Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching is a handbook for understanding and teaching early literacy. It focuses on the development of reading, writing, speaking and listening for children from birth to eight years, and is written for teacher education students and practising teachers working in early childhood settings, including preschools and the first years of school.
It explores:
* developmental phases of literacy
* ways of systematically observing and assessing children's development
*summaries of research into oral language, home and community languages and literacy, play and literacy, reading, writing and new literacies
*the importance of children's literature and reading aloud
*using different text types for scaffolding children's reading and writing
*word work: phonemic awareness, phonics and vocabulary
*the importance of teacher modelling, sharing, guiding and encouraging independent activities
*practical ideas for planning, teaching and managing the literacy program
*activities and games for making connections between children and families, using literature in the classroom, developing phonemic awareness, understanding concepts of print comprehension, teaching letters and making the letter-sound connections, word study, cooperative learning and more.