Reclaiming Early Childhood Literacies

At a time when literacy has become more of a political issue than a research or pedagogical one, this volume refocuses attention on work with young children that places them at the center of their literacy worlds. Drawing on robust and growing knowledge which is often marginalized because of political and legislative forces, it explores young children’s literacies as inclusive, redefined, and broadened—encompassing technologies, the arts, multiple modalities, and teaching and learning for democracy, cultural sustainability and social justice. Highlighted themes include children’s rights to grow through playful engagements with multiple literacies to interrogate their worlds; adults who expand and inspire children’s consciousness and awareness of others and the world around them; the centrality of meaning making in all aspects of language and literacy development; a deep respect for diversities, including languages, cultures, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and more; and an expansive understanding of the nature of texts.

Whitmore and Meyer bring together top literacy scholars from around the world to introduce the concept of manifestations: evidence of meaning making in literacy events, practices, processes, products, and thinking. Manifestation are windows into literacy identities, and serve as affective and sociocultural signifiers of learners’ understanding at a point in time and in a specific context. The volume reclaims progressive spaces for understanding reading, writing, drawing, speaking, playing, and other literacies. It grounds manifestations of literacies in the discourse of meaning making and demonstrates how literacy learners and educators are active agents in this complex, social, political, emotional, and multimodal process. Ideal for preservice teachers, graduate students, and researchers in literacy education, this book shifts the conversation away from treating literacies as acquired commodities and illustrates how educators engage with learners to deepen understanding of literacy learners’ experiences. Organized by five pillars of literacy—teaching, learning, language, curriculum, and sociocultural contexts—each section covers critical and cutting-edge topics and offers examples, tools, and strategies for research and practical applications in diverse classroom settings. Each chapter includes a range of examples and is followed by a short, complementary reading extension to engage the reader.

This edited collection provides an in-depth exploration of different aspects of contemporary early childhood literacy research and the implications for educational practice. Each chapter details how the research was conducted and any issues that researchers encountered in collecting data with very young children, as well as what the research findings mean for educational practice. It includes photographs of effective literacy practice, detailed explanations of research methods so the studies can be replicated or expanded upon, and key features for promoting effective literacy practice in early childhood settings. This book is an essential read for everyone who is interested in exploring the complexities and challenges of researching literacy acquisition in the youngest children.

Written by an author with more than 25 years of experience in the emergent literacy field, this popular text provides a comprehensive overview of literacy development from infancy through the primary grades, emphasizing the role of oral language as a foundation for literacy, home–school connections, and cultural influences on literacy development. Chapters follow a logical sequence, from identification of the signs of early literacy behaviors to developmentally appropriate strategies for enhancing those behaviors. Observation and assessment forms for classroom use are integrated throughout. This highly regarded guide helps teachers become thoughtful mediators in children’s transactions with literacy. Additional features: Provides teachers with tools for reflective literacy instruction. The text’s organization and narrative encourages pre-service teachers to become effective decision makers who select and implement instructional strategies based on their knowledge of individual children’s emergent literacy behaviors and needs. Explores literacy strategies through classroom- and home-based examples and vignettes. Numerous vignettes and examples of teacher–child interactions demonstrate literacy scaffolding in an applied and authentic manner. Supports teachers in multicultural and urban settings. An emphasis on linguistic and cultural diversity—including an array of strategies for English language learners—provides today’s teachers with the knowledge to help all children succeed.

This book is dedicated to the authentic literacy of children, 4 to 6 years old. The theory and history of key word/ key vocabulary approach is explained in depth, and its synchrony with social justice, anti-bias teaching is emphasized. Seminal texts are referenced throughout, and stories straight from the classroom bring to life the methodology.

50 Early Childhood Literacy Strategies is the answer to the early childhood teacher's dilemma of how to teach reading to children 3, 4, and 5 years of age as mandated by the state and national governments. This book presents an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand approach involving young children's own emergence into the world of speaking and listening, reading and writing. Teachers will quickly learn what picture books and activities to use with children, how to use them, and how children can benefit from their use. They will learn what to expect as young children's writing emerges from scribbles to pictures and real words. Finally, they will come to terms with the concept of emergent literacy as it appears in preschool children and evolves into conventional literacy as it is taught in elementary school.

Providing an overview of contemporary research into early childhood literacy, this handbook deals with subjects related to nature, function and use of literacy and the development, learning and teaching of literacy in early childhood.

Current research increasingly highlights the role of early literacy in young children's development--and facilitates the growth of practices and policies that promote success among diverse learners. The Handbook of Early Literacy Research presents cutting-edge knowledge on all aspects of literacy learning in the preschool years. Volume 1 covers such essential topics as major theories of early literacy; writing development; understanding learning disabilities, including early intervention approaches; cultural and socioeconomic contexts of literacy development; and tutoring programs and other special intervention efforts.