Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy: Birth Through Kindergarten

Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy takes a reader-friendly, child-focused approach to teaching the language arts. It provides pre- and in-service teachers with sound instructional strategies to facilitate children's reading, writing, speaking, and listening development from birth through kindergarten. Recognizing that children are at the heart of good language and literacy teaching, the book focuses on four central themes: a perspective on teaching and learning that blends constructivism and science-based instruction, respect for diversity, instruction-based assessment, and family involvement in literacy learning. Each chapter identifies clear learning goals and offers opportunities for readers to check their knowledge and apply what they have learned. Real-world classroom examples and case studies bring concepts to life, helping prospective teachers connect theories to strategies they can use in their own classrooms.

The 5th Edition includes up-to-date research, an increased emphasis on standards, and contains new features that reflect recent developments in the field of language arts education.

About our authors

Carol Vukelich is the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development and the L. Sandra and Bruce L. Hammonds in Teacher Education chaired professor at the University of Delaware. Prior to becoming Dean, she served as the College's Deputy Dean and Director of the Delaware Center for Teacher Education. She has codirected several grants, published 3 books, authored numerous book chapters and articles, consulted on curriculum and made numerous presentations focused on children's early literacy learning. Dr. Vukelich has served as President of the Association for Childhood Education International and as the Secretary of the Executive Board and Board of Directors member of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.

Billie Enz is an Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Education at Arizona State University, where she taught and served as an administrator for 25 years. She has coauthored several texts on mentorship and new teacher development and was the founding director of the Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) grant which provided induction support for new teachers statewide. Her research interests include language and literacy development and family literacy. Dr. Enz has coauthored Teaching Language and Literacy, 5th ed. (Pearson, 2014) and Assessing Preschool Literacy Development (International Reading Association, 2009) and numerous articles and book chapters. She also served as the founding executive director for Educare Arizona.

Kathleen A. Roskos is a Professor Emeritus at John Carroll University, where she taught courses in literacy assessment/intervention and the language arts. She has developed and coordinated numerous educational grants, including a DOD grant for military veterans entering teaching, Early Reading First grants and a Straight A Innovation grant. Dr. Roskos coordinated one of the first public preschools in Ohio (Bridges and Links). She was instrumental in the development of statewide online professional development in literacy for P to 12 teachers. Dr. Roskos studies early literacy development, digital book design and teacher professional education. She has published several books, book chapters and research articles on these topics.

James Christie was a Professor Emeritus in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University, where he taught courses in play and early language and literacy development. Dr. Christie coauthored Play, Development, and Early Education (Allyn & Bacon, 2005), Teaching Language and Literacy: Preschool Through the Elementary Grades, 5th ed. (Pearson, 2014) and Building a Foundation for Preschool Literacy, 2nd ed. (International Reading Association, 2009). He codirected 3 Early Reading First projects: the Arizona Centers of Excellence in Early Education in San Luis, AZ; the Mohave Desert Coalition in Bullhead City, AZ and Pump Up the Volume in Preschool in Gallup, NM.