Simple name-retrieval models of spoken word planning (Bloem & La Heij, 2003; Starreveld & La Heij, 1996) maintain (1) that there are two levels in word planning, a conceptual and a lexical phonological level, and (2) that planning a word in both object naming and oral reading involves the selection of a lexical phonological representation.…

This study examined the relation among mothers' literacy-related beliefs, the home literacy environment, the quality of mother-child book-reading interactions, and children's development of early literacy skills. The participants of this study were 60 mothers and their 4-year-old children. After controlling for mothers' educational attainment,…

Early literacy development is the gateway to reading and future academic success. Learning about sound-letter correspondence and basic decoding strategies are but two fundamental skills that have been found to support this later success. In addition, an emphasis on environmental print (e.g., McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Shell) and functional print (e.g.,…

"Interactive Shared Book Reading" is a general practice that adults may use when reading with children and is intended to enhance young children's language and literacy skills. Typically, "Interactive Shared Book Reading" involves an adult reading a book to a child or a small group of children and using a variety of techniques…

In an effort to increase her students' interest in science, a teacher in an underresourced school secured large donations of science-related books for her classroom of second-language learners. By balancing her science classroom library and read-alouds with a number of interesting nonfiction trade books and storybooks, the teacher tried to enhance…

Vygotsky (1978) presented ideas influential to the "constructivist" approach to education. This approach included the "zone of proximal development," and defined what is essential for student's development of a higher cognitive ability in order to become self-motivated learners. His theory also directly relates to the research regarding the…

This manual describes the state of Washington's Literacy Day Care Link (DCL) program, whose volunteers spend an hour a week reading one-to-one with preschool children. The manual is a series of "stories" about the DCL program, stories that give insight into how the program works. The first section of the manual discusses setting up the…

This pilot study examined, from a dynamic systems perspective, changes in maternal/child discourse behaviors across repeated readings of a storybook. Four Caucasian children (2 boys, 2 girls), ranging in age from 2 years 7 months to 2 years 10 months, were videotaped reading unfamiliar storybooks with their mothers. The videotapes were…

Designed to help parents tell and retell their children's favorite fairy tales and stories, this collection condenses dozens of plots and lists characters, so that the parent can make a tale as long or as short as a sleepy child needs, personalize the story, and convey the true wonder of the originals through the spoken voice. The 64 tales in the…

Created for teachers, parents, storytellers, and anyone who works or plays with young people, this collection of 29 stories for children (and adult children) grew from the belief that the chance for survival of humanity in these difficult times may be improved by having stories grow in the hearts of the world's children. The stories in the…

A study determined the interrelationships among children's storybook reading behavior and knowledge of print concepts in kindergarten and their reading ability at the end of first grade. A sample of 21 subjects, ranging in age from 5 years 10 months to 6 years 8 months, was randomly selected from the morning and afternoon kindergarten sessions at…

This "Indicator of the Month" presents data on early literacy experiences in the homes of American children. In addition to data tables, key findings are summarized in the text. Key findings are: (1) in 1996, more than 80 percent of children ages 3-5 were read to three or more times or told a story in the past week by a parent or family member,…

A study determined whether reading aloud to children before entering school would influence their reading grade level as determined by their report card grade. Subjects, 85 first-grade children in a suburban school district in central New Jersey, took surveys home to be completed by parents. Results indicated that: (1) those children who were read…

Reading aloud is an important motivational strategy not only for primary school children but also for upper-elementary, middle, and high school students. Teachers should pursue an instructional balance that considers both a sensitivity to curricular mandates and a perspective that reading aloud is beneficial to students. Poems, short stories, or…

Despite periodic efforts, traditional social studies teaching methods continue to be used in grades K-6. Research suggests that elementary students do not like or value social studies when these traditional methods are used to organize and teach its content. The goals of the social studies curriculum in grades K-6 are to transmit citizenship…