This document describes a project to develop and implement a curriculum to convince parents and caregivers of 3- and 4-year-olds how important it is for them to read to their children, to enhance their own reading skills, and to promote their confidence in instructing their children. The 16-page project report discusses the achievement of 4…

Noting that renaming common folk practices as "emergent literacy" practices legitimizes these unacknowledged ways of learning to read and write, this book highlights the importance of out-of-school literacy experiences and the value of real literature and real writing. It stresses a reciprocal relationship between basic research on the…

Five questions and answers are presented in this document. They are as follows: (1) Are family literacy and intergenerational literacy the same? The first term, it is explained, focuses on the parent and child, while the second term, used in the broader sense, involves other adults such as grandparents and neighbors, etc. (2) What are the goals of…

This practicum, designed to improve positive experiences of at-risk preschoolers, involved the coaching of parents in regard to their interactions with their preschoolers. The goal of the practicum was to provide parents with tools that would help them enrich the home environment of their preschool children. Parents of preschoolers in Chapter 1…

Intended for elementary school teachers of reading and composition, this book assembles several articles on the reading/writing relationship that have appeared in 1982 and 1983 issues of the journal "Language Arts." The three sections of the book define the relationship between composing and comprehending, explore relevant research, and…

Stressing the importance of understanding child development, this paper first describes the writing of several children in a kindergarten class who represent various levels of emerging literacy. Based on the descriptions of classroom activities, the paper argues that with a developmental perspective the teacher can build instruction on what the…

Intended for speech teachers and classroom teachers who work with elementary school children, this guide focuses on the sequential development of oral language skills and related skills. Following an introduction is a brief orientation lesson guide designed to interest children in the speech program and introduce the basic forms of communication.…

Designed to be scholarly in content and grounded in research and at the same time be practical and usable for day care workers, classroom teachers, and curriculum specialists, this book discusses various aspects of the view that children's literacy development is a continuous process beginning in infancy with exposure to oral language, written…

A longitudinal study examined the classroom environments in which 30 children learned to read. Over the first four years of the study, data were collected on how the children's third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teachers taught reading and other subjects, the kinds and numbers of books that the children had available to read, the functions of…

This theme issue discusses the special information needs of older adults and library services designed to meet these needs, especially focusing on the problems of mobility, visual, and hearing impairments. Several contracted projects in Illinois, developed to assess and meet the needs of older adults, are also described and evaluated. (CLB)

This technical report outlines the results of a correlational study of an Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) measure, a Reading Comprehension measure, a Vocabulary measure, and a statewide, large-scale reading assessment. The effects of school income level, gender, ethnicity, Special Education status, and English Language Learner status are also…

Despite a body of evidence that curriculum-based measurement of reading (R-CBM) is a valid measure of general reading achievement, some school-based professionals remain unconvinced. At the core of their argument is their experience with word callers, students who purportedly can read fluently, but do not understand what they read. No studies have…

This compilation of four journal issues on gifted education in California focuses on the following topics: (1) literacy for the 21st century; (2) technology; (3) reflections on gifted education; and (4) politics. Major articles include: "English Language Arts in California's Schools: A New Beginning" (Diane Levin and Catherine Barkett);…

This training manual was designed to provide information and support to Head Start teachers, staff, and parents in the area of emergent literacy. The first section, "What is Emergent Literacy and Why Should We Do It?" addresses the concept of emergent literacy, identifying six key elements: (1) learning to read and write begins very…

This study investigated the impact of parents with different language backgrounds on the language acquisition and language competency of their children in the mother tongue, Chinese, and a second language, English, in Singapore. Parents were surveyed on language usage and language materials provided to their children. Exams on vocabulary,…