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The Center on Instruction (COI) has added a category of Early Learning resources to its website. These resources have been reviewed by COI experts for quality, relevance, and usefulness.
Early Beginnings: Early Literacy Knowledge and Instruction: Based on the research findings of the National Early Literacy Panel's report, this first in a set of booklets, Cornerstones: An Early Literacy Series, lists early predictors of reading success, learning activities, suggestions for professional development and a glossary of terms.
Eager to Learn - Educating Our Preschoolers: Well before formal schooling begins, children's early experiences lay the foundations for their later social behaviour, emotional regulation, and literacy. This report synthesizes the newest research findings on how children between the ages of two and five begin the learning process. Valuable conclusions and recommendations are presented in the areas of the teacher-child relationship, the organization and content of curriculum, meeting the needs of those children most at risk of school failure, teacher preparation, assessment of teaching and learning, and more.
From Neurons to Neighborhoods - The Science of Early Childhood Development: A "must read" for early childhood leaders and policymakers, this book is a comprehensive resource that focuses on the scientific study of shild development and how environmental factors impact early learning. It provides a synthesis of the research of child development and early learning. To provide quality preschool experiences, administrators and teachers must understand the impact of child development on learning outcomes.
Investing in Young Children - New Directions in Federal Preschool and Early Childhood Policy: This Brookings Institute paper reviews the effectiveness of several federally-funded preK programs: Early head Start, Head Start, and home visiting (Nurse-Family Partnership) programs. Experts in the field of early childhood learning discuss policies that guide the implementation of these programs and provide suggestions to increase learning outcomes for young children, especially those who are at risk for school success.
Learning to Talk and Listen - An oral Language Resource for Early Childhood Caregivers: This resource is second in the Cornerstones: An Early Literacy Series publications which are based on the findings of the National Early Literacy Panel about early literacy development. It emphasizes the importance of language development in the PreK years and the connection to learning to read. Intended for preschool caregivers who often do not have a formal education in early learning, it provides helpful instructional examples and strategies to use with PreK children to enhance their development of oral language.
Preschool Language and Literacy - Use Interactive and Dialogic Reading: This resource provides information and instructional tools to support the implementation of interactive and dialogic reading, both of which have strong evidence of positive results for all children, particularly those who lack oral language skills. A Doing What Works resource, this website provides video clips, PowerPoint slides, lesson plans, templates, and tools that will assist caregivers and early childhood teachers in using this instructional practice to build children's language skills.
Preschool Curriculum - What's in It for Children and Teachers: This publication provides an evidence-based overview of four dimensions of preschool curriculum: oral language, literacy, mathematics and science. It provides guidelines for developing curriculum and implementing effective practices in preschool programs in order to improve teaching and learning. Support for teaching children who are English language learners is highlighted for each dimension, as well as suggestions for further study, i.e., reading lists and websites.
Research Synthesis Points on Early Childhood Inclusion: This document from the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion summarizes nine key conclusions drawn from a synthesis on early childhood inclusion. It then provides research references that support each of the key statements.
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- learn about the development of oral language skills in the preschool years
- understand the important role that oral language skills play in children's late reading and thinking skills
- find out how to create an environment that helps children build strong oral language skills
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- learn about early literacy development
- review the early predictors of later success in reading and writing
- reflect on the knowledge and training needed by teachers to improve current practice
- read suggestions for planning literacy activities based on research evidence
- understand what to look for in a successful classroom literacy environment
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Literacy Development in the Preschool Years: This position statement from the International Reading Association (IRA), adopted in 2005, highlights the importance of preschool; the nature of language development and literacy-based instruction in quality preschools; what to aim for in preschool teachers' preparation and professional development; and recommendations for preschool educators, early childhood and elementary educators, public school boards, teacher educators, policymakers, and community leaders.
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NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is a professional organization which promotes excellence in early childhood education. This article comes from the May 2011 issue of their Young Children professional journal. It is accompanied by a study guide from NEXT for Young Children, which suggests ways to build on the content of the article.
