Literacy Links

Showcase of Innovative Practice

Welcome to our Library...

HOW DOES THIS MAIL ORDER LENDING LIBRARY WORK?

Books and other resources described in the Library section may be requested for a 30-day loan. We will mail each borrower up to five loan items at a time (just two for first-time borrowers), and even include a postage-paid return address sticker for mailing them back to us! Borrowers must be affiliated with a non-profit program providing adult or family literacy services. Annotated bibliographies of our entire library of resources are available in hard copy by request, or can be viewed on our website. Call 800-441-7323 or e-mail tcall@tamu.edu to check out materials described here or to request hard copy listings of even more resources.

Family Literacy – New Additions to Our Library

50 Fun and Easy Brain-based Activities for Young Learners. Church, Ellen Booth (2002). New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books.
Book offers numerous preK and kindergarten activities that use skills such as observation, comparison, predicting, estimating, classifying, matching, patterning, and so on in all subject areas, and a brief description of current brain research on which the activities are based.

Early Literacy in Preschool and Kindergarten. Beaty, Janice J. and Pratt, Linda (2003). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Book focuses on preschool and kindergarten children as emergent learners, with many suggestions for an early childhood program with emphasis on cultural diversity. Book is a loan item available to Texas Educators ONLY.

Emergent Literacy and Dramatic Play in Early Education. Davidson, Jane (1996). Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers.
Play, especially sociodramatic play, and emergent literacy in the early childhood program are discussed in this book. Chapters include "Let's Play Pretend," " What Do Teachers Do When Children are Pretending," "From All-Encompassing to Incidental: Different Modes for Integrating Literacy into Dramatic Play," and " Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment." Book is a loan item available to Texas Educators ONLY.

Learning Activities For Infants and Toddlers: An Easy Guide for Everyday Use. Squibb, Betsy and Deitz, Sally (2000). Washington, DC: Children's Resources International, Inc.
More than 100 activities for infants and toddlers divided into age group for which each is developmentally appropriate. Also included are an introduction to infant and toddler learning and recommendations on using themes. Each activity includes a purpose, list of materials, simple steps for preparation, ideas for interaction between children and adults, and a suggested home learning activity for parent and child. Also available in a Spanish language version, a separate loan item. Book is a loan item available to Texas Educators ONLY.

Learning Language and Loving It: A Guide to Promoting Children's Social, Language, and Literacy Development in Early Childhood Settings, Second Edition. Weitzman, Elaine and Greenberg, Janice (2002). Toronto, ON: The Hanen Centre.
This illustrated guide to literacy development is for the early childhood teacher, but a parent will find the suggestions useful. Areas covered include interactions in early childhood settings, the stages of language development, how to interact with a young child, and how to set up the early childhood program to promote social, language, and literacy development. Book is a loan item available to Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. Ask us how to become a Preferred Borrower.

Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. Neuman, Susan B., Copple, Carol, and Bredekamp, Sue (2000). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Curriculum ideas, strategies, and the literate environment are outlined with photos, checklists, charts, a glossary, other resources, and frequently asked questions. This is the basic reference for literacy in all early childhood programs. Also available in Spanish language version, "El Aprendizaje De La Lectura Y La Escritura: Practicas apropiadas para el desarrollo infantil", a separate loan item.

Linking Language: Simple Language and Literacy Activities Throughout the Curriculum. Rockwell, Robert, Hoge, Debra Reichert, and Searcy, Bill (1999). Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.
Language and literacy are linked in the many curriculum activities in this book. Each cross-curricular activity includes ways to enhance children's vocabularies, questions to help teachers evaluate children's progress, an annotated list of books, and suggested age-appropriate writing experiences. The chapters are Circle Time, Healthy Food and Snacks, Dramatic Play, Outdoor Play, Art, Sand and Water, Music and Movement, Math, and Science.

Literacy Through Play. Owocki, Gretchen (1999). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Literacy and play are woven together for the early childhood teacher in this easy-to-read guide. Areas covered include creating a play environment, teaching literacy through play, assessing children as they play, working with families, and using developmentally appropriate practices.

The Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence. Diamond, Marian (1998) New York, NY: Plume.
Written by a leading brain researcher, this book discusses environmental influences and the child's brain. Chapter titles include: "An Enchanted Thing: The Brain's Network of Connections," "Dreaming Eyes of Wonder: Nurturing the Very Young," "These Become Part of the Child: Stimulating the Mind in the Preschool Years." In addition there are many suggestions for appropriate activities grouped by children's developmental ages.

Make Way for Literacy! Teaching the Way Young Children Learn. Owocki, Gretchen (2001). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann and NAEYC.
This book features curriculum ideas to incorporate literacy engagement into the early childhood program. Chapter titles include "Readers Theatre," "Storytelling," ‘Literature Circles," "Poetry," "Sociodramatic Play and Literacy," and " Take-Home Literature Packs."

Parent to Parent: Our Children, Their Literacy. Oglan, Gerald R. and Elcombe, Averil (2001). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
This book is set up with questions parents might ask and answers to the questions, with answers grounded in research and theory. In a straightforward discussion, the topics covered are listening and speaking, readers and reading, writing and spelling, and where to begin. Also included is an annotated bibliography of high-quality children's literature from kindergarten to grade 6. Book is a loan item available to Texas Educators ONLY.

Partnering With Parents: Easy Programs to Involve Parents in the Early Learning Process. Rockwell, Bob and Kniepkamp, Janet Rockwell (2003). Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.
Geared to the preschool child and his or her parents, this guide outlines 27different meetings or "interaction nights" for parent and child participation. There are four different theme-related activities for each meeting plan as well as an introduction and icebreakers. Book is a loan item available to TX Educators ONLY.

Reading Right from the Start: What Parents Can Do in the First Five Years. Bickart, Toni S. and Dodge, Diane Trister (2000). Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies.
Booklet is an easy-to-read resource for parents on what to do with their young child to promote literacy. Many of the ideas fit in with the family's practical life—when the family is shopping, eating, dressing, and doing around the house chores. Lists of books, singing ideas, and how and when to talk to your baby, toddler, preschooler charts are included. Loan set includes ten copies of the booklet for use with a parenting group; also available in Spanish langauge version, "El buen comienzo de la lectura:Lo que pueden hacer los padres durante los primeros cinco anos" (a separate loan item). Loan item for Texas educators ONLY.

The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind. Gopnik, Alison, Meltzoff, Andrew N. and Kuhl, Patricia K. (1999). New York, NY: Perennial.
This is an easy-to-read book written by scientists for parents and teachers which synthesizes the latest information about infants, development, and brain development. Some of the chapters are: "What Children Learn About People," What Children Learn About Language," What Scientists Have Learned About Children's Minds," What Scientists Have Learned About Children's Brains."

Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success. Burns, M. Susan, Griffin, Peg, and Snow, Catherine E., Editors (1999). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Children begin learning the skills required for reading success early in life, including oral language skills, phonological awareness, motivation to read, appreciation for literate forms, print awareness, and letter knowledge. Target audience includes parents, teachers, and child care providers.

Starting Smart: How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development - 2nd Edition. Hawley, Theresa ( 2000). Herdon, Virginia: Zero to Three.
From Zero To Three and The Ounce of Prevention Fund, this booklet reviews information about brain development, "windows of opportunity," and developmental connections with emotional growth. Other factors impacting brain development, such as stress and trauma, are discussed. Concise format presents some of the latest research in early childhood.

Professional Development and Innovative Practice

New Perspectives on Designing and Implementing Professional Development of Teachers of Adults. King, Kathleen P. and Lawler, Patricia A., Editors (2003). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
This volume explores how to make professional development more pertinent by looking at teachers of adults as adult learners themselves. It also presents an astute vision of current needs and trends, theory, and recommended practice to guide professional development in the many contexts in which teachers of adults work today—from higher education to adult literacy to corporate training. This is the 98th issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.

Crossing the Digital Divide: Race, Writing, and Technology in the Classroom. Monroe, Barbara (2004). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
"As poor, non-white communities on the other side of the digital divide become immersed in electronic media, how can we evaluate their experiences to transform the teaching of writing and literature and improve student learning?" (from editorial description). This book includes features for English educators at all levels working in all types of schools: case studies of high-poverty secondary schools as they come online, offering an examination of the literacy practices of some of the country's most underserved students on Indian reservations and in central cities; an approach to teaching writing and literature at both high school and middle school levels; and discussion of the public policy debate on access to technology.