Lists 10 practical suggestions and literature sources for parents to use with their children, including creating a "reading and writing corner," playing word games such as "pictodictionary," taking children to the library, and using magazines and newspapers as sources of learning material. Lists newsletters, brochures, and…

Makes use of natural language of the beginning reader to teach a unit on dinosaurs. Outlines steps in the approach, strategies to heighten awareness and application, questions for encouraging further study, and a webbing technique. (RT)

Deaf children need reading programs which emphasize comprehension of meaning rather than syntax and grammar. Successful reading programs can emerge when reading is viewed as a highly social experience, reading materials are meaningful and highly contextualized, and semantic processing in American Sign Language is used to assist reading in English.…

Examines the problems of using standardized tests to measure the development of early literacy. Notes that assessment is used to design instruction, and should reflect the skills and knowledge that are developing in young children. Provides examples of informal assessment contexts, such as interactive dialogues, observation, and performance…

Describes two models of childrens' literacy acquisition developed by research psychologists. Argues that these models make practical sense by embodying within them the notion that children use a combination of top-down and bottom-up processes to solve the problems of how to read. (RS)

Presents numerous whole language activities used by kindergarten teachers, including experience charts, dictated stories, student-written "books," and recipe writing. (RS)

Discusses the benefits of reading aloud to preschool and kindergarten children. Notes that active participation accounts for many of these benefits. Suggests several interactive story reading strategies, including a Directed Listening-Thinking Activity and shared book experiences. (MM)

Examines the first-grade materials in five new basal programs submitted for the 1993 Texas state adoption, comparing them with program materials currently in use in the state. Finds substantial changes in the more recent series. Interprets findings in terms of historical trends as well as recent developments in the literature-based and…

Studied emergent literacy in Hebrew by analyzing nursery and kindergarten children's attempts to write and read pairs of nouns. Found that, with age, children's sensitivity to phonology increased and sensitivity to semantics decreased and that these sensitivities played a greater role in literacy acquisition than did sensitivity to morphology. (MM)

In response to Sawyer (EC 602 748), this article provides evidence from cognitive neuropsychological case reports that does not support the strong metalinguistic hypothesis, which contends that explicit, conscious mastery of the relationship between phonology and orthography is a necessary (and perhaps sufficient) precondition for the development…

The use of the language experience approach to teach readiness and beginning reading and writing skills in preschool programs is explored. The value of this holistic approach is illustrated with a case study of a preschool child with a severe expressive language delay and phonological disorder. (DB)

Assessment of 486 first-quarter first graders identified 99 children as being at risk for reading difficulties, half of whom then received a phonological processing intervention. Results support the early identification of children at risk for reading difficulties and the effectiveness of the phonological processing intervention. (DB)

Results of 6 experiments with 109 Australian preschool children favor training in phoneme identity over segmentation as a component of initial reading instruction because it is easier to implement and its relation to alphabetic insight is stronger. Implications for the initial reading curriculum are discussed. (SLD)

Suggests that some Australian schools in the 1980s took up too enthusiastically what may be called the Effortless Theory of Learning to Read. Describes how Paired Reading can work and what can go wrong with such instruction. (RS)

Reviews several "little" books that can provide material for children's research based on the Montessori Time Lines and classification charts for geography, plants, and animals. Suggests classroom activities to support the beginning reader's curiosity. (HTH)