To highlight the versatility of the Starter Approach to reading, a one-on-one beginning reading strategy for use with a nonreader of any age, this document describes the approach in detail and then briefly describes four longitudinal studies that used it. The introduction notes that the procedure combines successful components of popular,…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 11 titles deal with the following topics: interrelationships among different approaches to measuring listening comprehension; two methods of articulatory assessment on the responses of kindergarten children; a comparative…

The two complementary questions--"What does literature do to young readers?" and "Can literature be taught?"--are not easily answered. Youth should not employ literature as an exclusive guide to life since they will encounter numerous unrealistic situations. Instead, literature should entice them to deal vicariously with vivid, new experiences and…

Science is filled with moments of long-sought understanding, and smaller moments of personal insight and victory. Thirteen such moments from physical, biological, and earth sciences appear in this book of stories. They each link well with the primary science curriculum. Each demonstrates the "doing" of science in which a preeminent…

Provides a useful introduction and overview to using storytelling in the elementary social studies classroom. Presents a rationale for using storytelling, tips on getting started, preparation for the story, and follow-up activities. Includes a 61-item bibliography of folktales and stories. (MJP)

This collection contains the keynote address and several presentations that were delivered at a University of Minnesota conference on issues in early childhood education. Keynote speaker Rheta DeVries discussed three tasks facing the educator who is learning to be a constructivist teacher: understanding the nature of the child's mind; overcoming…

Describes the One-Third Report method for motivating reluctant students to read and write: the teacher reads aloud a portion of a story; the class brainstorms endings; students read one-third of assignments, then write about what they need to know or hypothesize endings, which motivates them to finish the story. Includes sample One-Third Report.…

Tested a model of individual differences in the development of emergent literacy. Focused on home environment contributions to children's emerging literacy skills and on processes relating family environment and two domains of emergent literacy (outside-in and inside-out). Found that early connections between home, language, and emergent literacy…

Mainstream educators tend to assume that families should follow a school-prescribed pathway, centred on parent-child storyreading sessions, to help their children become literate and achieve educational success. The research discussed here focuses on case studies of bilingual families with six-year-old children growing up in London, and shows that…

This exploratory survey was conducted to gain a detailed understanding of the home and community literacy experiences of children, adolescents and adults with Down syndrome. The data were collected from 224 parents/guardians across Canada who were asked to indicate literacy goals and priorities for their children with Down syndrome, the literacy…

The purpose of this study was to present a detailed description of Mexican-American bilingual kindergartners' discussions of stories read aloud by their teacher in the students' second language, which was English. Eighteen Mexican-American kindergartners with limited English proficiency were observed for 12 weeks during storytime, and their…

To determine how children develop schema for text that include increasing sensitivity to text types, text categories, orthographic conventions in words, conventional story beginnings and endings, and text cohesive ties, a study examined the writing of four kindergarten children. The kindergarten had adopted a process-conference approach to writing…

Designed by speech pathologists for use with preschool children, 54 lessons utilize the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA). Beginning with the presentation of a single sound and its ITA symbol, lessons progress systematically through all the symbols; synthesis of the elements into syllables, words, sentences, stories, and general conversation is…

Discusses ways to use mythic literature to teach children about themselves and to help them write their own stories and legends. (SRT)

This final performance report for the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Public Library literacy project begins with a section that provides quantitative data. The next section compares actual accomplishments to the project goal--to provide county citizens with better access to literacy services--and the following related objectives for 1992-93: (1)…