ANNUAL EDITIONS: Early Childhood and Elementary Literacy 05/06
UNIT 1. Literacy FoundationsNew! 1. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children, National Association for the Education of Young Children, July 1998
This joint position statement of the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children outlines what constitutes developmentally appropriate practices in early literacy during the period from birth to age eight. This statement is grounded in a thorough review of literature and concluded with recommendations for teaching practices and policies. New! 2. Early Literacy Instruction in the Climate of No Child Left Behind, Margaret Taylor Stewart, The Reading Teacher, May 2004
A critical examination of the research that formed the basis for No Child Left Behind Legislation highlights the complexity of implementing this federal mandate. Teachers are provided with additional research-based suggestions for effectively promoting the literacy development of all children. New! 3. Literacy, Learning, and Libraries: Common Issues and Common Concerns, Ken Haycock, Feliciter, 2003
What role do libraries and librarians play in literacy development? Should librarians be expected to form partnerships with schools? While such a shift in responsibilities will certainly redefine the role of librarians around the globe, evidence suggests that students achieve more when there is collaboration between librarians and school personnel. New! 4. Public Libraries and Early Literacy: Raising a Reader, Renea Arnold, American Libraries, September 2003
This scholarly article provides empirical evidence of how public librarians can assist families and child care providers with offering quality literacy experiences for young children. New! 5. “The Best Way Is Always Through the Children”: The Impact of Family Reading, Sarah J. McNicol and Pete Dalton, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 2002
This article discusses how a public library formed a partnership by taking library materials for the whole family into the schools. Benefits for parents, libraries, and schools as well as challenges of this partnership are elucidated. New! 6. Enhancing Phonological Awareness, Print Awareness, and Oral Language Skills in Preschool Children, Paige C. Pullen and Laura M. Justice, Intervention in School and Clinic, November 2003
This review of literature substantiates how formal reading skills are built on emergent reading skills that can be acquired during the preschool years. Critical emergent literacy skills include, but are not limited to, phonological awareness, print awareness, and oral language skills, and can be supported by specific strategies which are also outlined. New! 7. Parent Involvement in Children’s Acquisition of Reading, Sharon Darling and Laura Westberg, The Reading Teacher, May 2004
The results of a meta-analysis demonstrated the positive effects parental involvement has on children’s reading acquisition. Training parents in how to appropriately teach their children reading with specific exercises resulted in greater gains than having parents listen to their children read. The implications of this finding are discussed. New! 8. Beyond Shared Book Reading: Dimensions of Home Literacy and Low-Income African American Preschoolers’ Skills, Pia Rebello Britto and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2001
This research extends previous studies by examining other salient aspects of home environments that might impact early oral language skills and literacy development. The manner in which the parents interacted with their children, or the learning climate of the home, was associated with language and literacy outcomes. UNIT 2. Creating a Literacy CultureNew! 9. Family Literacy: Perspective and Practices, Lesley Mandel Morrow, Jeanne Paratore, Devron Gaber, Colin Harrison, and Diane Tracey, The Reading Teacher, November 1993
With research supporting a strong correlation between home environment and children’s school literacy achievement, it is time for schools to come to the forefront and incorporate family literacy into their curriculum and practices. Family literacy initiatives are presented which encourage the richness of each family’s culture rather than their “deficits and dilemmas.” New! 10. The Role of Child Development and Social Interaction in the Selection of Children’s Literature to Promote Literacy Acquisition, C. Denise Johnson, Early Childhood Research and Practice, Fall 2003
What should teachers consider when selecting literature for children? According to Johnson, “the magic of literature for children is necessarily bound with the nature of their development.” Implications for social interactions between adults and children when using the listed literature are included. New! 11. The Many Rewards of a Literacy-Rich Classroom, David K. Dickinson and Lori Lyman DiGisi, Educational Leadership, March 1998
The authors’ study of 69 first grade classrooms was designed to identify factors in schools that promote literacy. Their findings reveal that the amount of writing children did in class correlated with their achievement. Students with higher reading scores were in classes where they engaged in narrative and informational writing, as well as content area writing. New! 12. Building Walls of Words, Edna Greene Brabham and Susan Kidd Villaume, The Reading Teacher, April 2001
The use of word walls in elementary classrooms has become quite a familiar phenomenon, which empowers students to become more independent readers and writers. The authors share how word walls can help students construct meaning at their own levels of development. UNIT 3. Current Theory Guiding Best PracticesNew! 13. Phonemic Awareness: A Crucial Bridge to Reading, Carol S. Woods, Montessori Life, Spring 2003
