Twenty-six articles and books, both pro and con kindergarten reading instruction, are selected to encourage objective consideration of the wisdom of early reading instruction, at least for some children. Research reports, descriptions of kindergarten programs, and studies of various aspects of readiness, ranging in date from 1937 through 1965, are…

During the spring of 1971, a study was made of early reading responses of four, five, and six year olds in a Finnish preschool in order to discover clues to the onset of reading when beginning reading instruction focuses on a phonetic approach and when the language (Finnish) has a highly phonetic regularity. Sixty-two children were tested,…

The articles collected in this special issue of "Reading"offer a response to and elaboration of the report of the Bullock Committee on reading. An editorial introduction describes the focus and implications of the report and outlines the committee's main recommendations. Included in the discussion are the following articles:…

The research being published in Britain regarding reading readiness is reviewed in this monograph. The factors teachers should take into account when planning prereading programs and determining when a child is ready to read are presented. The various aspects of reading readiness that are discussed include: (1) physiological factors, such as…

In order to help parents encourage their young children as they develop reading skills, this list suggests that parents give each child as many opportunities as possible for meaningful experiences; strive for good language facility--answering in complete sentences and using exact labels; discourage baby talk; don't discourage young children from…

Reflects on the possible factors that enabled the author's child to learn to read at the age of five. (MKM)

Explains the British Infant School approach to the teaching of reading and writing, in which reading flows directly from the children's writing-which, in turn, is stimulated by virtually every aspect of the school program. Includes samples of the children's writing. (BR)

Results of a study of early reading responses of young children in a Finnish preschool challenge the belief that grapheme-phoneme regularity is a critical factor in beginning reading. (JM)

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

Provides evidence for the development of grammatical sensitivity across grades one, two, and three. Shows that grammatical sensitivity is significantly related to reading skill level. (FL)

Presents the ideas of three people highly visible in the field of reading, each of whom holds different views about reading and reading instruction, in an effort to help teachers clarify their own thoughts. (FL)

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)

Reveals that traits associated with early readers from low socioeconomic backgrounds are similar to traits associated with early readers from higher socioeconomic levels. (FL)

When adults share picture books with young children, they build their lifelong literacy and enjoyment of reading. In beautiful full color, the new edition of this popular book will help recognize quality in children's literature and illustration and see how to use picture books to best advantage. Following an introduction, this book is organized…

Alphabet names that don't correspond to their sounds can throw beginning readers off the track. This reading specialists renames some of the letters and teaches them to kids. (Editor)