A study evaluated the effectiveness of the Success in Beginning Reading and Writing (SBRW) program which is based on the philosophy that children should be taught to read and write using materials they will rely on later in life. Subjects, 59 students involved in the SBRW program, were given the California Achievement Tests as pre- and posttests.…

This brief report presents information on the extent to which families are engaged in literacy activities with their 3- to 5-year-olds who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten. It also presents information on signs of emerging literacy, such as whether children recognize letters, can write their own names, or read or pretend to read. The report…

Two important topics in early literacy development in Slovakia are discussed in this paper: the conceptual framework for its stimulation by efficient preschool curriculum, and the continuity of formal elementary school education with respect to children's preceding developmental achievements. The paper discusses the ongoing research project…

Focusing on the early phases of writing and having special relevance to prekindergarten through grade 2 teachers, this book shows how teachers can use interactive writing to teach a range of foundational literacy skills by sharing the pen with young writers. Skill building includes: letter formation, letter names, phonemic awareness, spelling,…

Developed as a vehicle of communication for the Reading Recovery Council of North America, this journal represents an international effort to connect researchers, teachers, and all those interested in early literacy. Articles in the first issue of this third volume are: "Relations between Children's Literacy Diets and Genre Development: You…

Discusses the increased literacy emphasis in schools and how early childhood programs can provide an enriched literacy environment. Defines and provides suggestions for activities related to basic literacy concepts: listening comprehension, phonological awareness, reading motivation, written expression, letter and early word recognition, and…

Discusses first grade students' writing experiences and processes. Demonstrates, using student writing samples, how simple expression can lead to greater complexity with appropriate teacher guidance. Asserts that teachers must observe and take cues from students to determine what learning context and hints to provide. (MM)

Examines how Hispanic bilingual kindergartners and first graders create and express personal meanings by illustrating parts of stories read aloud in class, dictating responses, and writing original narratives. Notes that literacy activities should be tied authentically to questions and interests expressed by children in the classroom. (MM)

Describes a successful literacy project involving the teacher, parents, and children in one kindergarten class in a small rural community in New South Wales, Australia. Discusses the classroom setting, teacher's approaches and reading style, introduction of a "writing center," parent involvement, role of the school library and librarian,…

Noting that children's perceptions of literacy and of themselves as learners differ from those of adults, this book documents how Sarah, from the ages of 2 to 5 years, understood literacy and invented reading and writing for herself. Numerous reading and writing samples in the book, organized around broad research questions, present Sarah as an…

Noting that more and more teachers are persuaded by the wisdom of teaching reading and writing together and keeping an emphasis on understanding children's early literacy learning, this third edition refines the presentation of two earlier editions to make it more useful for teachers who are setting up and teaching emergent literacy programs. The…

Designed to expand children's artistic and reading/writing abilities while developing their ability to draw, tell, and write stories, this paper describes a "story-picture" program for first grade Blackfoot Indian children. General cognitive, perceptual and psychomotor, and affective skills are listed as the course's intended learning…

This booklet presents specific suggestions, based on research, to help parents encourage their children to become readers. Suggestions for reading to children include: (1) continuing to read to children once they learn to read; (2) reading to children regularly; (3) talking about what is read; (4) sharing reading; (5) starting slowly; and (6)…

Examined written language tasks in 120 Gujarati-speaking children from grades two through four to assess the development of such skills in a syllabo-alphabetic writing system. Results indicated that the syllabo-alphabetic system of Devanagari proved to follow the models of reading acquisition constructed for alphabetic systems. (MM)

Reviews Monsters and Make-Believe Plus, a computer program which supports learners in their quest to become skilled language users. Finds it to be one of the most powerful software programs available to implement a whole language program. (MG)