for strategies (researched or otherwise). It's not a very long list!

Go back to the article