Provides information concerning the value of letter names in the teaching of reading and spelling. Presents specific discussions about the importance of letter names to prereading phonics abilities, the phonemic values in letter names, and the use of letter names in word analysis, semantic word recognition, and semantic spelling. (MKM)

Most schools are unwilling to consider decreasing computer use at school because they fear that without screen time, students will not be prepared for the demands of a high-tech 21st century. Monke argues that having young children spend a significant amount of time on computers in school is harmful, particularly when children spend so much…

Reflecting a concern for a broad base of knowledge in reading, this collection contains the following essays: (1) "Reading and the Language Arts"; (2) "The Integrated Reading Curriculum"; (3) "Oral Communication and the Curriculum"; (4) "Spelling in the Curriculum"; (5) "Motivation and the Learner in Reading"; and (6) "Reform in the Reading…

Unproven beliefs about the process of reading and its instruction and about the effects of maturation and social structure on learning have obscured the question of what children know about how to read. An alternate conceptualization proposes that to learn to read children must obtain experience in three reading contexts: the use of print and its…

Contends that developing an interest in a particular topic is the first step in getting students ready to read in the social studies. Maintains the teacher must find ways of using what children already know and couple this with their experiential background to fulfill the need for establishing familiarity before reading. (TRS)

There is an explosion of new research describing writing stages and how young children learn about reading by learning to write first. Teachers can develop environments in which students can freely explore writing in no-fail situations. By being guided by childrens' spontaneous learning efforts many inapropriate teaching techniques can be avoided.…

Explores how children become oriented to literacy and how their perceptions of the purpose of print develop as they move toward becoming more fluent users of print. (DF)

Presents picture-based and listening-based lessons designed to enhance teachers' awareness of the processes that lead to comprehension and to provide a framework within which they may develop their own lessons for comprehension awareness. (FL)

Young learners need a quality program for developing reading skills which is both sequential and holistic--sequential because there is an appropriate order to some skills, holistic because skills need to be incorporated in context. Word recognition techniques are thus integrated with ideas gleaned from reading. The learner should use acquired…

Until recently, kindergartens were designed to foster a positive attitude toward school and provide a well-rounded development through the use of suitable play, art, and social activities. Unfortunately, many kindergarten programs have begun to rely on inappropriate materials and techniques taken from formal first-grade programs. Such programs…

Suggests ways a teacher who is interested in performing Piagetian testing might persuade a principal of the validity of the tests, and offers insight into the connection between cognitive development and reading achievement. (JC)

Reports findings of a study of current practices in kindergarten programs showing that teachers seldom use test results to adapt instruction to individual needs. (FL)

Notes that, while the test is not recommended for children at the lower and extreme upper levels, it does provide a valid and reliable measure of some of the abilities that may be involved in the reading behaviors of five- and six-year-old children. (FL)

Considers the ways in which the processes involved in learning to read are inherent in art and music experiences; discusses visual arts activities as catalysts for vocabulary development, sensory control, and close observation; and provides an overview of such music activities as folk singing as motivaters for reading. (JL)

Children begin school with some very basic ideas about written language and reading. The first is that of sign and message. That a graphic representation, a "sign," conveys meaning is an early and easy concept for children that stems from their visually attending to print in their environment. The realization that spoken language can be…