Publisher's Synopsis
Reading requires the mastery, integration and application of numerous skills and knowledge. Reading or learning how to read is a combination of all these skills. They are interconnected and interdependent on one another, which makes it difficult to teach them in isolation. Learning to read is a developmental process. Most children follow a similar pattern and sequence of reading behaviors as they learn how to read: from appreciation for and awareness of print to phonological and phonemic awareness to phonics and word recognition. Foundation skills are reading skills that students typically develop in the primary grades. The skills and behaviors that develop early serve as the base for later competence and proficiency. They are the building blocks that children learn to utilize to develop subsequent, higher-level skills to become proficient readers. The foundational skills are focused on developing students' understanding and working knowledge of print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency. These skills are taught in a developmental sequence to support reading development. Children grow in their ability to read and write when they understand that reading and writing are purposeful activities that are used to accomplish goals. This awareness that literacy is functional evolves when children observe adults using reading in functional ways. Skills associated with learning to read and write are acquired by young children, with the support of adults, as children engage in purposeful activities. The processes of reading and writing, together with speaking, develop simultaneously and are interdependent. For example, positive oral language experiences contribute to preschoolers' developing abilities to read and write. On the other hand, reading experiences influence oral language development as witnessed when children who encounter new words in print add these to their speaking vocabularies. This perspective that reading and writing develop concurrently, with each element supporting the development of the other as children engage in literacy experiences, is contrary to that of "reading readiness," "prereading" or drilling in skills. Educators cannot pinpoint a time at which literacy begins. Furthermore, the development of literacy does not follow a linear pattern. Literacy develops as children gain experience with oral language and print. The growing ability to use language to communicate is a landmark of development that distinguishes preschoolers from infants and toddlers. As children's vocabularies increase and they use more complex sentences, their literacy skills emerge. Much of the language children learn reflects the language and behavior of the adult models they interact with and listen to. To support children in acquiring and mastering the foundational skills for reading development, effective instruction that is differentiated must be provided to meet their varied and individual needs. Language and Literacy development reviews the latest advances in theory, research, and practice in language and literacy development. Children's speaking, reading, and writing skills are closely connected, and this engaging tool guides preservice and practicing teachers in choosing instructional strategies that promote the integrated development of these skills. The primary purpose of this book is to synthesize research to contribute to decisions in educational policy and practice that affect early literacy development and to determine how teachers and families can support young children's language and literacy development.
