This pamphlet (Practitioner's Guide), in both an English version and Spanish version, is intended for parents of precocious readers. Research facts on early reading are briefly summarized. Implications for the classroom and home are offered and include a discussion of early school entrance, principles of reading instruction, and ways the parent…

This book concerns the growth of a single child, as reported by her mother, from her first encounters with books and print to the beginnings of independent reading and writing. The study took place mainly between the child's third and fourth birthdays, during which period weekly tape recordings were made of story-reading sessions with one or both…

This biliography contains annotations of publications relating to theory, research, and practice in early reading (reading prior to the time a child begins attending school). The 142 annotations are listed under the following headings: comprehensive studies, theoretical issues, pedagogical issues, empirical issues, reviews, and bibliographies. (RL)

Describes a study of early readers to determine the linguistic and social interactions in the homes of early readers that seemed to make a difference in their reading. (HTH)

Demonstrates the positive effects of instruction using environmental print to stimulate print awareness in preschool children. (FL)

Reports on naturalistic research studies revealing that children begin to learn to read and write long before they go to school. (JL)

Presents results of a study of the home literacy experiences of three Dominican preschool children in New York City and examines the implications for educational practice. Data suggest that children found print materials an interesting part of their world, and that they engaged in literacy play and also explored literacy while watching television…

Preschool reading behavior did not arise necessarily or spontaneously in an open classroom where a set of books was continually available. Because the open classroom acquires new properties and meanings when contrasted with the traditional school, complex factors influencing behavior, such as novelty and modeling, must be examined. (BJG)

TO SUPPORT THE PREMISE THAT EARLY EDUCATION REDUCES ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION AND TO SUBSTANTIATE PROPOSALS ADVANCED BY BEREITER AND ENGLEMANN IN "TEACHING DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL," AN EXPERIMENT WAS CONDUCTED IN A HEADSTART SETTING. TWO CLASSES, EACH OF 24 CHILDREN RANGING IN AGE FROM 3-8 TO 5-7, ATTENDED PRESCHOOL CLASSES…

Argues that there is more to background experience than general knowledge--that concepts of print, language, story structue, and of reading's usefulness are equally important in developing early reading skills. (FL)

Addresses the issue of what happens to developing readers and spellers when they are given phonics instruction by describing the experiences of one six-year-old girl who received phonics instruction in kindergarten. (BB)

A study examined the effects of preschool reading intervention procedures on the knowledge about reading (reading readiness) of the subjects as they entered kindergarten. One such intervention, carried out for two consecutive years, involved giving low and middle income parents packets of several small, easy-to-read books and guidelines for using…

This discussion reviews literature on early bilingualism and early reading in two languages and summarizes a research project aimed at developing the experimental conditions for teaching early bilingual reading in institutional settings. The review notes positive effects of early reading generally and of early bilingual literacy on intellectual…

An intensive 6-week summer readiness program held in the Beaver Area School District, Beaver, Pennsylvania, developed linguistic facility among 15 preschool children. Daily activities included discussion, picture study, creative arts, field trips, developing experience charts, and other nonlanguage arts activities. A combined experiential,…

The question of whether children should be taught to read before first grade has long been discussed, but never settled. As the educational level of the people and the demands of industry increase, the rate of functional illiteracy also rises, provoking criticism of school programs and creating a need to find new ways of dealing with the problems.…