Literacy Development in the Early Years, Helping Children Read and Write

This book emphasizes both constructivist and explicit strategies for teaching literacy to young children within an integrated language arts approach.

With a thought-provoking and rich presentation, renowned author Lesley Morrow explores literacy development as an active process between children and adults to create meaning and real purpose. The Sixth Edition presents a theoretical and research-based rationale for its contents, as well as extensive practical applications to help readers grasp the scope and the complexity of early literacy development.

This Sixth Edition embraces integrated language arts and an interdisciplinary approach to literacy development as it addresses developing writing, reading, and oral language in the home and in school curriculum. The use of expository and narrative selections of children's literature is emphasized, as well as motivating children to become lifelong readers. This edition spends more time with strategies for preschool literacy and skill development in grades Pre-K through three. Both constructivist problem-solving teaching techniques and more explicit systematic instruction are discussed.

Key to this Sixth edition is the expanded coverage in the assessment chapter of the importance of assessment-guided instruction. In addition, differentiation of instruction has been made a high priority, and much more attention has been paid to dealing with children from diverse backgrounds. There are also more practical examples of how teachers can put strategies into practice than in other editions, especially with the new supplementary perforated pages that can be torn out of the book for actual use with children.

Now in its sixth edition, Literacy Development in the Early Years emphasizes both constructivist and explicit strategies for teaching literacy to young children within an integrated language arts approach.

Renowned author Lesley Morrow explores literacy development as an active process between children and adults to create meaning and purpose. This Sixth Edition embraces integrated language arts and an interdisciplinary approach to literacy development as it addresses developing writing, reading, and oral language at home and in the school curriculum. This edition spends more time with strategies for preschool literacy and skill development in grades Pre-K through three. This edition  also offers expanded coverage in the assessment chapter, which emphasizes the importance of assessment-guided instruction. In addition, differentiation of instruction has been given a high priority, and considerable attention has been paid to dealing with children from diverse backgrounds.

New to the Sixth Edition

• The book’s introduction includes a case study illustrating exemplary teaching of the language arts in an early childhood classroom.
• Forty-eight new pages of classroom activities related to each chapter at the end of the book. The pages are perforated for students to remove or photocopy.
• A new Integrated Language Arts Unit in the Appendix, called “Animals Around the World,” with a strong multicultural theme.
• More extensive coverage of issues concerning English Language Learners has been included throughout the text.
• Continued emphasis on research of early literacy development, including findings from the National Reading Panel, National Early Literacy Panel, Preventing Reading Difficulties, Reading First, The Rand Report, and the implications of the No Child Left Behind legislation.

Outstanding Endorsements for The Literacy Development in the Early Years, 6/e!

“The chapter on classroom organization is thorough, specific, and probably the best I have seen.”

-Audrey M. Quinlan, SetonHill University

“I find it to be user-friendly for both me and the students and, generally, comprehensive in all major areas of literacy instruction.”

-Wanda Calvert, ClemsonUniversity

“The fact that the author included snippets from real teachers and real lesson plans is helpful and illustrates many of the author’s points. It makes the text seem authentic and helps build the bridge between theory and practice.”

-Jan Nagler, Mass Medical Society