Indicates that it is feasible to include selected expressive and receptive language activities (focusing on syntactic-semantic relationships) into reading instruction for primary grade students. (FL)

Notes that research supports the idea that children are confused about concepts related to beginning reading instruction. Reports on assessment instruments that are commercially available or can be devised by teachers. (FL)

Acknowledging that young children's early understandings about literacy occur within their cultural and linguistic communities, the book compiles articles challenging traditional views of literacy and suggesting positive new practices. Each chapter includes "reflection" and "followup" sections that reinforce the link between theory and practice,…

"Between the Lions" is a Public Broadcasting System program promoting literacy for children ages 4 through 7 years combining state-of-the-art puppetry, animation, live action, and music to achieve its mission of helping young children learn to read. This guide, in English- and Spanish-language versions, provides literacy activities for…

Reading aloud to children is the most important step towards making a child a reader. It exposes them to print and excites their curiosity through intriguing story lines. Parents play an enormous role in this aspect of reading development, because it begins long before a child is in school. In the beginning of school, teachers spend time assessing…

This book argues that elementary school teachers should study language, because knowledge of language is the foundation for teaching children to read explicitly and systematically. The book is written in nontechnical, accessible language and seeks to help the reader to understand the organization of written and spoken English, discover the…

Multimedia ties text to the words children hear and things they see by combining text, sound, and graphics, and it motivates young students to learn beginning reading and writing skills. Discusses multimedia programs that encourage beginning reading and writing and includes an annotated bibliography of CD-ROM storybooks, poetry collections, and…

In classrooms where all children become readers, teachers offer phonics, structured reading lessons, literature reading, story reading, and writing. Learning to read is influenced by frequent reading, knowledgeable teachers, writing, and discussing books. Parents can promote reading by providing language-rich environments, reading aloud, playing…

Examined phonemic awareness and pseudoword decoding in kindergarten and first grade Arabic native children. Hypothesized that because Arabic speakers learn to read in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)--a language structurally distinct from the local form of the language they grow up speaking--linguistic differences between the two varieties would…

This study examined effects of immersing four primary grade students with mild mental retardation in a literacy-rich environment. A variety of instructional strategies was used to assist students in understanding stories read aloud by adults, developing decoding skills, and developing prereading/writing skills. Results indicated the students made…

Standardized sensory, perceptual, linguistic, intellectual, and cognitive tests were administered to 470 entering first graders. Factor analysis found four factors, which were reading related skills, visual cognition, verbal cognition, and speech processing. Cluster analysis identified nine profiles. The strongest predictors of later reading and…

Preliminary results from data on 146 Australian, 284 American, and 70 Norwegian preschool twins indicate reliable genetic influences on phonological awareness and memory and learning. Vocabulary, grammar, and morphology showed significant shared environment and negligible genetic effects. A print knowledge composite showed genetic and shared…

Examined preschoolers' experiences with their mothers and during group reading in preschool. Concludes that the patterns of adults' and preschoolers' talk about books support a model of a home-school relationship in which mothers provide an introduction to book reading that teachers expand by engaging children in cognitively challenging…

The concurrent validity of three types of reading ability assessments was evaluated with 312 Australian primary-level children. Results suggest that the nature of the skills required for success in reading changes in the primary years, and that both teacher-based and test-based assessments concur more closely as children progress through the…

Argues for inclusion of more written input in first-year programs, and describes an experimental reading collection of children's books accompanied by guided tasks. The description includes results of a post-year survey that explored student perceptions of the cultural and linguistic benefits of working with children's books in a reading lab.…