This article describes strategies for using storybooks to facilitate emergent literacy. First, we provide critical background information about three areas of emergent literacy: oral language (vocabulary and narrative development), phonological awareness, and print awareness. Then we describe how teachers can facilitate the development of these three areas through purposeful, yet playful and developmentally appropriate, storybook reading activities.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, M.J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press .
2.
Adams, M.J., Foorman, B.R., Lundberg, I., & Beeler, T. (1998). Phonemic awareness in young children. Baltimore: Brookes.
3.
Ahlberg, J., & Ahlberg, A. (1986). The jolly postman or other people's letters. Boston: Little, Brown.
4.
Arnold, D.S., & Whitehurst, G.J. (1994). Accelerating language development through picture book reading: A summary of dialogic reading and its effects . In D. K. Dickinson (Ed.), Bridges to literacy: Children, families, and school (pp. 103—128). Cambridge, MA: Black-well.
5.
Blachman, B.A., Ball, E.W., Black, R., & Tangel, D.M. (2000). Road to the code. Baltimore : Brookes.
6.
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (1997). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs (Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
7.
Byrne, B., & Fielding-Barnsley, R. (1993). Evaluation of a program to teach phonemic awareness to young children: One-year follow-up. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 104—111.
8.
Chard, D.J., Simmons, D.C., & Kameenui, E.J. (1995). Understanding the role of word recognition in the reading process: Synthesis of research on beginning reading (National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators Rep. No. 15). Eugene: University of Oregon.
9.
Cole, K., & Maddox, M. (1997). Talking and books: Language is the key [A video-based early language program]. Seattle: WashingtonResearch Institute.
10.
Dickinson, D.K., & Smith, M.W. (1994). Long-term effects of preschool teachers' book readings on low-income children's vocabulary and story comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 29(2), 105—122.
11.
Durkin, D. (1993). Teaching them to read. Boston : Allyn & Bacon.
12.
Geisel, T.S. (1963). Hop on pop. New York: Random House.
13.
Geisel, T.S., & Geisel, A.S. (1965). Fox in socks. New York: Random House.
14.
Juel, C. (1988). Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of 54 children from first through fourth grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 437—447.
15.
Juel, C. (1991). Beginning reading. In R. Barr, M. Kamill, P. Mosenthal, & D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 759—788). White Plains, NY: Longman.
16.
Kamhi, A.G., & Catts, H.W. (1999). Language and reading: Convergence and divergence . In H. W. Catts & A. G. Kamhi (Eds.), Language and reading disabilities (pp. 1—24). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
17.
Kaminski, R.A., & Good, R.H. (2002). Dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills (6th ed.). Retrieved July 2003 from http://dibels.uoregon.edu/
18.
Karweit, N., & Wasik, B.A. (1996). The effects of story reading programs on literacy and language development of disadvantaged preschoolers. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 1(4), 319—348.
19.
Lesiak, J.L. (1997). Research based answers to questions about emergent literacy in kindergarten. Psychology in the Schools, 34, 143—160.
20.
Mautte, L.A. (1990). The effects of adult-interactive behaviors within the context of repeated storybook reading upon the language development and selected prereading skills of prekindergarten at-risk students. Florida Education Research CouncilResearch Bulletin, 22(3), 1—31.
21.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
22.
Notari-Syverson, A., O'Connor, R.E., & Vadasy, P.F. (1998). Ladders to literacy. Baltimore : Brookes.
23.
O'Connor, R.E., Jenkins, J.R., Leicester, N., & Slocum, T.A. (1993). Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 59, 532—546.
24.
Perkins, A.P. (1969). Hand, hand, fingers, thumb. New York: Random House.
25.
Pikulski, J.J. (1989). Questions and answers. The Reading Teacher, 42, 637.
26.
Seeger, P. (1986). Abiyoyo. New York: Macmillan.
27.
Shaw, N. (1989). Sheep on a ship. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
28.
Slobodkina, E. (1968). Caps for sale. Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley.
29.
Snow, C.E., Burns, M.S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children . Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
30.
Sulzby, E., & Teale, W. (1991). Emergent literacy. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, & P. D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research: Volume II (pp. 727—757). New York: Longman.
31.
Treiman, R., & Weatherston, S. (1992). Effects of linguistic structure on children's ability to initial consonants. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 174—181.
32.
U.S. Department of Education. (2002). Twenty-fourth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: Author.
33.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Assessment. (1990). Chapter 2: Elementary and secondary education. Digest of education statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
34.
Valdez-Menchaca, M.C., & Whitehurst, G.J. (1992). Accelerating language development through picture book reading: A systematic extension to Mexican day care. Developmental Psychology, 28(6), 1106— 1114.
35.
Wagner, R.K., Torgesen, J.K., & Rashotte, C.A. (1999). Comprehensive test of phonological processing. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
36.
Wood, A. (1984). The napping house. San Diego : Harcourt Brace.
37.
Wood, A. (1985). King Bidgood's in the bathtub. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.
38.
Wood, A. (1988). Elbert's bad word. San Diego : Harcourt Brace.
39.
Bus, A.G., van Ijzendoorn, M.H., & Pellegrini, A.D. (1995). Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65(1), 1—21.
40.
Karweit, N. (1989). The effects of a story-reading program on the vocabulary and story comprehension skills of disadvantaged preschool and kindergarten students. Early Education and Development, 1, 105—114.
41.
O'Connor, R.E., Jenkins, J.R., Leicester, N., & Slocum, T.A. (1993). Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 59, 532—546.
42.
Rush, K.L. (1999). Caregiver-child interactions and early literacy development of preschool children from low-income backgrounds. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 19, 3—14.
43.
Scarborough, H.S., & Dobrich, W. (1994). On the efficacy of reading to preschoolers. Developmental Review, 14, 245—302.
44.
Walker, D., Greenwood, C., Hart, B., & Carta, J. (1994). Prediction of school outcomes based on language production and socioeconomic factors. Child Development,65, 606—621.
