A study examined what parents of preschool children (infancy through age five) do to help their children get ready for a formal reading program, such as how often parents carried out prereading activities and how the activities compared with those generally suggested by early childhood education experts. Surveys completed by 157 parents indicated…

This guide begins with a story about the parents of twin kindergartners. The story models ways in which the parents of Mike and Chris help them learn to read, such as reading the newspaper together with them and asking them questions about the books they are reading. Included is another short story parents can read with their child, and a list of…

A study examined whether reading aloud to young children would have an effect on their reading success in first grade. Subjects, 45 first-grade students in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, were given a questionnaire to be completed by their parents. The three first-grade teachers provided students reading aptitude scores, based on teacher observation and…

A practicum addressed the emergent literacy needs of preschoolers at a daycare center. Goals were to increase: (1) the amount of time parents read aloud to their children to 15 minutes a day; (2) the number of library books at the daycare center from 40 to 200; and (3) the number of volunteers at the center from none to 4 who would read aloud to…

A practicum was implemented to improve the sight-word vocabulary and attitudes toward reading among 22 second-grade students reading below grade level. The program took approximately 45 minutes a day, 2 days a week. The language experience approach was used in conjunction with word processors. The different types of activities included dictated…

Designed to be a tool for curriculum and instructional development consistent with assessment of the state objectives in reading, this teaching and testing guide provides a summary of the skills that should be considered instructionally and how each objective is tested. Information is included on state objectives for reading teachers for grades 1,…

A longitudinal study examined the contributions of early language ability, home characteristics, and emerging knowledge about literacy to children's later decoding and comprehension ability. The study followed 127 children from the beginning of kindergarten to the end of grade 3 (when 83 were left). Subjects attended schools in a small, rural,…

Concern about the high percentage of underprepared minority students in American schools and the increasing demand that schools educate them to a level never before attained are discussed, and a study of reading disabled bilingual students is reported. It is noted that continuing to allow a disproportionate number of minority or disadvantaged…

Writing to Read is an instructional system with a language experience approach to developing early writing and reading skills for primary children. Designed for a laboratory setting, the system consists of computerized phoneme instruction, 10 student workbooks, and language development activities that emphasize writing as a preliminary activity to…

The Chapter 1 Language Enrichment Communicative Skills Project served students in eleven Tucson Arizona elementary schools in the primary grades during the 1983-84 school year. The project provided supplementary instruction in oral language interaction and developmental reading and writing in small groups. Students were selected on the basis of…

This study assessed the effect of the Success for All school reform model on the standardized reading scores, attendance, and disciplinary needs of 217 students in three elementary schools using the program and 132 similar students in three other urban schools. The schools were also compared using teacher, student, and parent perception data on…

This practicum was designed to allow first graders the opportunity to read and write in a more natural and authentic manner than that permitted by using the basal reading series as the basis for reading instruction. The first grade reading program was transformed from a basal-oriented approach to a whole language approach. Through the use of…

This test is intended to assist teachers and volunteer tutors working with adult beginning readers in assessing students' reading needs when beginning a reading program and determining their progress after receiving reading instruction. The three-part pretest and three-part posttest each include sections to assess students' sight vocabularies and…

This publication is designed to give classroom teachers and reading specialists at all levels 42 ready-to-use informal diagnostic devices for the early and accurate identification of individual and group reading needs. It is organized into eight sections. The first contains suggestions to aid teachers in using various testing devices. The…

The present study investigated early literacy development in minority middle-class families. The subjects were parents and preschool children ages 3-5 that attended a private early childhood center in Irvington, New Jersey. Each family was given one home visit and a library visit. The literacy practices of the families were observed and recorded…