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,…

iPads, iPhones, Notebooks, X-Boxes, PlayStations, Televisions, Computers. They've found their way into every corner of our lives. Add to that, the pressures of the modern education with standardized tests and crowded classrooms, and it seems that our children have lost the simplicity of childhood. Are our children losing their imagination, too?…

The ability to use language (speak, read, write) is not something that children suddenly or automatically develop. It is rather a culmination of experiences with language that begin at birth. Sharing stories (oral storytelling, books) and "story experiences" (conversations, songs, poems, rhymes) with infants and toddlers is critical to building…

This book offers clear and practical guidelines to help engage families in student success. It shows families how to conduct a successful Family Reading Night at their school. Family Night themes include Scary Stories, Books We Love, Reading Olympics, Dr. Seuss, and other themes. Family reading nights invite parents to come to school with their…

Presents ideas for public library family programs and discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of including parents in the programs. (MES)

Everyone knows how important it is to read to young children--but it is the "quality" of shared reading that really affects emergent literacy. How well are adults engaging and teaching children as they read together? How well are children listening and responding? The first and only tool to measure the quality of adult and child interactions…

The message of this series of books, "Parents and Children Together," is that parents and children should get together, talk about stories, and learn together. This book, "Parents as Models," contains several stories that can be read and discussed by parents and children in a relaxed way. The book has a companion audiotape.…

Discusses how all children need the kind of hope that stories can give them. Suggests that educators and writers have been given the responsibility for nourishing the spiritual and intellectual lives of children. Describes the author's life growing up in a difficult time and how literature gave her hope as a child. (SC)

These suggestions for children's programs in a rural community library are based on the experiences of the Pittsfield (Illinois) Public Library. The importance of good public relations with the children, the community, and the schools is stressed. A preschool story hour and summer session activities for preschool through grade 4 children are…

The message of this series of books, "Parents and Children Together," is that parents should get together with their children, talk about stories, and learn together. This book, "Learning Together," contains several stories that parents and children can read together and talk about in a relaxed way. The book has a companion…

Describes a language task in which the instructor prepares a story in the target language that has as many sentences as students in the class. The story is then cut into sentence-long strips, with each student memorizing their sentence and working with fellow students to reassemble the story orally using only the target language. (MDM)

The message of this series of books, "Parents and Children Together," is that parents should get together with their children, talk about stories, and learn together. This book contains several stories that parents and children can read together and talk about in a relaxed way. The book has a companion audiotape. Advice is given in the…

Describes children's software programs that allow for a great deal of choice and control by children. Programs were selected on the basis of their design, child orientation, and ability to amuse. (RJC)

Discusses the ways in which poetry can be used to highlight literary aspects of children's books, such as characterization, locale, mood and archetypes. Suggestions are offered for the selection and use of poetry by teachers and librarians. (23 references) (CLB)

Discusses how storytelling can be used as an effective way of developing literacy for preschool children who are deaf or hard of hearing. A sample lesson illustrates how themes from children's books can lead to a myriad of topics touching a variety of content areas. (CR)