Literacy Bibliography Print version of the Literacy Bibliography Books and Reports - Emergent Literacy Bowman, Barbara, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, eds. Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers. National Academy Press, 2000. This book, a product of the National Research Council’s Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy, is about the education of children ages 2 to 5 and focuses on programs provided outside the home, such as preschool, Head Start, and child care centers. Covers new understandings of early childhood and development, features of quality programs, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and recommendations. Available: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309068363/html/   Bunce, Betty H. Building a Language-Focused Curriculum for the Preschool Classroom: A Planning Guide. Paul H. Brookes, 1995. This step-by-step process for building and implementing a language-focused curriculum is intended to help early childhood educators and speech pathologists design a daily schedule of activities that provide a framework for meaningful communication.   Burns, M. Susan, Peg Griffin, and Catherine E. Snow, eds. Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children’s Reading Success. National Academy Press, 1998. This book, a product of the National Research Council’s Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, identifies the most important questions and explores the authoritative answers on the topic of how children can grow into readers, including, "What can parents and caregivers provide all children so that they are prepared for reading instruction by the time that they get to school?", and "How can we prevent reading difficulties starting with infants and into the early grades?". Available: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309064104/html/index.html   Butler, Dorothy. Babies Need Books: Sharing the Joy of Books with Children from Birth to Six. Rev. ed. Heinemann, 1998. Asserting that books should be a vital part of children’s lives from the earliest months, this book provides guidelines for selecting appropriate books for parents, teachers, librarians, and those interested in sharing books with young children. This book also recommends hundreds of titles. Each age group from infancy through six years has a chapter devoted to covering important roles of books and appropriate book themes for that age group. Most chapters conclude with book lists with reviews of additional recommended books.   California Department of Education. Read to Me: Recommended Literature for Children Ages Two through Seven. California Department of Education, 1992. This annotated listing of more than 400 titles was compiled for the benefit of young children who are just beginning the road to achieving full literacy. Selections may assist curriculum planners, early child caregivers, parents, and educators with choosing books that range from traditional favorites to contemporary titles.   Cooper, J. David. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 4th edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Provides practitioners with the knowledge base for understanding emergent literacy, plus strategies and sample lessons for literacy instruction in elementary education. Covers classroom techniques, technology, assessment and evaluation in the classroom.   Glazer, Susan Mandel, and Eileen M. Burke. An Integrated Approach to Early Literacy: Literature to Language. Allyn and Bacon, 1994. Focuses on children’s developmental stages in its presentation of a holistic approach to language learning, and includes in-depth descriptions of the characteristics of human development from birth through age 8. Also includes teaching strategies appropriate for each age and stage of development.   Jalongo, Mary Renck. Early Childhood Language Arts. 2nd ed. Allyn & Bacon, 2000. This comprehensive look at early childhood literacy education addresses listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with a strong children’s literature emphasis throughout. Provides a synthesis of information on language arts gleaned from research on emergent literacy, early childhood education, and special education. New to this edition is a description of the level of preparedness essential to contemporary early childhood educators.   Morrow, Lesley Mandel. Literacy Development in the Early Years: Helping Children Read and Write. 4th ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2001. Explains the dynamics of literacy development from infancy onward, and emphasizes an integrated language arts approach to teaching young children literacy, focusing on balanced, constructivist, and direct instruction. Features multiple forms for authentic assessment for teachers, students, and parents.   Neuman, Susan B., Carol Copple, and Sue Bredekamp. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2000. Section 1 provides the 1998 Joint Position Statement of the International Reading Association and the NAEYC by the same name, and explains its applications, replete with interpretations of the underlying research. Sections 2 and 3 address key dimensions within children’s progress toward fluent reading and writing, assessment in these areas, policies and resources needed to support effective practice, and answers to frequently asked questions.   