This research reports on one area of a larger study in Western Canada examining the literacy activities of families from culturally diverse backgrounds. The research focused on parents' interactions with preschool children in storybook sharing and children's emergent reading development as measured by the "Test of Early Reading Ability-2…

Reviews research discussing early writing and invented spellings of young children as indicators of their readiness to learn to read and write. (MKM)

This article focuses on practical classroom ideas for enhancing early literacy learning by teaching a broad range of metalinguistic skills. These skills include phonemic and word awareness, but focus largely on syntactic and pragmatic skills in order to give children a richer understanding of language and its functions. Theoretical background is…

Identifies cognitive characteristics and learning style preferences of gifted readers, and presents instructional guidelines for accommodating those preferences. (HTH)

Describes a parent education project that recognized the importance of educating parents so that they would be able to help their youngsters in early reading development. (HOD)

Analyzes two case studies of children who seem to have learned to read before enrolling in school. Examines common factors in their home environments, and suggests it is important for teachers to take into account the reading experience each child brings to school. (RS)

Reinforces the idea of the importance of home influences in early reading behavior. Reveals a significant positive correlation between the literary environment of the home and the "literacy set" of a child in a preschool setting. (FL)

Lists 10 practical suggestions and literature sources for parents to use with their children, including creating a "reading and writing corner," playing word games such as "pictodictionary," taking children to the library, and using magazines and newspapers as sources of learning material. Lists newsletters, brochures, and…

Third in a series of four articles devoted to parents and reading. Focuses upon parental involvement in reading and examines research and activities that can be beneficial at home and at school. (HTH)

Argues that while many publishers may simplify the sentence structure in the basal reader to facilitate the process of learning to read, this practice may result in texts with stylistic features and text formats that are unnatural and uncharacteristic of written English or the language development level of the children. (FL)

Provides guidelines for using action (pop-up) books of rhymes and tales to help children develop prereading skills and a sense of story structure. (AEW)

Describes a program in a first grade classroom in a rural school district which integrates holistic and direct instructional ideas by using the basal reader as one part of an otherwise holistic literacy program. Presents the major benefits of and some concerns about the program. (RS)

Explores the dilemmas and constraints faced by kindergarten teachers in trying to bridge home and school learning for the early reader. Suggests possible resolutions for teachers to meet the varied needs of kindergarten students. (MG)