This paper analyzes: (1) the task of learning to read, in the context of cognitive and linguistic tools a child has at his/her disposal; (2) how these tools change with further development and experience; and (3) how teachers can foster this development and growth. Eight research-based recommendations for classroom teaching are given. (PP)

The comprehension of written stories starts with learning to comprehend everyday situations, but it is the child's direct experiences with written stories that bring the process to fruition. These direct experiences with stories are generally of two types. Initially there is a storybook time, the occasions upon which a literate person, usually the…

The Pre-Kindergarten Component, part of the Language Development Component funded under Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965, served 677 four-year-olds in 21 Title I schools. The design of the component was based on the assumption that many pre-school disadvantaged pupils have underdeveloped potential in many areas necessary…

The importance of parental attention in the facilitation of prereading skill development is examined in this paper. The first section presents a historical perspective on attitudes toward early childhood education, touching on the views of educators of past centuries and on recent trends in early childhood education in the United States. The…

This teacher's guide is composed of reading readiness activities for kindergarteners designed to: (1) lead from teacher-directed instruction toward independent learning and reinforcement activities; (2) help the teacher build on each child's previous background while teaching new learning strategies; and (3) emphasize six readiness areas…

Focusing on the relationship between learning oral language and learning about written language, this book discusses the emergent literacy (EL) of children growing up in a Western, print-oriented society, as well as findings of research conducted during the past 15 years on how children make sense of the way in which literacy works in their…

A close relationship exists between children's capacity for learning in school (especially learning to read) and the amount and kind of reading aloud done by parents and teachers to children. Children's literature, especially the illustrations and the language contained in fine picture books, has the potential to provide six benefits that…