Neuman, Susan B., and Kathleen A. Roskos, eds. Children Achieving: Best Practices in Early Literacy. International Reading Association, 1998. Thirteen chapters by various early literacy luminaries address effective approaches and instruction for meeting the needs of all 2- to 8-year old children. Topics covered include essential skills that define early literacy, ESL students, inclusion, culturally responsive instruction, computer technology, and assessment, inter alia.   Schickedanz, Judith A. Much More than the ABCs: The Early Stages of Reading and Writing. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1999. This revised and expanded edition of the author’s previous work, More Than the ABCs, provides a comprehensive introduction to literacy development from infancy through preschool. Features bibliographies for age-appropriate children’s books throughout the text.   United States Department of Education. Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader. The Department, 1999. Based upon recent scholarly and popular attention to the reading achievement of America’s students, this report asserts that "a significant reading breakthrough is within our grasp. Start Early, Finish Strong lays out what we must do to accelerate the pace, and to leave no child behind." Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/startearly/ Books and Reports - Family Literacy Brizius, Jack A., and Susan A. Foster. Generation to Generation: Realizing the Promise of Family Literacy. High/Scope Press, 1993. Provides an overview of the evolution of the family literacy movement. Also provides guidelines to program managers for approaching family literacy issues and for designing family literacy programs that are tailored to specific communities.   National Center for Family Literacy. Connecting Families and Work: Family Literacy Bridges the Gap. National Center for Family Literacy, 2000. This report explains how family literacy programs have adapted to the era of welfare reform. It focuses on the basic skills barrier that keeps many low-income parents out of good-paying jobs, and it cites research-based evidence of the effectiveness of family literacy programs in addressing parents’ employment goals. It discusses the specific practices that have proven effective in NCFL’s initiatives.   National Center for Family Literacy. The Family Literacy Answer Book. National Center for Family Literacy, 1997. With a focus on the Center’s comprehensive model of family literacy, this work presents the goals, historical background, and philosophy of programs for direct literacy instruction of parents and children. Covers program implementation and program evaluation, including specific standards for quality services that have been developed by the Center and by the U.S. Department of Education.   Paratore, Heanne R. Opening Doors, Opening Opportunities: Family Literacy in an Urban Community. Allyn & Bacon, 2001. Written by a researcher who is affiliated with Boston University’s Intergenerational Literacy Project, this work discusses the implementation of family literacy programs and examines twelve home/school partnerships, in which eight promoted systematic outcomes of school success and four resulted in school failure. One chapter addresses understanding culturally and linguistically diverse families and literacy.   Perkins, Pamela. Family Literacy: Parents as Partners: Professional’s Guide. Teacher Created Materials, 1995. This book’s intended objective is to advance the roles of parents and teachers as team members focused on the common goal of supporting their children’s learning. Covers appropriate parents’ knowledge about literacy and the reading process that underlie successful guidance to their children in reading and writing. Bibliobriefs - Emergent Literacy Neuman, Susan B., and Kathy Roskos. "Bridging Home and School with a Culturally Responsive Approach." Childhood Education 70, no. 4 (1994): 210-14. Covers the rationale and techniques for cultural responsiveness on the parts of early childhood teachers to foster early literacy development. Includes examples of culturally responsive learning activities and an annotated bibliography of multiethnic children’s literature.   Saint-Laurent, Lise, Jocelyne Giasson, and Carole Couture. "Parents + Children + Reading Activities = Emergent Literacy." TEACHING Exceptional Children 30, no. 2 (1997): 52-56. Describes a program for parents and preschool teachers that has produced positive results in emergent reading behaviors in young children with developmental disabilities. Essential program elements include parents as literacy role models, frequent and regular exploration of print, interactions with adults in reading situations, and family learning.   Strickland, Dorothy S. "Educating African American Learners at Risk: Finding a Better Way." Language Arts 71, no. 5 (1994): 328-36. Discusses aspects of high-quality language arts instruction, especially for African American children. Considers active involvement of students, and the influences of linguistic and cultural backgrounds in early literacy learning.   