National Geographic Primary Readers pair magnificent National Geographic photographs with engaging text by skilled authors to help your child learn to read. Developed by education experts, this series of books for beginner readers is spread across four levels: Early Reader, Becoming Fluent, Becoming Independent and Independent Reader. Discover the undercover world of fish and explore their beautiful home, the Coral Reef. Told in simple yet lively text, Swim, Fish! will enchant children who are just beginning their reading journey. Level 1: Early Reader books contain simple sentences and are just right for children who can decode with ease and are beginning to read fluently. They are ideal for readers of Yellow and Blue book bands for guided reading. For another National Geographic Level 1 Reader, try Whales (9780008422196).

National Geographic Primary Readers is a high-interest series of beginning reading books that have been developed in consultation with education experts. The books pair magnificent National Geographic photographs with lively text by skilled children's book authors across four reading levels. Join the little lion cub on his day of adventures on the African savanna. Watch him run, jump, play, eat, and sleep, cuddle with Mum, and roll around with his brother and sister. Told in simple yet lively text, Go, Cub! will enchant kids. Level 1: Early reader These books contain simple sentences and are just right for kids who can decode with ease and are beginning to read fluently. They are ideal for readers of Yellow and Blue banded books.

National Geographic Primary Readers is a high-interest series of beginning reading books that have been developed in consultation with education experts. The books pair magnificent National Geographic photographs with lively text by skilled children's book authors across four reading levels. Come along as little puppy goes out exploring in the world. Along the way he meets new friends, big and small, and sees amazing sites, but can't wait to get back home to Mum. Told in simple yet lively text, Jump, Pup! will enchant kids. Level 1: Early reader These books contain simple sentences and are just right for kids who can decode with ease and are beginning to read fluently. They are ideal for readers of Yellow and Blue banded books.

Representing the state of the art in multimedia applications and their promise for enhancing early literacy development, this volume broadens the field of reading research by looking beyond print-only experiences to young readers' encounters with multimedia stories on the Internet and DVD. Multimedia storybooks include, in addition to static pictures and written text, features such as oral text, animations, sounds, zooms, and scaffolds designed to help convey meaning. These features are changing how young children read text, and also provide technology-based scaffolds for helping struggling readers. Multimedia and Literacy Development reports experimental research and practices with multimedia stories indicating that new dimensions of media contribute to young children's ability to understand stories and to read texts independently. This is the first synthesis of evidence-based research in this field. Four key themes are highlighted: Understanding the multimedia environment for learning Designing multimedia applications for learning New approaches to storybook reading Multimedia applications in classroom instruction. Written in jargon-free language for an international audience of students in university courses on literacy and information technology, researchers, policymakers, program developers, and media specialists, this volume is essential reading for all professionals interested in early literacy and early interventions.

Representing the state of the art in multimedia applications and their promise for enhancing early literacy development, this volume broadens the field of reading research by looking beyond print-only experiences to young readers' encounters with multimedia stories on the Internet and DVD. Multimedia storybooks include, in addition to static pictures and written text, features such as oral text, animations, sounds, zooms, and scaffolds designed to help convey meaning. These features are changing how young children read text, and also provide technology-based scaffolds for helping struggling readers.

Multimedia and Literacy Development reports experimental research and practices with multimedia stories indicating that new dimensions of media contribute to young children's ability to understand stories and to read texts independently. This is the first synthesis of evidence-based research in this field. Four key themes are highlighted:

Written in jargon-free language for an international audience of students in university courses on literacy and information technology, researchers, policymakers, program developers, and media specialists, this volume is essential reading for all professionals interested in early literacy and early interventions.

National Geographic Primary Readers pair magnificent National Geographic photographs with engaging text by skilled authors to help your child learn to read. Developed by education experts, this series of books for beginner readers is spread across four levels: Early Reader, Becoming Fluent, Becoming Independent and Independent Reader. Come along on an adventure through the rain forest! Along the way, you'll meet new friends big and small, see amazing sights, and learn all about the creatures that make their home in the rain forest. Told in simple yet lively text, Swing, Sloth! will enchant children who are just beginning their reading journey. Level 1: Early Reader books contain simple sentences and are just right for kids who can decode with ease and are beginning to read fluently. They are ideal for readers of Yellow and Blue book bands for guided reading. For another National Geographic Level 1 Reader, try Play, Kitty! (9780008266516).

