After reading all the responses to Jennifer's letter, I'd like to throw out a question - doesn't seem clear that a mixture of strategies is the only way to teach reading? Just as readers use various strategies to understand what they are reading, a teacher should expose students to a variety of learning strategies, using direct instruction, songs, poems, writing and more. Songs are like short stories. A good song contains rich vocabulary, and thought provoking messages. The melody sticks in your mind and jogs your memory. Leah Urso -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for home users. SPAMfighter has removed 12406 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len