Chapter IILiterature ReviewIntroductionIt is a “reading world” we live in and students should be guaranteed every opportunity to succeed in this reading-oriented society on information. Children today are inundated with reading material like never before on billboards, on television, on the Internet and in school, making reading a relevant and essential need in every child's life (Lumpkin 1972). Being able to read has become the core of our information-driven society. Yet reading difficulties continue to undermine the foundations of our education system, creating a problem that only appears to be getting worse. Hasselbring asserts that reading difficulties are a serious concern for our nation's students, stating that "up to 20 percent of 17-year-olds...[are] functionally illiterate and 44 percent of all high school students …[are] described as semi-illiterate. illiterate” (2004). This is a harsh reality that must be faced – one that arises from difficulties developed at the elementary level where reading complications arise and are generally not mastered. These reading difficulties are common...