The National Geographic Readers series has expanded beyond elementary school levels to reach children at the very beginning of their lifelong relationship with reading." Hop Bunny " uses simple vocabulary and fun pictures to capture the interest and help develop the skills of beginning readers. The cuteness, humor, and fun information make this new reading experience a treat.

National Geographic Primary Readers pair magnificent National Geographic photographs with engaging text by skilled authors to help your child learn to read. Developed by education experts, this series of books for beginner readers is spread across four levels: Early Reader, Becoming Fluent, Becoming Independent and Independent Reader. Hang On, Monkey! uses simple vocabulary and fun pictures of all types of monkeys to capture the interest and help develop the skills of early readers. Told in simple yet lively text, Hang On, Monkey! will enchant children who are just beginning their reading journey. Level 1: Early Reader books contain simple sentences and are just right for kids who can decode with ease and are beginning to read fluently. They are ideal for readers of Yellow and Blue book bands for guided reading. For another National Geographic Level 1 Reader, try Flutter, Butterfly! (9780008266493).

This book, written by an international team of experienced researchers, investigates unique and dynamic approaches to key issues in policy transformation, curriculum reforms and teacher training in three cultures - China, Japan and the United States - in a globalized world. By examining their respective policy choices and evidence-based practices, the authors show how best to provide for young children based on their needs and interests, and the three countries' strategies for doing so. This book provides the latest information on the rapid developments already underway and further changes to be expected in these diverse cultures.

This book, written by an international team of experienced researchers, investigates unique and dynamic approaches to key issues in policy transformation, curriculum reforms and teacher training in three cultures - China, Japan and the United States - in a globalized world. By examining their respective policy choices and evidence-based practices, the authors show how best to provide for young children based on their needs and interests, and the three countries' strategies for doing so. This book provides the latest information on the rapid developments already underway and further changes to be expected in these diverse cultures.

"Hang, On Monkey "uses simple vocabulary and fun pictures to capture the interest and help develop the skills of beginning readers. The crazy antics, humor, and fun information make this new reading experience a treat.

Synthesizing the best current knowledge about early literacy, this comprehensive handbook brings together leading researchers from multiple disciplines. The volume identifies the instructional methods and areas of focus shown to be most effective for promoting young children's (PreK-2) growth in reading, writing, oral language, and the connections among them. In 33 chapters, the Handbook covers conceptual foundations; development and instruction of both code- and meaning-related literacy skills; professional development and family engagement; supporting equity across populations; and learning beyond traditional boundaries, including digital and out-of-school contexts. Highlighted throughout are issues around access to high-quality instruction, working with multilingual populations, and data-based decision making and interventions.

"Hang, On Monkey "uses simple vocabulary and fun pictures to capture the interest and help develop the skills of beginning readers. The crazy antics, humor, and fun information make this new reading experience a treat.

"From the Trade Paperback edition."

This edited volume helps early childhood professionals understand critical, key early literacy issues in context by presenting current classroom practices and then making recommendations for improving early childhood literacy outcomes based on what research shows is best practice.Synopsis - This book explores the ways in which young children's literacy knowledge develops through preschool and into the early school years. Each chapter begins with descriptions of actual classroom experiences and then demonstrates how those experiences relate to early literacy theory, ultimately offering a digestible, accessible overview of key early childhood education topics professionals must understand to support successful child outcomes. The book presents ideas for creating classroom environments conducive to learning and effective strategies for teaching young children to read. It gives early childhood professionals insight on how literacy develops in young children while showing what practice looks like in real classrooms.This book is a co-publication with the High/Scope Early Reading Institute.

Developed by the nationally respected expert who helped establish Reading First and Early Reading First, ""CHELLO"" is the only observation tool specifically designed to rate the early literacy environment in home-based child care settings. A reliable, field-tested tool derived from the bestselling, classroom-focused ""ELLCO"", ""CHELLO"" has been carefully tailored to assess environments that include children of all different ages, from birth to 5 years. Administrators, program directors, and researchers will use ""CHELLO"" to develop accurate profiles of materials and practices in family/group child care settings, help providers improve their literacy supports and their interactions with children, and measure changes in the quality of environments over time.Shaped by extensive research on effective child care and literacy practices, the CHELLO Tool is easy for professionals with a solid background in early childhood education to use. In less than 2 hours, observers will examine the care provider's methods and interactions. The six-question Provider Interview gives users insight into how care providers interact with children, plan schedules, create learning opportunities, communicate with families, and monitor child progress.Get a quick ""big picture"" view of the environment. With the brief Literacy Environment Checklist, users will evaluate the availability and organization of books, writing materials, toys, and technology.Conduct an in-depth observation. The three-part Group/Family Observation helps users gather detailed information about the physical environment (including cleanliness, furnishings, and the daily schedule), support for learning (such as adult affect and language interactions between care providers and children), and adult teaching strategies (including vocabulary building, verbal encouragement, storytelling, and writing activities).Score the Tool in minutes with the simple two-page Score Form. The complete ""CHELLO"" includes the Tool and a User's Guide with explicit instructions on conducting the observation, photographs that illustrate successful and unsuccessful environments, practical strategies to support literacy development in home-based settings, and the psychometric properties of CHELLO. With this one-of-a-kind tool - also ideal for use in home visiting and family literacy programs - home-based child care providers can make progress toward ensuring high-quality literacy environments that get young children ready for future academic success.

