A study investigated what pregnant women and mothers of infants do to develop language and promote a love of reading in their children during the early stages of life. Two surveys were used, the first completed by 15 pregnant women, and the second completed by 15 women with infant children. Results indicated that: (1) the majority of pregnant…

The central purpose of storytelling in the classroom is for enjoyment, both on the part of the storyteller and the audience. On the other hand, especially when time is allotted for storytelling during reading instruction periods, teachers can integrate the art of storytelling with practical competence building activities. For example, the tale of…

Part of a series designed to provide practical ideas parents can use to help children become readers, this booklet focuses on how to encourage young children to write. The booklet describes the kinds of writing that children do, offers suggestions on how to encourage children to experiment with spelling, and urges parents not to be overly…

Annotates a number of books that can help teachers demonstrate for young children the importance of reading. (FL)

Examines parental involvement in shared reading and reading games as they affect reading improvement. Concludes that it doesn't matter which reading-related activity parents do with their children, as long as they receive initial counselling and ongoing support from the school. (RS)

Presents 13 teachers' suggestions for recent novels to use for common reading or classroom teaching at various grade levels. (MM)

Examined the types of comments made by 12 mothers to their prelinguistic children (between 10 and 14 months of age) in the communication-specific setting of book reading. Found the degree of illustration to have important effects on the types of comments made by mothers to their children. (SKC)

Identifies problems in basal readers caused by writers' use of vocabulary control and readability formulas. Provides suggestions for more effective employment of the basal reader, including suggestions on how to teach students to construct meaning from less than perfect texts. (ARH)

Discusses research supporting the connections between (1) early reading proficiency and listening to literature at a young age and (2) the nature of children's interactions with books before they read and later reading achievement. Indicates that story telling in the classroom represents a critical link between literature and literacy. (JD)

States that shared reading is a valid instructional strategy and that if teachers use it with joy and confidence, children will respond in kind. (DF)

Argues that when a parent or teacher reads the same story to children several times, they begin to attend to different aspects of the story than they did on the first reading. Discusses four changes in children's responses that occur with repeated readings. (FL)

Describes a small scale study of children's experiences with books read aloud in nursery schools. Explores what young children learn from hearing books and stories read aloud, and shows how data from this study and a larger scale study conducted simultaneously can illuminiate thinking about early literacy. (HTH)

Demonstrates how peer interaction during writing helps children experience connections between reading and writing. Describes children's responses to unfinished pieces, a peer's "published" piece, other students' published books (read aloud by a student other than the author), and to books written by professional authors. (HTH)

The purpose of this study was designed to increase the reading abilities of students in the targeted first and third grade classes in two elementary schools located in the Midwest. The study involved an action research project highlighting the overall growth of the students' academic achievement through increased reading growth. The study was…

This brochure offers a host of tips for parents who wish to read for and with their children. The brochure first provides some general tips, such as "Read aloud at least 15 minutes a day to your child," and "Make a special place in your home where your child can read and write." It then describes developmental stages for…