Basic Early Literacy Skills

Basic Early Literacy Skills provides all the resources necessary for educating readers from grades K–3.

A valuable resource for professionals working with pre-school children, or with older children lacking basic literacy skills, this book provides practical photocopiable activities to develop the early skills required for success with literacy. Includes: rhyming activities; alphabet activities; phonological awareness; writing and handwriting; and reading. Each section is structured so that children can build up their knowledge and skills. Developed within the classroom, these ideas and activities can be used with a range of children in whole class, group and individual situations both at home and in pre-school settings. Designed to help children showing early signs of dyslexia or a specific learning difficulty, these activities will also benefit older children who lack a foundation of early literacy skills. It is invaluable for teachers, learning support assistants, nursery workers, parents and carers.

"This prevention-oriented assessment for the growth and development of literacy skills will help you easily identify students in need of intervention and accurately evaluate the effectiveness of intervention strategies. DIBELS is designed for ongoing use to measure foundational skills and progress in reading; predict later reading success and performance on high-stakes tests; and provide an instructional goal that will prevent reading failure and promote reading success."--Publisher's web site.

Teaching and learning literacy in the early years can be a joyful, explorative and meaningful experience. This accessible book will give teachers and practitioners the practical and theoretical skills and knowledge they require to successfully and confidently teach reading, writing and oral skills in the early years classroom. Foregrounding the ways in which literacy instruction can be made enjoyable and meaningful from the very beginning, Teaching Essential Literacy Skills in the Early Years Classroom explores the theory and practice of teaching various aspects of literacy and language, from phonological awareness, phonics and fluency, to vocabulary and comprehension. Chapters draw on the latest research to identify and showcase best practice in writing instruction, illustrate how language and literacy can be developed through play, and outline how a teacher might use the environment to enhance children’s learning. Downloadable resources, examples of planning, classroom activities and vignettes can be quickly and easily adapted for use in any early years setting. A rich and comprehensive source of information, ideas, activities and tips, this will be a key resource for pre- and in-service teachers and practitioners looking to adopt a cohesive, effective and meaningful approach to literacy teaching and learning.

Basic Early Literacy Skills provides all the resources necessary for educating readersfrom grades K–3.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that 37 percent of U.S. fourth graders fail to achieve basic levels of reading achievement. In 1997, the U.S. Congress asked that a review of research be conducted to determine what could be done to improve reading and writing achievement. The resulting "Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read" (NICHD, 2000) has been influential in helping to guide reading-education policy and practice in the United States. However, that report did not examine the implications of instructional practices used with children from birth through age 5. To address this gap in the knowledge base, the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) was convened. The panel was asked to apply a similar methodological review process to that used by the National Reading Panel (NRP) to issues of instructional practices for young children so that parents and teachers could better support their emerging literacy skills. The NELP report represents a systematic and extensive synthesis of the published research literature concerning children's early literacy skills. It provides educators and policymakers with important information about the early skills that are implicated in later literacy learning, as well as information about the type of instruction that can enhance these skills. The results also identify areas in which additional research is needed. The meta-analyses conducted by the panel showed that a wide range of interventions had a positive impact on children's early literacy learning.