The field of early literacy has seen significant recent advances in theory, research, and practice. This volume brings together leading authorities to report on current findings, integrate insights from different disciplinary perspectives, and explore ways to provide children with the strongest possible literacy foundations in the first six years of life. The Handbook first addresses broad questions about the nature of emergent literacy, summarizing current knowledge on cognitive pathways, biological underpinnings, and the importance of cultural contexts. Chapters in subsequent sections examine various strands of knowledge and skills that emerge as children become literate, as well as the role played by experiences with peers and families. Particular attention is devoted to the challenges involved in making schools work for all children, including members of linguistic and ethnic minority groups and children living in poverty. Finally, approaches to instruction, assessment, and early intervention are described, and research on their effectiveness is presented.

Schools, today, are in the midst of the most major, costly educational reform movement in their history as they grapple with the federal mandates to leave no children behind, says author Susan B. Neuman, former Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education under President George W. Bush. Although some efforts for investing resources will be substantially more productive than others, there is little evidence that, despite many heroic attempts to beat the odds, any of these efforts will close more than a fraction of the differences in achievement for poor minority children and their middleclass peers.

As Neuman explains in this insightful, revealing book, schools will fail, not due to the soft bigotry of low expectations, but because there are multitudes of children growing up in circumstances that make them highly vulnerable. Children who come to school from dramatically unequal circumstances leave school with similarly unequal skills and abilities.

In these pages, however, Neuman shows how the odds can be changed, how we can break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage for children at risk After laying the critical groundwork for the need for change--excessive waste with little effect--this book provides a vivid portrait of changing the odds for high-poverty children. Describing how previous reforms have missed the mark, it offers a framework based on seven essential principles for implementing more effective programs and policies.

Building on successes while being fiscally responsible is a message that has been shown to have wide bipartisan appeal, embraced by both liberals and conservatives. Following Neuman's essential principles, chapters describe programs for changing the odds for children, when the cognitive gaps are beginning to form, in these earliest years of their lives. In a highly readable style, Neuman highlights programs that are making a difference in children's lives across the country, weaving together narratives that tell a compelling story of hope and promise for our most disadvantaged children.

Television represents a potent social influence for today's children. Whether it is a positive or negative force, however, continues to be hotly debated. This is the central issue of this second edition. Has television contributed to a decline in literacy skills? Are the charges justified by existing evidence or by the results of current experimentation? Are there certain cultural biases toward television that narrowly define its uses as a learning tool? Can these issues be resolved to take advantage of new opportunities that the television medium presents? Television's influence on literacy and school learning are examined within a framework of four major themes: the displacement hypothesis, whether television influences the way children learn, the public's concern that television affects school-related behaviors, and television's capacity to whet children's academic interests. This book takes a fresh look at these themes, starting with a review and synthesis of major studies to date and moving on to a new series of studies analyzing the relationship between media and literacy.

Television represents a potent social influence for today's children. Whether it is a positive or negative force, however, continues to be hotly debated. This is the central issue of this second edition. Has television contributed to a decline in literacy skills? Are the charges justified by existing evidence or by the results of current experimentation? Are there certain cultural biases toward television that narrowly define its uses as a learning tool? Can these issues be resolved to take advantage of new opportunities that the television medium presents? Television's influence on literacy and school learning are examined within a framework of four major themes: the displacement hypothesis, whether television influences the way children learn, the public's concern that television affects school-related behaviors, and television's capacity to whet children's academic interests. This book takes a fresh look at these themes, starting with a review and synthesis of major studies to date and moving on to a new series of studies analyzing the relationship between media and literacy.

