Improving Early Literacy: Strategies and Activities for Struggling Students (K-3)

Improving Early Literacy offers teachers an arsenal of reading strategies for helping struggling emergent readers develop letter-name knowledge, sight word knowledge, phonics, and reading fluency skills. This book provides a comprehensive listing of various strategies incorporated into activities and worksheets and offers a practical introduction to early literacy instruction informal assessment devices based on proven research concepts approaches, strategies, and materials for teaching early literacy skills techniques for developing listening and oral language skills ways to assess and implement letter-name knowledge and sight word knowledge strategies for improving phonic analysis enhancement of structural and contextual analysis ways to expand vocabulary and comprehension techniques for teaching emergent literacy to children with special needs

Table of Contents:
Preface vii Acknowledgments ix About the Author xi Chapter 1: A Practical Introduction to Early Literacy 1 A Brief Description of Early Literacy 3 The Rationale for Developing Early Literacy Skills in Early Childhood Programs 10 Whole Language and Its Place in Early Literacy Instruction 10 Whole Language and Children Who Have Special Needs 14 Whole Language and Children Who Have Average Linguistic Skills 16 Whole Language and Children Who Have Above Average Linguistic Skills 20 The Language-Experience Approach (LEA) in Early Literacy Programs 22 The Language-Experience Approach for Children Who Have Special Needs 25 The Language-Experience Approach for Children with Average Linguistic Skills 27 The Language-Experience Approach for Children with Above Average Linguistic Skills 28 Chapter 2: Assessment Devices in Early Literacy Programs 31 Standardized Tests and Their Major Advantages and Limitations 33 Informal Assessment in Early Literacy Programs 35 Checklist of Primary-Grade Writing Behaviors 104 Chapter 3: Listening and Oral Language Skills 107 Listening 109 Oral Language 114 Theories of Oral Language Development 114 Stages of Oral Language Development 117 Chapter 4: Letter-Name and Sight-Word Knowledge 125 Letter-Name Recognition and Identification 127 Sight-Word Recognition and Identification 153 Chapter 5: Improving Competency in Phonics 173 Phonemic Awareness 175 Phonics 175 The Most Common Phonic Elements 177 Chapter 6: Improving Ability in Word Structure and Context 199 Word Structure 201 Context Clues 217 Chapter 7: Improving Ability in Vocabulary and Comprehension 231 Types of Meaning Vocabularies and Their Relation to Reading Achievement 233 Reading Comprehension 242 Appendix I: Big Book Resources 269 Appendix II: Predictable Books 271 Appendix III: Recommended LEA Resources 275 Appendix IV: For Additional Reading 277 Appendix V: Chants, Finger Plays, Action Verses, and Recommended Books 279 Appendix VI: Wordless Books 287 Appendix VII: The Dolch Basic Sight Words 289 Appendix VIII: Books for Reviewing Individual Letter Names 293 Appendix IX: Cooking and Baking Activities to Review Letter Names 299 Appendix X: Contemporary Easy-to-Read Trade Books 303 Appendix XI: Further Reading on Phonics 305 Appendix XII: Trade Books for Improving Phonic Skills in Context 307 Appendix XIII: Books to Promote Enjoyment of Words 313 Appendix XIV: Poetry Books for Young Children 315 Appendix XV: Books for Visual Imagery 317 Bibliography 319 Answer Key 327

About the Author :
Wilma H. Miller, Ed.D., is professor emeritas of education at Illinois State University in Normal, where she taught undergraduate and graduate students in reading for over thirty years. Prior to that she taught at the University of Wisconsin and was an elementary teacher in Illinois and Arizona. Dr. Miller has published numerous journal articles dealing with reading and has also authored many books in the field, including Reading Comprehension Activities Kit, Complete Reading Disabilities Handbook, and Alternative Assessment Techniques for Reading & Writing.