This brief article uses observational data of a 4-year-old child with a visual impairment to examine the development of early literacy skills through home literacy experiences. (DB)

This article describes how the author's infant son enthusiastically played with buttons from the age of 5 months to his first birthday. The article details his play routines and how they changed over time. It draws on recent neurological research about how the brain grows to argue that this play provided the foundation for her son's cognitive and…

A study examined the reading achievement of students who attended preschool. Subjects for the study were 2 groups of 30 African American students, randomly selected from 120 second-grade students in a Chicago area public school, 48 of whom had attended preschool and 72 who had not. Results from the 1995 Iowa Tests of Basic Skills reading subtest…

This study identified a repertoire of early-life experiences to which young children with visual impairments need to be exposed to develop a foundation for literacy. By analyzing 254 stories from three published basal literacy series, 22 global areas of experience were determined to be essential. Guidelines for providing these experiences and…

This research synthesis is organized around identification of instructional priorities for emergent literacy and existing evidence regarding curriculum design for those instructional priorities. First, areas of emerging evidence are identified and two major ideas are extracted: (1) children need to develop knowledge of and facility with multiple…

A longitudinal study examined the factors that facilitate or hinder Native American children's literacy acquisition. Subjects, 18 three-year-old children attending Headstart classes on the Lummi Reservation in northwest Washington, were observed during their daily hour of free play for an entire school year. The subjects' experiences with drawing,…

Reviews more than three decades of empirical research pertaining to the hypothesized influence of parent-preschooler reading experiences on the development of language and literacy skills. Discusses implications of the findings for theory and research on literacy acquisition, for educational practice, and for parental guidance. (TJQ)

Argues there is reason for more optimism concerning the effects of reading to preschoolers than suggested by the Scarborough and Dobrich review in this issue (PS522390). Discusses methodological problems in many studies; cites studies indicating direct and indirect links between reading to preschoolers and reading achievement, suggesting that…

Comments on Scarborough and Dobrich review in this issue (PS522390), which found that parents' shared book reading with preschoolers accounts for only 8% of the variance on literacy outcome measures. Addresses the following three points: (1) the merits of further attention to shared book reading; (2) improvements in methodology; and (3) the…

Responds to commentaries (PS522392 and PS522391) on the Scarborough and Dobrich review on the efficacy of reading to preschool children in this issue (PS522390). Provides additional details regarding the computation of average effects and the comparison of effect sizes, and offers additional comments about the contribution of home literacy…

Children growing up in literate societies, surrounded by the printed word, begin to read and write long before they start school. The extent and scope of early literacy development is examined. Theoretical explanations of this development are offered. Implications for schools are presented. (RM)

Parents of preschool children were asked about the frequencies of adult reading, parent-child reading, and children's solitary book activities, and responses were later compared to the children's second grade reading achievement. The 22 preschoolers who became poorer readers had less frequent early literacy-related experiences than the 34 children…

Presents some suggestions for nurturing and supporting emergent readers and writers (e.g., recognize drawing as an important step in early literacy, engage children in conversations about their daily experiences). Also presents an interview with two authors on the special literacy needs of students with major instabilities in their lives. (SM)

The Illinois Early Learning Project (IEL) is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide information resources on early learning and training related to implementing the Illinois Early Learning Standards for parents and for early childhood personnel in all settings. The IEL tip sheets offer suggestions to parents and early childhood…

Intended for literacy students who want to share the pleasure of reading with the children they love, this book describes 26 easy, inexpensive activities to expose children to reading. Each activity explains the type of activity, lists materials needed, and provides instructions or suggestions for extending the activity. A suggested book list…