...the past two decades. The landmark study Becoming a Nation of Readers (Anderson et al. 1985) stated: "Children should spend more time in independent reading....gains in reading achievement. By the time they are in third or fourth grade, children should read independently a minimum of two hours per week. Children's...

...achievement, but there is very little direct comprehension instruction in most American classrooms. Children should spend less time completing workbooks...should include classic and modern works of fiction and nonfktion that represent the core of our cultural heritage. Children should spend more time writing....