So Much More than the ABCs: The Early Phases of Reading and Writing

The foundation for success in learning to read and write begins in infancyAs early childhood professionals, we have both the opportunity and the privilege to shape the progress young children make in acquiring the literacy skills, oral language skills, and background knowledge vital to their later success in learning to read and write. By engaging infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in experiences that foster oral language and content knowledge, literacy skills, and cognitive ability, we build a foundation for children’s later academic success.Promoting children’s desire to read and write is as important as helping children develop the necessary understandings and skills essential for learning how to read and write. Without motivation, children will read and write relatively little and only what and when they must. This book addresses four main points:1. What children need to learn in these early years2. The strategies that teachers can use to help children acquire these foundations3. The features of emergent literacy and language understandings and skills4. How to design the physical environment in early childhood classrooms to support language and literacy learningThis book will help early childhood professionals and families support young children in acquiring the understandings, knowledge, and skills needed for later success in learning to read and write.

Judith A. Schickedanz, PhD, is professor emerita at Boston University. She has authored numerous articles and books, including Increasing the Power of Instruction (NAEYC, 2008); Writing in Preschool (International Reading Association, 2009); and Understanding Children and Adolescents (Allyn & Bacon, 2000).Molly F. Collins, EdD, is a lecturer in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Her articles include “Sagacious, Sophisticated, and Sedulous: The Importance of Discussing 50-Cent Words with Young Children” (Young Children, 2012).