Synopses & Reviews
Finally—one concise book to show educators which early literacy research really warrants attention, why it's so important, and how to help young children learn to read in real classrooms. This volume captures the best early literacy knowledge from highly respected leaders in the field and turns those key concepts into strategies to use now with diverse learners at different skill levels. Education professionals will get the latest research on these hot topics:
- classroom environment
- environmental print
- English language learners
- comprehension
- invented spelling
- shared storybook reading
- assessment of early literacy skills
- the home connection
- Early Reading First
With real classrooms in mind, the contributors match actual teaching experiences to the research in every chapter. Teachers will enjoy having the detailed vignettes, sample activities, and helpful guidelines and ideas for creating rich classroom environments conducive to learning. With the strategies outlined, educators will effectively teach young children the individual literacy skills they need, show them how to put the skills together to solve the puzzle of reading, and keep them motivated to learn.
Review
"An important, timely, and accessible text on emergent literacy development and the contexts that support young childrens earliest literacy accomplishments." Laura Justice, Ph.D.
Synopsis
The concise guide to putting the research on how children learn to read into practice in real preschool classrooms
About the Author
Andrea DeBruin-Parecki is nationally recognized for her work in the field of family literacy. She developed the Adult–Child Interactive Reading Inventory (ACIRI), a reliable and valid tool that measures the interactive reading skills of an adult and a child during storybook reading (available from Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.). She has designed family literacy programs and has acted as a consultant across the country. In addition to the ACIRI, she created the Early Literacy Skills Assessment, a comprehensive, reliable, and valid tool in the form of a children's storybook that measures phonological awareness, the alphabetic principle, comprehension, and concepts about print. She has expertise in the areas of emergent literacy, assessment, literacy within at-risk and minority populations, and the motivation of at-risk populations. She was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Guatemala. Her work related to literacy development in young children and families has been published and presented at national, regional, and state conferences.
Susan B. Neuman, Ed.D., is a professor in educational studies specializing in early literacy development. Previously, she directed the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. Her research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction from prekindergarten to Grade 3. In her role as Assistant Secretary, she established the Reading First program and the Early Reading First program and was responsible for the implementation of all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Susan B. Neuman
Acknowledgments
Introduction
- Creating a Literacy-Rich Preschool Classroom Environment to Enhance Literacy Instruction
Lesley Mandel Morrow
- Exploring Intentional Instructional Uses of Environmental Print in Preschool and Primary Grades
Billie J. Enz, Jennifer Prior, Maureen R. Gerard, and Myae Han
- Narrative Bridges to Comprehension
Alison H. Paris and Scott Paris
- Practice to Theory: Invented Spelling
Donald J. Richgels
- Storybook Reading as a Standardized Measurement of Early Literacy Skill Development: The Early Literacy Skills Assessment
Andrea DeBruin-Parecki
- Early Literacy for English Language Learners
Linda M. Espinosa
- Making Vital Homeâ€"School Connections: Utilizing Parent Stories as a “Lifeline†for Developing Successful Early Literacy Experiences
Patricia A. Edwards and Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon
- The Book Matters: Evaluating and Selecting What to Read Aloud to Young Children
William H. Teale, Junko Yokota, and Miriam Martinez
- Early Reading First and Its Role in Defining High-Quality Professional Development
Lea M. McGee
Case Study 1 Developing an Early Literacy Professional Development Program
Roseann Rinear Case Study 2 Creative Contexts for Literacy: A Reggio Emilia Approach Using Art and Documentation
Cynthia P. Gehrie, Elizabeth Landerholm, and Georgina Valverde Index