The Puzzling Code (Pathways to Early Literacy Series: Discoveries in Writing and Reading)

Pathways to Early Literacy Series - Discoveries in Writing and Reading

This book is one in a series of three written for parents, caregivers, early childhood teachers, and teachers of children in their first year at school. No set order is intended. Each book offers unique discussions and suggestions, and each is complete in itself.

How Very Young Children Explore Writing introduces the reader to the fascinating writing attempts of preschool children.

What Changes in Writing Can I See? introduces ways of keeping records of early writing. It describes how easy it is for parents and teachers to assess the changes taking place in children’s writing by using everyday observations and by making more formal assessments.

The Puzzling Code discusses how puzzling the written code is for young learners beginning formal reading instruction and offers instructional recommendations for supporting the child’s complex learning.

Marie Clay, FRSNZ, FNZPsS, FNZEI(Hon),Emeritus Professor, taught in primary schools and then at the University of Auckland where, for the next 30 years she introduced educational psychologists to ways of preventing psychological problems. She did post-graduate study in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota on a Fulbright Scholarship and completed her doctorate at the University of Auckland with a thesis entitled "Emergent Literacy." Her 'Reading (and writing) Recovery' is an early literacy intervention, which is now implemented in five countries, and three languages. Literacy Lessons Designed For Individuals integrates what has been learned from that innovation with new research and theoretical advocacies.

Shifts in early literacy learning can be monitored by teachers using her Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement in English, Spanish and French. A series of individual lessons can be delivered in those languages to about 150,000 children worldwide annually using a guidebook called Reading Recovery: Guidelines for Teachers in Training. Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals is a similar guidebook which aims to make accelerated progress possible for a wider range of problems.

Marie Clay was past-President of the International Reading Association, served on the editorial committees of professional journals, was a research consultant at home and abroad including UNESCO, chaired a Social Science Research Committee advising government on policies and research allocations, and worked internationally with problem-solving related to early intervention research and practice.