In their quest for resources to support children's early literacy learning and development, parents encounter and traverse different spaces in which discourses and artifacts are produced and circulated. This paper uses conceptual tools from the field of geosemiotics to examine some commercial spaces designed for parents and children that…

The authors take the opportunity to respond to the commentaries that were written regarding their article (in the March 2009 issue of "Educational Researcher") summarizing the conceptual and empirical basis for using standardized approaches to observing teachers' practices in classrooms and the potential that such approaches have for addressing…

One of the most important skills for children to develop in the kindergarten year is the recognition that letters and sounds are related. It is often called "the alphabetic principle"--the notion that speech sounds can be connected to letters in a predictable way. To grasp the alphabetic principle, children need to understand that: (1) letters…

Recent conceptions of identity view people's identities as multiple and situated. The ways we see ourselves are filtered through the relationships we share with others, the knowledges and experiences we bring, and the contexts within which we live and learn. McCarthey and Moje (2002) explain that the identities we construct shape our literacy…

Argues that young children should be encouraged to experiment with writing. Suggests that, as more thoughts are put into words and sentences that are recorded, children develop patterns for sentences that they can write and understand. Concludes that experimenting with writing gives children a chance to express themselves and to gain new…

Reviews the major points of the enculturation and developmental perspectives of becoming literate. Argues that it is time to consider culture and development together. Proposes the concept of "youth genre" as a basis for a developmentally sensitive sociocultural theory of literacy. (RS)

Finds several themes emerging in conversations about emergent literacy research: the field is alive and well; a new distinguishing factor is that the research frame has shifted from a cognitive to a sociocultural one; studies that extend over longer periods and across different sociocultural contexts are needed; and resist jumping to instructional…

Examines the effects of early learning on children's later achievement and educational attainment. Maintains that young children have the right to early education and that education should begin as soon as possible. Asserts that denying the right to education impairs people's capacity to work productively and to sustain and protect themselves and…

The process of creating handmade books with children is a great way to experience communication through art and words. One of the important literacy skills children need to learn is "concepts of print." These include the basic understanding of what a book is, the ability to recognize the front and back covers, and the capacity to turn the pages…

In these politically charged times of early literacy initiatives, position statements, and education reform, talk about play and literacy learning seems rather awkward, if not even a bit silly. As the realities of early literacy education set in, teachers, legislators, and parents grow ever more critical of what young children are doing as…

Examines how using play to promote literacy in preschool can interfere with play and become a stumbling block to literacy. Discusses concerns related to access of literacy materials in the play environment, adult intervention, and assessment during play. Urges educators to provide moderate amounts of literacy materials, intervene sensitively, and…

Current research has fragmented educators' vision of both written language and development. A more integrative vision, one that preserves the integrity of written language as a symbol system, is based on five principles that characterize written language development: (1) the establishment of equivalences; (2) exploration and orchestration of the…

Tells the story of young Haitian children's first encounters with written language in a preschool classroom, pointing out how the children's approaches to the task of becoming literate and their uses of print at times coincided with, and other times differed from, the teacher's and the school's intentions. Suggests that children's sociocultural…

Raises concerns about whether literacy-enriched play in early childhood settings is really play. Presents a vignette to illustrate how a teacher can model literacy unobtrusively, thereby enhancing literacy, but unwittingly draw children away from meaningful play activities. Differentiates the cognitive processes involved in play and literacy…

Examines early literacy development through the close study of one child's experience of producing her first story, composed and written down by herself alone. (TB)