Mastering emergent reading requires applicable concepts and processes, which implies proficiency regarding the neurological executive function. Relevant neurological processes include attention, planning, initiation of activity, inhibition, working memory, shifting of attention, and mental flexibility. A training programme, incorporating concept…

Three prereading children who named 0 to 3 of 20 targeted letters were taught to select the 20 printed letters when they heard spoken letter names. For all participants, letter-identification training resulted in naming for the majority of letters.

This reader-friendly text examines the key foundational studies in early literacy. It addresses such essential questions as how research informs current practices and where the field still needs to go to provide the best learning opportunities for all children. Each chapter describes the methods and findings of one to five seminal studies,…

Sparked by the Common Core State Standards, teachers and literacy experts are arguing about the role of a time-honored pillar of English/language arts instruction: classroom activities designed to help students understand what they are about to read. The attacks on--and defenses of--"prereading" are unfolding largely in cyberspace, through online…

Three hundred children from two metropolitan areas were studied for 1 year to determine (1) the relationship between letter-name knowledge and reading success, (2) the relationship between letter-name learning and phonic learning, and (3) the ease and efficiency of vowel identification. The study concluded that the sooner a child learns the letter…

Describes and evaluates the Test of Awareness of Language Segments (TALS), discussing the test administration, scoring, interpretation, reliability, and validity. Recommends TALS for evaluating a child's readiness for reading instruction, and for suggesting appropriate instructional interventions. (MM)

Discusses whether to prepare the child for reading instruction, or tailor the reading instruction to the child. (RB)

Reviews "Happily Ever After," a reading readiness program that is designed to help those children who lack many of the concepts and abilities assumed by most readiness programs. (FL)

A method for introducing hearing impaired preschoolers to a core basal reading series is described. Steps begin with having students react to pictures of their own experiences and express the plots of stories in language. (CL)

An evaluation of kindergarten children's awareness of lexical units and of the relationship of this variable to prediction of beginning reading is presented. Eighty-four kindergarten children--47 boys and 37 girls--served as the subjects and were tested individually for their ability to identify word boundaries spoken in sentences. The study…

Describes a program designed to help parents aid their children in the development of reading readiness skills. (MKM)

Outlines the story of one first-grade student's successful struggle with learning to read. (MD)

The author explores the question, Would children learn to read as early as they learn to talk if we let them?'' (Author/SJ)

A series of tests measures the correct stage of mental maturity necessary for a child to learn to read and write. Purpose is to prevent children from being taught to read in nursery schools before they are ready. (JF)