Early Literacy Interventions

Topic: Early literacy interventions

AAA #1

Hawken, Leanne S., Johnston Susan S., McDonnell , Andrea P. (2005). Emerging literacy views

and practices: Results from a national survey of head start preschool teachers. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, vol. 25, issue 4: pp. 232-242.

Summary:

Hawken, Johnston & McDonnell (2005) turned to The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework to establish 3 questions that needed to be resolved to determine the teachers' views and practices related to emerging literacy. The first question was to ask if practices that head start teachers implement in their classroom are in fact promoting emerging literacy. The second question was, exactly what are the practices to promote emergent literacy in a Head Start classroom? And the last one is if the teachers agree that emerging literacy skills should be taught every day.

The article is supported with enough literature that exposes the concerns and warrants study of emergent literacy. Information provided by numerous studies show clear evidence of the need to provide children with early literacy exposure. The National Reading Panel determined children's reading trajectory finding that a poor reader in 1st grade will continue struggling all the way through high school. The International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children conclude that preventing reading failure should begin at birth and continue to age 5 when children are learning fundamental learning skills to be able to succeed. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed in a national study that children participating in the head Start Program achieved in literacy areas like vocabulary, writing, print and letter recognition. The surveys were sent to 500 different people from the Head Start Database including preschool teachers that serve the Head Start Program.

The results showed that 90% of teachers agreed that prevention of reading failure should begin at birth and continue to age 5 and should take place daily. The results showed evidence of the practices form the Head Start program using literacy material and appropriate implementation of instructional strategies to start building reading skills in children. To introduce print awareness and concepts, teachers should encourage children to use literacy related props during dramatic play. Phonological awareness should also take place daily through reading nursery rhymes, chants and playing games related to letter and syllable blending. Strategies for alphabet knowledge include use of manipulatives such as letter puzzles, magnetic letters, games that teach letter-word recognition, and chanting alphabet songs. The last domain in the framework is early writing, in which, students are offered a wide variety of tools to develop fine motor skills. In conclusion, teachers agreed that that the best way to improve literacy outcomes is to create an environment in which students are exposed to reading and writing materials every day.

Analysis:

As a teacher who has worked with kindergarten, first, and second grade students who come from a low income family, I find it as an advantage that emergent literacy is taken as a critical consideration to determine a student's future success. Children from low-income backgrounds often enter kindergarten with few literacy skills and little knowledge of print awareness can cause students to fall behind through high school. Providing a child with knowledge that helps them to succeed is very beneficial in the lower areas of school. When students that have never been in a school or had any knowledge about school, before they get to Kindergarten, will take them a while to adapt and develop important social skills. Head Start teaching approaches are based on games and social interaction that help develop skills that are needed in reading and writing, because this will enhance their oral language development.

The majority of the teachers completing the survey affirm that they use strategies to promote early literacy skills daily in the classroom. As a teacher I find discrepancy in the results because a classroom never flows the same way everyday especially win the lower grades. Even though we try to make this happen every single day in our classrooms, sometimes we run out of time or we prioritize in one thing rather than the other. The survey is a self report, so there is no certain evidence that the strategies are in fact implemented every day in the classrooms as most teachers assured. The article states that emergent literacy skills begin in the early years. This statement is true because students have a lot to acomplish by the time they get to second grade. They are reading and writing in kindergarten and expanding both of these in first. By the time they get to second, students are expected to read, comprehend, and analsis information. If students are not on level by the time they leave first, they will have a very hard time in school.

The article is very intresting and supported by very importants points, children who have participated in the program gain so much literacy skills and children who did not have exposure to literacy in school are significantly below in aademic readiness. Having a framework set early in school helps children accomplish so much more as they travel through school. I feel that on future topics, there should be an open and closed case studies. This way you are able to compare students that have the literacy interventions to those that do not. This way we are able to see how effective they really are. I also believe that this case study should be carried on through 1st grade to see how the growth of the students develops with the interventions set in place. If theis is done I feel that the research would be very benifical to many educators.

AAA #2

Cooke, Kretlow, Helf, Initials. (2010). Supplemental reading help for kindergarten students: How early should you start?. Preventing School Failure, 54, 137-144.

Summary:

The purpose of the study is to determine how early supplemental reading help for kindergarten students should start. This article specifically determines if students can benefit from readiness skills and academic instruction simultaneously, starting at the beginning of the school year, rather than delaying academic intervention until midyear. Many young students enter kindergarten lacking readiness skills which are skills crucial for academic success. The Behavior and Reading Improvement Center at the University of North Carolina,