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,…

Intended for preschool children, this workbook provides practice in the readiness skills for handwriting. The workbook's activities, presented in sequence of difficulty, promote the following skills: developing language; seeing similarities; seeing differences; filling in missing parts; writing basic strokes; drawing objects; establishing…

In this book a character named Archie and his friends teach science and reinforce alphabet skills. This approach combines reading and rhyming with simple science activities that begin with a list of everyday household materials and come with colorfully illustrated step-by-step instructions. Also provided are explanations of the science principles…

This workbook provides practice in helping children acquire pre-reading skills. The activities within the workbook are presented in sequence of difficulty, and directions precede each activity. Since language development is an important part of reading readiness, some pages of the workbook require presenting the child with a series of questions or…

Intended primarily for librarians and media specialists, this book offers an in-depth analysis of alphabet books from their serious, religious beginnings to their "funny," instructive, and artistic present. The book lists 542 titles with short annotations, suggested activities, and essays on each type of book. Following an introduction,…

Noting that many parents who might teach their young children are often discouraged by a lack of information or fear of being labeled "pushy," this book provides parents with a step-by-step program for teaching preschoolers letters and numbers as a way of giving children a head start on formal education. The handbook consists of a…

The reflections and theses on preschool children's literacy development presented in this book are the result of an experimental project carried out in Buenos Aires from 1974 to 1976. Chapter 1 discusses the educational situation in Latin America, traditional methods of reading instruction, contemporary psycholinguistics, the pertinence of…

Intended for parents, this book offers insights into how children develop as writers and provides practical ideas for introducing writing activities into the home. Chapters in the book deal with the following topics: (1) the benefits of having preschool children write, the timing of initial instruction, and some assumptions about writing at home;…