While previous research has documented the unique aspects of Chinese dyslexia as compared to dyslexia in alphabetic scripts, it remains unclear whether the difference in Chinese literacy experiences influences the manifestation of Chinese dyslexia. The present article first reviews the characteristics of Chinese languages and scripts, including…

Explicit code and comprehension instruction is important for English learners (ELs), and several key findings from research on young ELs learning to read initially in English can offer guidelines for developing effective code-based instruction for these children. The authors of this column address comprehension instruction for ELs, suggesting…

The author briefly relatestwo kinds of literacy, the visual and the verbal." (Author/AA)

The nature of literacy is discussed from the perspective of a tutor who teaches adults how to read and write. It is argued that: (1) the effects of literacy discussed in the literature do not differ qualitatively from the effects of language and (2) literacy is equivalent to skilled reading. (Author/MT)

The fundamental goal of music-literacy instruction is to connect sound to symbol. An essential aspect of this process is audiation. Literate musicians make accurate matches between what they audiate and what they visualize. They establish this link by interacting with the symbolic language of music in both directions: translating notation into…

Standard or enhanced Blissymbols, designed to represent familiar actions, attributes, and objects, were shown to 20 3 year olds, who guessed their meaning. The number of their guesses that referred to the enhancements was twice as great as the number that referred to the standard Blissymbol base. (Author/JDD)

The four essays in this book are concerned with the cultural consequences of literacy in that they demonstrate that some forms of competence, highly valued in society, developed in large part as an unintended consequence of the Greek alphabetic writing system. The first essay, entitled "Spoken Sound and Inscribed Sign," discusses the…

The pros and cons of the influence of television on society are debated. Television is considered a means by which cultural information is transmitted and a powerful mechanism of socialization. However, television can be seen as a threat to the traditional role of literacy in society. (JN)

Qualitative stories garnered from six students with mental retardation and published autobiographical and biographical stories by people with disabilities or their parents are used as a "research synthesis" to describe an intimate, caring relationship which is of central importance when constructing a non-traditional approach to literacy that…

Explores how visual (pictorial) and verbal (linguistic) systems work together and influence each other as young children create symbol systems. Finds that, for young children, color plays a key role in communicating messages. Shows how art and writing (especially color and light) influence each other in children's literacy development. (SR)

THIS UNIT GUIDE WAS DESIGNED FOR DEMONSTRATING TO THE PREREADER THAT WRITING IS A CODE FOR SPEECH AND THAT LETTERS ARE SYMBOLS FOR SOUNDS MADE IN SPEECH. IT WAS DEVELOPED AS A PREREADING UNIT UNDER "PROJECT LITERACY," A BASIC RESEARCH AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IN AREAS OF EDUCATION RELEVANT TO THE ACQUISITION OF LITERACY SKILLS.…

This paper describes the unique development of media histories among developing peoples as compared to the western world's media development sequence from orality to literacy, print, film, and electronics. The fallacy of unilineal cultural evolution is presented, reviewed in terms of how it persists in current theories of media history, and then…

Literacy is a social concept more reflective of culture and context than of formal instruction and can be used for cultural transmission within a society or for cultural imperialism when imposed from outside. The Algonquian-speaking Micmac Indians used pictographs, petroglyphs, notched sticks, and wampum as written communication to serve early…

A NEW CURRICULUM OF CODING GAMES WAS DEVELOPED FOR BEGINNING READERS. THE CURRICULUM'S CONTENT EMPHASIZED TEACHING THE CHILD TO DECODE LETTERS INTO SOUNDS THAT REPRESENT LANGUAGE. THE PURPOSE WAS TO SHOW THE CHILD THE REASONABLENESS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WRITING AND SPEECH. THE CODING GAMES BEGAN WITH AN EMPHASIS ON LANGUAGE AND THE VARIOUS…