Twenty-four first-graders who were taught reading skills using the "Language Basics: Elementary" program, which incorporates the Orton-Gillingham-based Alphabetic Phonics Method, made statistically significant gains in phonological awareness, decoding, and reading comprehension. Thirty-two controls taught with the Houghton-Mifflin Basal…

Suggests using daily journals to fuse language experience techniques with opportunities for independent writing more characteristic of an emergent literacy perspective. Explains that journals combine group dictation with independent writing to involve children in purposeful literacy activities. (MG)

Looks at the lives of two well-known writers to explore how diverse experiences produce literate adults. Discusses Agatha Christie and Jack London who used reading and writing to earn a living and to gain international reputations. (MG)

Contrasts the effects of a storybook reading approach to traditional reading readiness approaches on the literacy development of urban at-risk kindergarten children. Finds that the storybook reading groups scored significantly higher on a variety of literacy measures. Finds no significant differences between the groups on standardized measures of…

Defines hypermedia and hypertext and discusses possible applications for children's education and adult learning. Topics discussed include learner control; language readiness and beginning reading for children; adult literacy; reading to learn in content areas; writing applications; and hypertext study guides for handicapped learners. (seven…

Discusses ways in which library media specialists can help teachers who are using the whole language approach. Topics addressed include reading aloud to children; wordless picture books; decoding; writing; core literature selections; automaticity in reading; independent reading; re-reading; reading across the curriculum; literature as content; and…

Offers primary school teachers, supervisors, in-service specialists, and administrators guides for improving language instruction using a model that values teachers' professional judgment and encourages change in small, comfortable steps. These guidelines are used in the Tennessee State Department of Education Whole Language Pilot Project designed…

Presents two kindergarten teachers' accounts of the use of the whole language approach to children's learning in class. Describes the reading of a children's book to a public kindergarten class and the subsequent literacy-related activities. (BB)

Factors influencing English word identification performance of 27 Spanish-speaking beginning readers (grade 1) were investigated. Performance on English word and pseudoword recognition tests was predicted by Spanish phonological awareness and Spanish word recognition. Implications for instruction of beginning readers are discussed. (SLD)

Presents the 1998 position statement regarding early literacy development formulated by the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Outlines issues and reviews research. Offers a set of principles and recommendations for teaching practices and public policy. Includes a continuum of…

Promotion of literacy is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways to form collaboration among parents, teachers, and community. This article offers ideas from teachers, professional organizations, and the U.S. Department of Education on how to develop parent participation in the promotion of literacy at children's various levels of development.…

The authors present results of a generalizability study of running record assessment. They conducted 2 decision studies to ascertain the number of raters and passages necessary to obtain a reliable estimate of a student's reading ability on the basis of a running record assessment. Ten teachers completed running record assessments of 10…

Suggesting the need for a balance between literature and intentional skills instruction, this book provides K-2 teachers and administrators with a theoretical base for creating a balanced reading program and gives educators a chance to step into actual classrooms where teachers have successfully implemented effective programs. Each chapter in the…

This study examined the feasibility of a parent-toddler reading program offered as a community-based intervention in one urban and one rural community with widespread poverty and low educational attainment. Fifty-eight families including 61 children, most of whom were 2 or 3 years of age, participated. During the intervention, parents learned an…

Designed for use by both parents and professionals who work with young children, this reference work is intended to include all of the major areas in the field of early childhood education. Current topics such as AIDS and computers are addressed, as are more traditional concerns such as family and parenting issues. The book is organized into six…