Strickland, Dorothy S. "Emergent Literacy: How Young Children Learn to Read and Write." Educational Leadership 47, no. 6 (1990): 18-23. Describes the interrelated, concurrently-developing cognitive, social, linguistic, and psychological skills that underlie early reading and writing. Also explains the implications of this complex development for literacy teaching and learning strategies.   United States Department of Education. "Reading in the Early Years." The ERIC Review 7 (2000): 5-8. This special section of a theme issue entitled "A Developmental Path to Reading" discusses the critical role that parents, child care providers, and other primary caregivers play in helping very young children establish prereading skills. Includes several educational activities to help caregivers start children on the path to reading. Available: http://www.eric.ed.gov/   Valencia, Sheila W. "Authentic Classroom Assessment of Early Reading: Alternatives to Standardized Tests." Preventing School Failure 41, no. 2 (1997): 63-70. Revisits the inappropriateness of standardized testing for young readers, and emphasizes the necessity of multiple measures of learning for this group. Examples of authentic classroom assessments are detailed for emergent readers, beginning readers, and developing readers. Bibliobriefs – Family Literacy Darling, Sharon. "Family Literacy: Parents and Children Learning Together." Principal 72, no. 2 (1992): 10-12. Identifies tactics in family literacy programs that promote the involvement of parents who may be intimidated and undereducated. Models include adult basic skills instruction, early childhood education, Parent Time, and Parent and Child Together.   Morrow, Lesley Mandel, and John Young. "A Collaborative Family Literacy Program: The Effects on Children’s Motivation and Literacy Achievement." Early Child Development and Care 127-128 (1997): 13-25. In a special issue entitled "Perspectives on Family Literacy", this article presents activities that elicited heavy parental involvement, such as writing and reading appreciation periods, that increased young children’s motivation and improvement in reading.   Neuman, Susan B., Billie Jean Caperelli, and Cara Kee. "Literacy Learning, a Family Matter." Reading Teacher 52, no. 3 (1998): 244-52. Analyzes successful family literacy projects in order to define common effective characteristics and practices. Includes coverage of continuing program evaluation.   Neuman, Susan B. "Guiding Young Children’s Participation in Early Literacy Development: A Family Literacy Program for Adolescent Mothers." Early Child Development and Care 127-128 (1997): 119-29. Describes and advocates for a guided participation approach to supporting literacy development in young children of adolescent mothers. Observations of guided participation reveal increased sensitivity of mothers to their children’s learning processes.   Neuman, Susan B. "Children Engaging in Storybook Reading: The Influence of Access to Print." Early Childhood Research Quarterly 11, no. 4 (1996): 495-513. Examined parent-child storybook reading programs in three Head Start Centers. Reports on the influence of text types on interactions and the positive impact on children’s receptive language and concepts of print.   Padak, Nancy, et al. "Toward Effective Family Literacy Programs." Ohio Reading Teacher 27, no. 1 (1992): 5-9. Presents family literacy goals and activities that were developed collaboratively by Ohio teachers, as well as a framework for developing family literacy programs.   Quintero, Elizabeth. "The New Faces of Head Start: Learning from Culturally Diverse Families." Early Education and Development 10, no. 4 (1999): 475-97. Describes two Head Start family literacy projects that demonstrate the positive impacts of the programs’ focus on parents’ participation and the incorporation of cultural relevance strategies.   Saracho, Olivia N. "Helping Families Develop Emergent Literacy Strategies." International Journal of Early Childhood 31, no. 2 (1999): 25-36. Describes a five-month family literacy project that demonstrates the effectiveness of using everyday experiences to advance young children’s literacy, as well as the positive impact of varying activities and materials in different contexts.   Strickland, Dorothy S., and Lesley Mandel Morrow. "Family Literacy: Sharing Good Books (Emerging Readers and Writers)." Reading Teacher 43, no. 7 (1990): 518-19. Provides guidance to practitioners about communicating effectively with parents about books and reading in order to increase parents’ participation in their children’s reading at home.   Tippeconnic, John W., III, and Patricia Jones. "A Description of Family and Child Education (FACE): A Comprehensive Approach to Family Literacy." Journal of American Indian Education 35, no. 1 (1995): 6-9. Describes the foci of family literacy programs in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools that are targeted to parents of children 0-5 years old. Child development and family involvement in literacy are the two foremost program features of the FACE programs.   