In this article, the author stresses the importance of phonemic awareness as a necessary skill for literacy. In her Montessori preschool she uses phonological testing to identify the phonemic skills needed by a struggling student. Learning to manipulate individual sounds in words allowed this student to blend sounds and develop beginning reading skills. New! 14. False Claims About Literacy Development, Stephen Krashen, Educational Leadership, March 2004
Author, Stephen Krashen, disputes the findings of the 2000 National Reading Panel’s report on reading and reading instruction. He challenges educators to examine the effectiveness of phonemic awareness training and reports that say it is superior to whole language instruction. The author suggests misinterpretation of the National Reading Panel’s report has led legislators and educators astray in determining education policy and federal funding. New! 15. Matching Texts and Readers: Leveling Early Reading Materials for Assessment and Instruction, Lori Jamison Rog and Wilfred Burton, The Reading Teacher, December 2001/January 2002
In this article, the authors discuss the guided reading portion of their balanced literacy program. Wanting to select the correct books for children and frustrated by the variety of leveling systems used by publishing companies, this Canandian school district created their own book leveling system to support emergent literacy. It offers additional support for teachers by identifying key strategies necessary for the reader to be successful at each reading level. New! 16. Guided Reading: Who Is in the Driver’s Seat?, Susan Kidd Villaume and Edna Greene Brabham, The Reading Teacher, November 2001
Villaume and Bradham’s article examines the purposes behind guided reading and its use to create independent, strategic readers. They show how teachers can use a variety of texts, various grouping techniques, and different instructional strategies to meet the needs of individual students, yet allow students to have the leading role in their reading. UNIT 4. Implementing Best Practices in the FieldNew! 17. The Essentials of Early Literacy Instruction, Kathleen A. Roskos, James F. Christie, and Donald J. Richgels, Young Children, March 2003
This is a very explicit article detailing the foundation of early literacy instruction and how it fits into the growing research. It provides details and excerpts from actual classrooms that model the integration of reading, writing, and oral language. This article provides a framework on which a literacy program could be based. New! 18. Just Think of the Possibilities: Formats for Reading Instruction in the Elementary Classroom, Kimberly Kimbell-Lopez, Reading Online, February 2003
This on-line article examines six formats to be used in balanced literacy instruction in the primary grades: Shared Reading, Read-Aloud, Guided Reading, Reader’s Theatre, Silent Sustained Reading, and Literature Circles. Great care was taken to help teachers make critical decisions on how to group students, create a focus, and organize materials appropriately. New! 19. Our Students Are Ready for This: Comprehension Instruction in the Elementary School, James Barton and Donna M. Sawyer, The Reading Teacher, December 2003/January 2004
This article delves into ten comprehension strategies for elementary instruction ranging in degrees from literal to inferential. Each strategy is then dissected using narratives and examples of classroom initiated products. The reader is provided a palette from which a comprehension curriculum can be created. New! 20. A Comprehension Checklist: What if It Doesn’t Make Sense?, Dixie D. Massey, The Reading Teacher, September 2003
This article offers a concrete, comprehension checklist for students’ self-monitoring use. As children have these comprehension strategies modeled for them, the teacher can then add them to their individualized checklists. New! 21. How Do You Know? A Strategy to Help Emergent Readers Make Inferences, Janet C. Richards and Nancy A. Anderson, The Reading Teacher, November 2003
To help emergent readers become fluent in making inferences, the authors provide a “How Do You Know?” technique. Teachers must find literature appropriate for inference making (guidelines are provided), then present it to children stopping at the point of inference making. Teachers then use metacognition to assist children’s thinking. A variety of scaffolds are provided along with multiple literacy experiences for children to practice. New! 22. Using Centers to Engage Children During Guided Reading Time: Intensifying Learning Experiences Away from the Teacher, Michael P. Ford and Michael F. Opitz, The Reading Teacher, May 2002
This article presents three possible classroom organizational structures for providing learning while the teacher is engaged in guided reading, then elaborates on an old standard—learning centers. Specific considerations for maximizing all students’ learning during centers are provided as well as how-to for a variety of stations outside the one in which the teacher is engaged. New! 23. Digging Up the Past, Building the Future: Using Book Authoring to Discover and Showcase a Community’s History, Dorothy J. Leal, The Reading Teacher, September 2003
Teachers of Writing are given a step-by-step guideline for a book-authoring project that encompasses a full range of literacy activities with built-in, intrinsically motivated learning for children. A purpose is set for teachers and students to embark on a journey through time that is meaningful, therefore providing the necessary groundwork for each facet of the reading and writing continuum. UNIT 5. Integrated CurriculumNew! 24. Teaching Expository Text Structures Through Information Trade Book Retellings, Barbara Moss, The Reading Teacher, May 2004
