Fifty-five first grade students from low socioeconomic neighborhoods who lacked understanding of fundamental concepts frequently found in preschool and primary instructional materials and who possessed a low self-concept and limited experience were divided into a control and two experimental groups. The Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) was…

Specialists in child development have recommended that children be "read to" at an early age. Many children are read to, and some have been read to a great deal. However, much more is to be desired for some groups of the population and for some individuals. In recognition of the needs of these children this Curriculum in Listening Achievement was…

Ways in which young children can and do develop language ability are discussed by experts in this collection of papers written by speech and language professionals. This book is designed to help educators and allied professionals guide children through the process of language acquisition in their early language forming years. Practical information…

This study was designed to identify specific language variables that could prove to be useful as predictors of a child's success in beginning reading. The study is theoretical in nature and provides background information that may be useful in future empirical investigations. A review of the literature on child language acquisition was conducted.…

Highlights qualitative studies from two preschools that view the framework of literacy use as socially constructed and embedded in social and cultural perspectives and practices of communities. Suggests ways to strengthen early-childhood programs, including greater use of writing and drawing materials readily available, additional orientation to…

The guide, intended to help teachers, parents, and community workers throughout the world develop educational services for children with severe cerebral palsy, is published in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. The 11 practitioner-contributed chapters stress specific intervention techniques based on the practitioners' own experiences…

This paper contains a description and evaluation of a project designed to assist teachers, aides, and parents in the preparation of preelementary children for structured elementary school reading programs. Activities involving 22 teachers and aides and 71 parents from seven schools or child care sites are described. A section on achievement data…

A program designed to detect and prevent reading disability in kindergarten is outlined in this curriculum guide. A modification of the Santa Clara Inventory of Developmental Tasks is used as the basic screening and diagnostic instrument, and instructions are provided on how to use the instrument for both purposes. Detailed sections on teacher…

This teacher's guide is composed of reading readiness activities for kindergarteners designed to: (1) lead from teacher-directed instruction toward independent learning and reinforcement activities; (2) help the teacher build on each child's previous background while teaching new learning strategies; and (3) emphasize six readiness areas…

Papers presented at the tenth annual study conference of the United Kingdom Reading Association, held at Totley-Thornbridge College of Education, Sheffield, are included in this report. The conference theme centered on the proposition that learning to read is a long-term developmental process beginning in preschool life and language experience and…

Noting that, in terms of language acquisition, the "basics" at schools should parallel the "basics" of common sense family life, this book examines the connections between play, language development, and learning in young children. Chapter 1 deals with the role of the teacher in a changing society. Chapter 2 addresses some of…

The West Virginia University Child Development Laboratory has successfully used microcomputers as a complement to their language experience approach to teaching three- and four-year-old children. The computer acts as a motivational tool, and gives children the opportunity to produce perfectly typed pictures or letters. The first encounter a child…

The reflections and theses on preschool children's literacy development presented in this book are the result of an experimental project carried out in Buenos Aires from 1974 to 1976. Chapter 1 discusses the educational situation in Latin America, traditional methods of reading instruction, contemporary psycholinguistics, the pertinence of…

The 12 articles in this publication contain information designed to help parents of preschool and elementary school children understand the complex psychological and sociological process of language development and its relationship to learning to read. The articles also provide specific suggestions for parents who wish to participate in their…

This module is designed to prepare teachers to facilitate the phonological aspects of language development. Section 1 provides detailed basic background information on phonology, including: (1) definition of three aspects of the phonological system (classification, intonation, and stress) with an ontogeny for each; (2) brief discussions of…