Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy: Birth through Kindergarten: Pearson New International Edition

Pre-service and in-service teachers get sound instructional strategies for teaching the language arts to young children from birth to kindergarten and enhancing their reading, writing, speaking and listening development in this unique book that places children at the center of all good language and literacy teaching. This book is about teaching the language arts-about facilitating young children's reading, writing, speaking, and listening development. In a very readable manner, the book places children at the center of all good language and literacy teaching, while focusing on four central themes that run throughout the book: 1. The authors provide rich descriptions of two perspectives in children's language and early literacy learning: emergent literacy and scientifically based reading research, and equip early childhood teachers with the know how to use the instructional strategies supported by the research in both perspectives. 2. The authors acknowledge and take into account the increasing diversity of our society and schools by providing numerous illustrations of how teachers can work effectively with diverse learners, providing special features at the end of chapters that explain how to adapt instruction for English Language Learners and children with special needs, and by providing information on the tools teachers can use to discover what each child knows and can do, in order to build on that child's prior knowledge. 3. The authors stress that assessment cannot be separated from good teaching and they describe strategies that teachers can use to understand children's language and literacy knowledge in the context of specific learning and teaching events, while also focusing on today's increasingly important "accountability" function of assessment and standardized testing instruments. 4. The authors acknowledge the importance of the family in young children's language and literacy development and include descriptions of how early childhood teachers can connect with families and engage caregivers in their children's school or center.

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface   chapter1   Foundations of Language and Literacy Before Reading This Chapter, Think About . . .   Focus Questions Language and Literacy: Definitions and Interrelationships  A Continuum of Instructional Approaches Emergent Literacy Approach   Scientifically Based Reading Research Approach Blended Instruction–A “Value-Added” Approach   A Blended Literacy Instructional Program   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Provide Children with a Print-Rich Classroom Environment Effective Teachers Demonstrate and Model Literacy Events   Effective Teachers Explicitly Teach Children Skills that Research Supports as Key Elements of Reading, Writing, and Speaking   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Provide Opportunities for Children to Work and Play Together in Literacy-Enriched Environments    Effective Early Childhood Teachers Link Literacy and Play Effective Early Childhood Teachers Encourage Children to Experiment with Emergent Forms of Reading and Writing   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Provide Opportunities for Children to Use Language and Literacy for Real Purposes and Audiences    Effective Early Childhood Teachers Make Use of Everyday Activities to Demonstrate the Many Purposes of Reading and Writing   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Read to Children Daily and Encourage Them to Read Familiar Books on Their Own   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Know the Nation’s and their State’s Birth to Kindergarten Standards and Provide Instruction Linked to These Standards Effective Early Childhood Teachers Use Multiple Forms of Assessment to Find Out What Children Know and Can Do   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Respect and Make Accommodations for Children’s Developmental, Cultural, and Linguistic Diversity   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Recognize the Importance of Reflecting on Their Instructional Decisions   Effective Early Childhood Teachers Build Partnerships with Families Summary    n Linking Knowledge to Practice     chapter4   Organizing Early Language and Literacy Instruction        n Before Reading This Chapter, Think About . . .   n Focus Questions  Why Classroom Environments Are Important Designing a Print-rich Classroom Environment The Classroom Library Center   BOOKS   PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS    The Writing Center    GATHER THE NEEDED MATERIALS   ARRANGE THE MATERIALS COMPUTERS AND WORD PROCESSING     WRITING IN OTHER CENTERS Literacy-Enriched Play Centers Environmental Print and Functional Print   ENVIRONMENTAL pRINT fUNCTIONAL pRINT Organizing the Classroom’s Daily Schedule: Using Time Wisely What Happens During Whole-Group Time? What Happens During Small-Group Activity Time? What Happens During Center or Activity Time? Transitions Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners: Modifying the Classroom Environment by Myae Han Strategies for Teaching Children with Special Needs: Adjusting the Daily Schedule Summary    n Linking Knowledge to Practice   chapter5   Facilitating Early Language Learning   n Before Reading This Chapter, Think About . . .   n Focus Questions Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Encouraging Personal Narratives Teacher D