This practical guide shows teachers how to introduce academic language to young children, with an emphasis on appreciating and leveraging linguistic diversity. New educational standards are asking students to master content-area concepts and increasingly complex texts in earlier grades. This practitioner-friendly text provides instructional materials, sample dialogs, and assessment tools to facilitate academic language use in PreK–3 classrooms. The authors describe the word, sentence, and discourse levels of academic language, while encouraging teachers and students to consider purpose, participants, discipline, and context. Strategies are provided to help readers adapt language for a variety of academic purposes across mathematics, science, play, mealtimes, and ELA instruction. The text includes discussion questions, reproducible activities, planning materials, assessment tools, and handouts to facilitate smooth implementation into classroom practice. From Words to Wisdom will empower teachers to build bridges to academic success for all young learners. Book Features: Expands teachers' understanding of academic language beyond vocabulary to include syntax and discourse-level features. Includes specific strategies, activities, and suggestions for teaching from and with academic language across multiple settings and disciplines. Addresses all students, including multilingual and linguistically diverse speakers. Incorporates user-friendly features, such as text boxes, vignettes, assessment protocols, and sample teaching materials.

This practical guide shows teachers how to introduce academic language to young children, with an emphasis on appreciating and leveraging linguistic diversity. New educational standards are asking students to master content-area concepts and increasingly complex texts in earlier grades. This practitioner-friendly text provides instructional materials, sample dialogs, and assessment tools to facilitate academic language use in PreK-3 classrooms. The authors describe the word, sentence, and discourse levels of academic language, while encouraging teachers and students to consider purpose, participants, discipline, and context. Strategies are provided to help readers adapt language for a variety of academic purposes across mathematics, science, play, mealtimes, and ELA instruction. The text includes discussion questions, reproducible activities, planning materials, assessment tools, and handouts to facilitate smooth implementation into classroom practice. From Words to Wisdom will empower teachers to build bridges to academic success for all young learners. Book Features: Expands teachers' understanding of academic language beyond vocabulary to include syntax and discourse-level features. Includes specific strategies, activities, and suggestions for teaching from and with academic language across multiple settings and disciplines. Addresses all students, including multilingual and linguistically diverse speakers. Incorporates user-friendly features, such as text boxes, vignettes, assessment protocols, and sample teaching materials.

This is a compelling, eye-opening portrait of two communities in Philadelphia with drastically different economic resources. Over the course of their 10-year investigation, the authors of this important new work came to understand that this disparity between affluence and poverty has created a knowledge gap—far more important than mere achievement scores—with serious implications for students’ economic prosperity and social mobility. At the heart of this knowledge gap is the limited ability of students from poor communities to develop information capital. This moving book takes you into the communities in question to meet the students and their families, and by doing so provides powerful insights into the role that literacy can play in giving low-income students a fighting chance.

Vocabulary forms a relentless divide between children who succeed and those who do not. This divide is often between poor children and their privileged counterparts. Without vocabulary knowledge, children cannot interpret text meaningfully or respond in ways that enable them to fully participate in classroom discussions. All About Words is a practical guide designed to help early childhood teachers take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Common Core State Standards. It offers strategies for planning and presenting vocabulary instruction and for monitoring children's word learning progress, along with helpful appendices that provide specific guidance on which words to teach. Each chapter includes ideas to support home-school connections, recognising the important role parents play in children's vocabulary development. Throughout, the authors encourage readers to examine day-to-day classroom issues, making it an ideal resource for professional development.

Vocabulary forms a relentless divide between children who succeed and those who do not. This divide is often between poor children and their privileged counterparts. Without vocabulary knowledge, children cannot interpret text meaningfully or respond in ways that enable them to fully participate in classroom discussions. All About Words is a practical guide designed to help early childhood teachers take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Common Core State Standards. It offers strategies for planning and presenting vocabulary instruction and for monitoring children's word learning progress, along with helpful appendices that provide specific guidance on which words to teach. Each chapter includes ideas to support home-school connections, recognising the important role parents play in children's vocabulary development. Throughout, the authors encourage readers to examine day-to-day classroom issues, making it an ideal resource for professional development.

This is a compelling, eye-opening portrait of two communities in Philadelphia with drastically different economic resources. Over the course of their 10-year investigation, the authors of this important new work came to understand that this disparity between affluence and poverty has created a knowledge gap-far more important than mere achievement scores-with serious implications for students' economic prosperity and social mobility. At the heart of this knowledge gap is the limited ability of students from poor communities to develop information capital. This moving book takes you into the communities in question to meet the students and their families, and by doing so provides powerful insights into the role that literacy can play in giving low-income students a fighting chance.