Teacher research has a long, rich history. However, teacher research is primarily limited to practicing teachers and those pursuing graduate education. It is only beginning to be used as means of understanding the instructional needs of English learners. In this article, a preservice teacher and her university instructor describe the role of…

Kindergarten teacher typed children's stories as they were dictated to her because it offered the children an opportunity to articulate ideas, practice using language effectively, weave pleasing stories, and create bonds between children and adults. (DF)

The effects of an expanded Language Experience Approach (LEA) on language processing skills were explored through experiments conducted with kindergartners. Results suggest that an LEA expanded to include systematic instruction in subskill areas (sound/symbol relationships, visual and auditory discrimination, use of context clues) will be more…

Describes a bilingual open classroom program for kindergarten children in which the classroom environment is rich with printed language and children are introduced to reading by an individualized system they both enjoy and profit from. Tells how children "write" books, how phonics is introduced, and how reading is incorporated in a variety of…

A kindergarten teacher recounts her classroom experience introducing children to reading via the whole language approach, which is based on the belief that children learn to read and write naturally by listening, watching, speaking, and writing. Classroom photographs and samples of student work illustrate the article. (DB)

This study was conducted to assess the effects of two kindergarten programs--AK and NK (a regular curriculum with and without an adaptation from the language-experience approach to reading), social class, and sex upon children's oral syntactic language facility after a five-month period. Eighty subjects were distributed among eight classrooms and…

Samples of kindergarten children's drawings and language, especially as used in dictation, illustrate that children invent symbols for figures, objects, and events; engage in the thinking processes of organizing and abstracting as children work to portray their concepts; and communicate their ideas to themselves and others. (BB)

Discusses the use of invented spelling to help kindergarten students learn to spell. It provides a natural foundation for building spelling abilities by making students think about words and generate new knowledge. Activities are suggested and guidelines are presented for a developmentally sensitive spelling program. (SM)

A descriptive study determined the extent to which the language experience approach (LEA) is used in the kindergarten and first grades of six northwest Bergen County, New Jersey, school districts. Anonymous surveys were mailed to all kindergarten and first-grade teachers in these districts. Forty-five (63%) of the surveys were returned. Results…

In accordance with current recommendations concerning teaching reading to kindergarten children, this paper presents a kindergarten reading curriculum. Included are a description of major instructional techniques, a time-line illustrating how instruction might evolve across the school year, and finally, a battery of informal tasks for assessing…

Explains how one kindergarten teacher introduces her students to children's literature. (FL)

Asserts that the language experience approach and invented spelling can be used to teach writing and reading in kindergarten. Notes that this approach takes advantage of children's enthusiasm for sharing stories, and individualizes literacy development. (MM)

A study examined two contexts in teaching a language experience approach (LEA) reading lesson to kindergarten children. The five children--Black, Hispanic, and White students of varying ability levels--first developed a group story of their own using the Van Allen language experience approach. The teacher recorded the story, and the students wrote…

This paper surveys methods for teaching reading and writing in kindergarten. The paper stresses the importance of accepting a child's own efforts, including invented spelling, and providing an atmosphere that encourages experimentation. Chapter 1 introduces the topic; chapter 2 provides a historical overview. The current state of the art is…