Wolter, Deborah L. "Becoming Family Literacy Advocates in Early Childhood Programs." Early Childhood Education Journal 23, no. 2 (1995): 89-91. This guide for administrators and practitioners presents three keys to becoming sensitive family literacy advocates in early childhood programs. Advises an active emphasis upon any given family’s strengths and abilities. Videos - Early Childhood & Family Literacy Activity-Based Intervention. Paul H. Brookes, 1995. This fourteen-minute video presents the four major features that characterize activity-based intervention, which can be used to turn everyday events and natural interactions into opportunities to promote learning in young children who are considered at risk for developmental delays or who have mild to significant disabilities.   The Emergent Literacy Project Modules and Videos. The Project, Center on Disabilities and Human Development, University of Idaho, 1998. In preparation for training workshops, Emergent Literacy Project staff has developed training modules and videos that explain and teach the major concepts of emergent literacy to the Head Start community. The modules and videos are intended to serve as "stand alone" products after the completion of the workshops so Head Start can train their own staff. The four titles are: Emergent Literacy: What Is It and Why Should We Do It?; Creating A Print Rich Classroom Environment; Creating a Classroom That Supports Emergent Writing; and, Creating a Literate Environment in the Home.   The Power of Family Literacy. National Center for Family Literacy, 1994. This overview of family literacy offers examples from NCFL’s long-standing Toyota Families for Learning program. This video functions both as a motivator for students and community members, and as a valuable tool for advocacy efforts.   A Success Story. National Center for Family Literacy, 1994. An excellent orientation for administrators, policy makers and community groups, this video describes and illustrates the need for family literacy.   Teaching Children to Read. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000. This twenty-minute video provides an overview of the report and proceedings of the National Reading Panel that was convened by Congressional mandate in 1997. Covers status of the research on: Alphabetics (Phonemic Awareness Instruction and Phonics Instruction), Fluency, Comprehension (Vocabulary Instruction, Text Comprehension Instruction, and Teacher Preparation and Comprehension Strategies Instruction), Teacher Education and Reading Instruction, and Computer Technology and Reading Instruction. Internet Sites – Early Childhood & Family Literacy The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/index.html The Foundation’s mission is to establish literacy as a value in every family in America, by helping every family to understand that the parent is the child’s first teacher and reading is the child’s first subject. Awards grants for literacy programs, publishes books, and offers a free newsletter and brochures.   Care to Read, Reading is Fundamental http://www.rif.org/programs/caretoread.html This special literacy program is RIF’s response to the early literacy needs of America’s youngest children. This project supports children’s emergent literacy skills by providing training and resources to early childhood educators in center and family child-care settings. Each training workshop models effective and appropriate practices for supporting the language and literacy explorations and discoveries for children ages 18 months to 5 years.   Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA) University of Michigan School of Education http://www.ciera.org/index.html CIERA is organized around three main, layered arenas of children’s reading acquisition, i.e., Readers and Texts, Home and School, and Policy and Profession. CIERA’s mission is to research and disseminate solutions for persistent problems in reading to people who impact children’s early reading achievement: teachers, teacher educators, parents, policy-makers, and others. This site features online copies of all CIERA products and publications, and special online-only resources.   Early Childhood and Literacy America Reads http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/educators_early.html This section of the U.S. Department of Education sponsored project, America Reads http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/, presents links to documents from a variety of sources that range from explanations of brain development and reading to a multimedia school-readiness project to conferences for early childhood education.   Early Childhood Technology Literacy Project Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/littlekids/ The focus of this instruction project is to integrate technology into instruction and increase early childhood students’ skills in reading and writing. Site includes lesson and activity plans, training resource materials, plans for a Family Computer Night, recommended software products, characteristics of good early childhood software, tips for using the Web with children, links to articles and books about technology in early childhood education, and recommended online reading activities and books.   