According to our literacy experts, if children are to become expert readers, they have to learn "word attack skills."  Okay, that's jargon we don't really need.  But let's go with it.  What are these word attack skills that the experts are talking about? At this point, we are entering an alternative universe.  Your common sense will be offended, and your credulity will be stretched.  For, as we'll see, our Education Establishment has been searching for literacy in all the wrong places. One major reading site prescribes what children must do in great detail: Most experienced readers use a variety of strategies to understand text. Research has shown that teachers can, and should, teach these strategies to beginning readers. The following strategies can help students understand any text in any subject: Make Predictions  ...  Visualize  ...  Ask and Answer Questions ... Retell and Summarize ......(Read Full Article)