Suggests that reading programs that attempt to teach reading before children have developed adequate problem solving skills may be responsible for producing children who learn not to read. (DD)

The importance of experience in the development of reading readiness skills acquisition is a well-documented, thoroughly reviewed topic in education literature today. Aside from the specific subject area of experience, there is very little current discussion on reading readiness skills and their relationship to standardized readiness classroom…

This collection of brief reports on educational matters of interest to parents contains the most popular titles in the Report to Parents series issued by the National Association of Elementary School Principals as a service to its members. Reports cover the following topics: (1) buying books for children; (2) dealing with child abuse; (3) helping…

Discusses four issues raised by the movement toward publicly funded prekindergartens and offers five recommendations suggesting specific actions reading teachers can take to influence the design of prekindergarten programs. (JC)

Argues that the way reading is taught to the youngest children sets the stage for their future learning. Notes that recent research shows that some basal readiness activities are better avoided or postponed. (FL)

Describes children's process of constructing their own knowledge by going through one level after another of being "wrong" and relates this process to reading. Describes six strategies children invent and discusses implications for teaching. (AS)

Discusses the hothousing controversy in terms of demographics, consequences on emotional development, and clinical concerns. In addition, the increase in academics and "readiness" training at the preschool level and the influence of the academic community on the hothousing movement are considered. (PCB)

Discusses the importance of preschool literacy training. (FL)

This paper contends that a person's readiness for academic learning should be based on his/her developmental readiness, not on chronological age requirements. Human beings develop at their own neurological rates (biological clock). The paper first cites research on a "sensitive learning period" in which learning is mastered in a more efficient…

Argues that phonemic awareness in young readers may be knowledge that is constructed in the unique situation of trying to match speech to an alphabetic orthography. Stages of learning about print, teaching children about written language, and the roles of alphabet recognition and perceptual-motor skills in learning to read are discussed.…

Recognizing that achievement gaps start early, policymakers at the state and federal level have focused attention on reading readiness for low-income and minority preschool children. Neuman argues that the focus of many preschool programs--building such basic literacy skills as letter recognition and decoding--misses the mark. What economically…

Prepared by teachers in a summer course, this handbook presents brief descriptions of various aspects of reading instruction and related lesson plans and class activities. Sections of the handbook discuss readiness, word recognition, word meaning/vocabulary, comprehension, and reading in the content areas. The handbook also offers brief…

This paper describes the origins of a corporation producing computer software for children, lists criteria for software design, and describes work done with computer graphics for children. The corporation, called The Learning Company, had its origins in a project set up to create playful learning programs for children ages 3 to 13. The project was…

Young children learn many important things about language from the television and radio ads they encounter that can help them learn to read and write. They learn that print carries messages that are personally important to them, that whatever can be said can also be written, what some forms of written language look like, and that language use can…

A Piagetian framework is provided for understanding patterns of cognitive growth and their relation to early reading achievement among kindergarten children. Reference is made to relevant research, including recent Piagetian interpretations of prereading, language, and logical thinking. Instructional strategies are offered to guide kindergarten…