The Emergent Literacy Project University of Idaho http://www.ets.uidaho.edu/cdhd/emerlit/emerhome.htm A federally funded project designed to increase emergent literacy activities in Head Start classrooms. The Center on Disabilities and Human Development at the University of Idaho served as the grantee through a cooperative agreement with the Office of Head Start. The staff at Idaho developed training modules and videos that explain and teach the major concepts of emergent literacy to the Head Start community. The modules and videos are intended to serve as "stand alone" products after the completion of the workshops so Head Start can train their own staff.   The Family and Child Education (FACE) Program http://www.famlit.org/faqs/faqface.html The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs (BIA OIEP) initiated this program in 1990 in order to develop an integrated model for a tribal early childhood parental involvement program. In keeping with both the National Goals for American Indians and Alaska natives and Goals 2000, which promote readiness for school and adult literacy and lifelong learning, the program targets birth to age five children and their families and children in grades K-3. Developed with the cooperation of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), the Parents As Teachers National Center (PAT) and the High/Scope Research Foundation.   The Head Start Family Literacy Project (HSFLP) http://www.famlit.org/headstart/hsmain.html This is a five-year cooperative agreement with the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), and will provide training and technical assistance to enhance the capacity of Head Start and Early Head Start grantees to implement comprehensive family literacy services. HSFLP provides management training and workshops as well as implementation training to parents and teachers.   Literacy Assistance Center of New York City http://www.lacnyc.org/ In its effort to provide essential referral, training, information and technical assistance services to adult and youth literacy programs in New York, this project offers such resources as lesson plans and curricula, workshops and institutes, and full-text publications via its Web site.   National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) http://www.famlit.org The National Center for Family Literacy is a non-profit organization supporting family literacy services for families across the United States through programming, training, research, advocacy and dissemination. NCFL supports numerous projects, research, and initiatives in conjunction with other organizations, such as the Head Start Family Literacy Project and the FACE Program (also cited herein). Links to many other useful sites and literacy publications and videos.   The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall/ The goal of NCSALL is to help the field of adult basic education define a comprehensive research agenda; to pursue basic and applied research under that agenda; to build partnerships between researchers and practitioners; and to disseminate research and best practices to practitioners, scholars, and policy makers. This site’s list of links http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall/othersites.html provides the most comprehensive set of organizations for the field. NCSALL is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and is a collaborative effort of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and World Education, in concert with the Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee, Rutgers University, and Portland State University.   National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) http://www.nifl.gov/ An independent federal organization leading the national effort toward a fully literate nation in the 21st century. Online and print publications range from adult literacy to family literacy to welfare-to-work programs. Also covers policy and legislation.   National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education (ECI) http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/index.html The ECI was created to carry out a comprehensive program of research, development, and dissemination to improve early childhood development and learning. The Institute’s projects reflect a focus on the three Rs of early childhood education: Relationships, Resilience, and Readiness.   New England Literacy Resource Center http://www.nelrc.org This project of World Education, Inc., aims to implement practitioner- based projects that promote inquiry and innovation, generate knowledge to improve practice, develop tangible products for broad dissemination, and advocates for adequate funding and sound policies for adult literacy locally and nationally.   Reading Pathfinder ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education http://www.readingpath.org/ The Reading Pathfinder is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and presents the best online resources available to answer the reading-related questions of parents and educators. This database is searchable by title, browsable and searchable by keyword, with such restrictions allowed as age/education level, audience, setting, resource type, and language. Searches of the phrases "early childhood" and "young children" in the Reading Pathfinder summon links to dozens of literacy- and reading-related, full-text, online documents that relate research findings and best practices.

HSRC Home | CDI Home | OHS Home | ACF Home | Site Map | Facilities | Help | Privacy | Email  (last modified: October 23, 2003)