Article
Study Guide
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Kalkaska C.A.R.E.S. (Children Acquiring Reading Essential Skills) Early Reading First launched its program in November of 2006. Their classrooms offer language and literacy activities based upon scientifically based reading research to ensure that their students enter kindergarten with the language, cognitive, and early reading skills necessary for continued success in school and life.
They have prepared several reports and presentations that highlight their programs and accomplishments:
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Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation (From the Annie E. Casey Foundation)
"Educators and researchers have long recognized the importance of mastering reading by the end of third grade. Students who fail to reach this critical milestone often falter in the later grades and drop out before earning a high school diploma. Now, researchers have confirmed this link in the first national study to calculate high school graduation rates for children at different reading skill levels and with different poverty rates." So begins this landmark study of 3,975 students that reveals, among other findings, that
Reading Matters - The Annie E. Casey Foundation
“Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a critical marker in a child’s educational development. Failure to read proficiently is linked to higher rates of school dropout, which suppresses individual earning potential as well as the nation’s competitiveness and general productivity.” This is a telling quote from the Executive Summary of “EARLY WARNING! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters.” The report identifies the obstacles preventing more children from reading proficiently by the end of third grade, and makes recommendations to overcome these obstacles.
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP)
The National Institute for Literacy, a federal agency, provides national leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults by dissemination of information on scientifically based research and the application of those findings to instructional practice. It develops publications for families and educators of learners across the lifespan. This publication, prepared by the NELP, answers four questions:
- What are the skills and abilities of young children (age birth through five years or kindergarten) that predict later reading, writing, or spelling outcomes?
- Which programs, interventions, and other instructional approaches or procedures have contributed to or inhibited gains in children’s skills and abilities that are linked to later outcomes in reading, writing, or spelling?
- What environments and settings have contributed to or inhibited gains in children’s skills and abilities that are linked to later outcomes in reading, writing, or spelling?
- What child characteristics have contributed to or inhibited gains in children’s skills and abilities that are linked to later outcomes in reading, writing, or spelling?
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The following materials are from the 2010 Lighting Pathways to Literacy conference. This conference was designed to address the growing concern for young learners in pre-K to third grade. While many factors influence how well a child will do in middle and high school, a key factor for academic success is a strong foundation in early childhood literacy. Without a solid start, children are at risk for academic difficulties that can result in life long reading problems.
The goal of this conference was to identify the components of early literacy and offer instructional strategies that strengthen the fundamental skills for every child to have the opportunity to be successful. This conference aimed to highlight sessions with new information, advanced knowledge, practice and skills development, with opportunities to collaborate, build awareness of existing services and resources, and forge new professional relationships.
Larry Alper, Designs for Thinking: Thinking Maps Overview
Larry Alper, Design for Thinking: Thinking Schools
Bridget Nolen, Children's Literacy Initiative: Literacy Content-Focused Coaching: A Model for Administrators & Coaches
Deborah Hasson, National Center for Family Literacy: Hispanic Parent Involvement: Tools for Effective Planning and Engagement
Vicki Gibson, Gibson Hasbrouck Associates: Differentiating Instruction: Guidelines for Implementation-Part I
Vicki Gibson, Gibson Hasbrouck Associates: Differentiating Instruction: Guidelines for Implementation-Part II
Suzanne Graney, Rochester Institute for Technology: Effective Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Measures for Respose to Intervention Models-Part I: Overview and Considerations
Suzanne Graney, Rochester Institute for Technology: Effective Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Measures for Response to Intervnetion Models-Part II: Practical Applications
Janet Fischel, Stony Brook University: Teaching and Learning Phonological Awareness: Hearing and Manipulating the Separate Sounds within Words
Janet Fischel, Stony Brook University, Keynote Address: Facilitating Early Literacy Development
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This presentation, by Tim Shanahan, University of Illinois at Chicago, highlights the research findings of the National Reading Panel and The National Early Literacy Panel. The purpose of the presentation is to encourage collaboration of early childhood educators with K-3 educators to improve early literacy and language development, leading to proficiency at grade 3.
Developing Early Literacy: Research-Based Teaching from the Start
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