Product Cover

Literacy and Young Children

Research-Based Practices

Edited by Diane M. Barone and Lesley Mandel Morrow

Paperback
Paperback
December 31, 2002
ISBN 9781572308190
Price: $45.00
318 Pages
Size: 6" x 9"
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This book presents current, research-based best practices for supporting young children's development as readers and writers. From leading figures in early literacy, the book demonstrates that scientifically grounded instruction need not be dull, drill-oriented, or one-size-fits-all. Rather, it describes language-rich approaches to engaging with children's existing levels of knowledge while moving them to more complex literacy understandings. Topics covered include the impact of home literacy experiences, teaching English learners and culturally diverse children, phonemic awareness and word knowledge for preschoolers, new uses for communication technologies and informational text, and fluency instruction. Also addressed are professional development issues, including teacher training practices that support change. Exemplary teaching strategies and activities are clearly depicted and illustrated with samples of student work, providing Pre-K-3 teachers with many useful ideas that can be readily applied in the classroom.

“This volume provides a compass for research-based early literacy education. It offers panoramic views of classrooms and home literacy environments, with helpful examples of children's work that give special attention to individual differences in learning. The ideas in this book will lift teachers and students to wakeful and meaningful engagement with many literacies. Useful reading for anyone seeking a way through the labyrinth of educational reform, it is an essential text for advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses.”

—Pamela J. Rossi, PhD, Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies, University of New Mexico


“A stellar and highly readable contribution to the field of early literacy. Each chapter takes up important questions of current practice that we need to resolve to meet the promise of literacy for all children. Leaving old rhetoric behind, the authors lead the way to reading research and instruction that will make a difference in our present and future classrooms. The volume goes way beyond phonics, laying out research, pedagogy, and technology that support fluency and comprehension, engage the very youngest learners and those whose first language is not English, and promote concept and vocabulary development through nonfiction. This book fills a void for both teachers and teacher educators. It builds and extends teachers' professional knowledge in early literacy, and as such, can be used in teachers' book clubs, study groups, and professional development activities, as well as undergraduate- and graduate-level teacher education courses.”

—Anne McGill-Franzen, PhD, School of Teaching and Learning, University of Florida


“Early childhood educators will find this book to be an indispensable resource. It contains clear, concise summaries of a wide range of topics connected with early literacy: home literacy learning, cultural diversity, 'best practice' teaching strategies, informational books for young children, new technologies, and staff development. Each chapter contains a summary of the most recent research and theory on a topic, followed by concrete suggestions on how to apply this information in real classrooms. The combination of current, state-of-the-art research and practical advice for teachers is what sets this book apart.”

—James Christie, PhD, Department of Early Childhood Education, Arizona State University

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I. Foundations for Early Literacy Learning and Instruction

1. Staff Development for Early Literacy Teachers: A Plan to Facilitate Change

Lesley Mandel Morrow, Heather Casey, and Courtney Haworth

2. Questions About Early Literacy Learning and Teaching That Need Asking—And Some That Don't

William H. Teale

3. A Multidimensional Approach to Beginning Literacy

Irene W. Gaskins

4. The Learner, the Teacher, the Text, and the Context: Sociocultural Approaches to Early Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners

Shelley Hong Xu

Part II. Home Literacy Experiences of Children

5. What Hannah Taught Emma and Why It Matters

Lisa Lenhart and Kathleen Roskos

6. Learning About the Literate Lives of Latino Families

Jeanne R. Paratore, Gigliana Melzi, and Barbara Krol-Sinclair

Part III. Phonemic Awareness, Code Learning, and Book Acting

7. Engaging Preschoolers in Code Learning: Some Thoughts About Preschool Teachers' Concerns

Judith A. Schickedanz

8. Concepts, Sounds, and the ABCs: A Diet for a Very Young Reader

Marcia Invernizzi

9. Book Acting: Storytelling and Drama in the Early Childhood Classroom

Lea M. McGee

Part IV. Recent Trends in Literacy Research: Technology, Fluency, and Informational Text

10. Early Literacy in a Digital Age: Moving from a Singular Book Literacy to the Multiple Literacies of Networked Information and Communication Technologies

Rachel A. Karchmer, Marla H. Mallette, and Donald J. Leu, Jr.

11. No More "Madfaces": Motivation and Fluency Development with Struggling Readers

Steven A. Stahl

12. How Can I Help Them Pull It All Together? A Guide to Fluent Reading Instruction

Melanie Kuhn

13. Bridging the Gap between Learning to Read and Reading to Learn Nell K. Duke, V. Susan Bennett-Armistead, and Ebony H. Roberts

14. Immersing Children in Nonfiction: Fostering Emergent Research and Writing Renée M. Casbergue and Mary Beth Plauché

15. Organizing Expository Texts: A Look at the Possibilities

Carol Vukelich, Christine Evans, and Bonnie Albertson

16. Caution Apply with Care: Recommendations for Early Literacy Instruction

Diane M. Barone


About the Editors

Diane M. Barone, PhD, is Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Lesley Mandel Morrow, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, and President-Elect of the International Reading Association. Her recent publications include Organizing and Managing the Language Arts Block.

Contributors

Bonnie Albertson, MA, Delaware Reading Project and Delaware Center for Teacher Education, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Diane M. Barone, EdD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

V. Susan Bennett-Armistead, BS, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Renie M. Casbergue, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA

Heather Casey, EdM, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Nell K. Duke, EdD, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Christine Evans, MI, Delaware Reading Project and Delaware Center for Teacher Education, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Irene W. Gaskins, EdD, Benchmark School, Media, PA

Courtney Haworth, EdM, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Marcia Invernizzi, PhD, Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education, School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Rachel A. Karchmer, PhD, Division of Teacher Education, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

Barbara Krol-Sinclair, EdD, Intergenerational Literacy Project, Chelsea Public Schools, Chelsea, MA

Melanie Kuhn, PhD, Department of Teaching and Learning, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Lisa Lenhart, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies, University of Akron, Akron, OH

Donald J. Leu, Jr., PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Marla H. Mallette, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

Lea M. McGee, EdD, Reading Education, College of Education, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL

Gigliana Melzi, PhD, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, New York, NY

Lesley Mandel Morrow, Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Jeanne Paratore, EdD, Department of Developmental Studies and Counseling, School of Education, Boston University, Boston, MA

Mary Beth Plauchi, MEd, Metairie Park Country Day School, Metairie, LA

Ebony Roberts, PhD, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Kathy Roskos, PhD, Department of Education and Allied Sciences, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH

Judith A. Schickedanz, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Teaching, School of Education, Boston University, Boston, MA

Steven A. Stahl, EdD, Reading Education, College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

William H. Teale, PhD, Department of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

Carol Vukelich, PhD, Delaware Center for Teacher Education, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Shelley Hong Xu, EdD, Department of Teacher Education, College of Education, California State University, Long Beach, CA

Audience

Primary-grade teachers; reading specialists and school administrators; literacy educators and students.

Serves as a text in undergraduate- and graduate-level courses.

Course Use

Serves as a text in undergraduate- and graduate-level courses.