Dickinson, David K., & Tabors, Patton O. (2001)
Beginning Literacy with Language: Young Children Learning at Home and School.
Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
It has long been noted that children learn in a variety of settings. Home, school, and play experiences all play a significant role in the learning process for young children. Beginning Literacy With Language addresses the importance of language development in the school and home settings. Language development is crucial to literacy achievement and this book attempts to provide ideas, experiences, research, and thought provoking stimulus for educators and parents alike.
Beginning Literacy with Language is divided into sections, with each section offering articles by contributing authors and private consultants in the fields of early childhood education and psychology. The sections contain literature reviews, research, and classroom interaction on such topics as supporting literacy and language development through reading, playing at home, preschool experiences, language opportunities during mealtimes, and parent involvement. Actual home and school observations and experiences of over 70 young children are documented in the book, in which parent-child and teacher-child interactions are recorded. The children, parents, and teachers are from diverse backgrounds, which add to the overall utility of the book for the classroom teacher, graduate student, parent, or counselor.
The connections between language and literacy are important, and it is vital parents and educators understand and work toward this connection when working with young children. Parents who are interested in day-to-day interaction opportunities will find the "suggestions for parents" sections helpful, as they provide ideas without a lot of technical jargon and research methodologies. Educators will applaud this book for the in-depth research, references, statistics, charts, and actual classroom observations and transcripts. Professors in an academic Education Department may also wish to review a copy Beginning Literacy with Language for use in an early childhood education curriculum.