This article informs educators on how to use trade book retellings to define expository text structures. Teachers are encouraged to model retellings after introducing a particular text structure. This will then allow for student participation. New! 25. Mathematics Trade Books: Establishing Their Value and Assessing Their Quality, Patricia D. Hunsader, The Reading Teacher, April 2004
It is well known that literature can enhance instruction in mathematics. In this article we find that not all publishers use quality as a gauge in recommending mathematical literature books. Hunsader challenges teachers to use an assessment scale in determining the value of these books. New! 26. It’s As Easy As A-B-C and Do-Re-Mi: Music, Rhythm, and Rhyme Enhance Children’s Literacy Skills, Kantaylieniere Y. Hill-Clarke and Nicole R. Robinson, Young Children, September 2004
This article highlights the interrelationship between music, language, and reading. There is a brief discussion on Garner’s eight intelligences as a backdrop for all later learning, as music is the earliest developing intelligence. The article is teeming with specifics to integrate music into a primary or music classroom. New! 27. Reggio Emilia: New Ways to Think About Schooling, Rebecca S. New, Educational Leadership, April 2003
Rebecca New explores the Reggio Emilia approach. She suggests that not only is this “working-together” approach appealing to parents and students, but to educators across the country as well. New! 28. Promoting Creativity for Life Using Open-Ended Materials, Walter F. Drew and Baji Rankin, Young Children, July 2004
Providing opportunities for exploring, manipulating, and creating with open-ended materials promotes the growth of language skills, and when coupled with paper and writing utensils will bring emergent literacy skills. The active role of the teacher in facilitating the social construction of knowledge is addressed. New! 29. Young Children Try, Try Again: Using Wood, Glue, and Words to Enhance Learning, Corinna S. Bisgaier, Triada Samaras, and Michele J. Russo, Young Children, July 2004
This article describes how a wood project promoted language development, including building vocabulary for talking about the art-making process and answering open-ended questions. UNIT 6. Critical Teacher Leadership in Literacy DevelopmentNew! 30. Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Recommendations for Effective Early Childhood Education, National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1996
This article is a position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children concerning appropriate instructional practices to respond to linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom and school setting. New! 31. Not Made for Defeat, Judy W. Kugelmass, Educational Leadership, April 2000
This article challenges administrators and classroom teachers to examine the grouping practices in their schools for issues of discrimination and racism. It reports the positive impact of heterogeneous grouping on reading scores and behavior of children identified with special needs. The reform in grouping students helped to counter the negative stereotype of children in self-contained special education classes. New! 32. Vygotsky and the Blues: Re-Reading Cultural Connections and Conceptual Development, Shuaib J. Meacham, Theory and Practice, Summer 2001
This article contributes to sociocultural literacy theory. Educators are encouraged to view cultural diversity as a resource for literacy development. Examples from classroom practice are provided. New! 33. Early Literacy Practices as Predictors of Reading Related Outcomes: Test Scores, Test Passing Rates, Retention, and Special Education Referral, Genevieve Manset-Williamson, Edward St. John, Shouping Hu, and David Gordon, Exceptionality, 2002
Standardized testing, accountability, and No Child Left Behind have forced classroom teachers and administrators to collect and interpret data as part of the instructional decision making process. This article identifies predictor variables and the direction of relationship with four outcome variables; language arts scale score, passing rates, rate of referral for special education assessment, and rate of grade retention. The study has limitations because data was based on principals’ perceptions, but the article is valuable in calling for culturally responsive leadership among educators (teachers and administrators). Educators are challenged to take a critically and scholarly approach to instructional practice. New! 34. Using African American Children’s Literature to Support Literacy Development, Sally McClellan and M. Evelyn Fields, Young Children, May 2004
This article is an example of critical educational leadership. The authors address the continuing disparity between achievement among African American students and their European American counterparts. One only needs to look at the achievement scores across the nation to realize that standardized testing has not leveled the playing field but simply brought it to the forefront. This article challenges African American children’s teachers to use authentic African American children’s literature to support literacy development as a critical way to intervene for social justice and democracy in education. New! 35. Effects of Running Records Assessment on Early Literacy Achievement, John A. Ross, Journal of Educational Research, March/April 2004
In response to the poor success rate of the Effective Schools Movement in the 1970s and 1980s, which did not result in improved classroom practice, this article puts the ball in the classroom teachers’ lap. This article poses classroom teachers and administrators as researchers and change agents, and suggests that educators working with children must collect ongoing literacy development data for instructional decision-making. Educators must become scholarly practitioners in the context of classroom and school practice.
