Focus on Beginning Readers:
Recommended Reading

Resource collections

Preschool Literacy Collection, edited by Lesley Mandel Morrow (a set of five books on high-quality preschool teaching and learning)

IRA Literacy Study Groups Beginning Reading Module (includes books, position statements, journal articles, discussion guides, and other resources for personal or school-based professional development)

Books

Click on a title to find a detailed description, and to browse contents and sample chapters.

Beginning Reading and Writing, edited by Dorothy S. Strickland and Lesley Mandel Morrow

Building a Foundation for Preschool Literacy: Effective Instruction for Children’s Reading and Writing Development, by Carol Vukelich and James Christie

Children Achieving: Best Practices in Early Literacy, edited by Susan B. Neuman and Kathleen A. Roskos

Developing Essential Literacy Skills: A Continuum of Lessons for Grades K–3, by Robin Cohen  NEW!

Early Literacy Instruction in Kindergarten, by Lori Jamison Rog

Environmental Print in the Classroom: Meaningful Connections for Learning to Read, by Jennifer Prior and Maureen R. Gerard

Guided Comprehension in the Primary Grades, by Maureen McLaughlin

The Guided Reading Kidstation Model: Making Instruction Meaningful for the Whole Class , by E. Francine Guastello and Claire R. Lenz

Helping Children Become Readers Through Writing: A Guide to Writing Workshop in Kindergarten, by Arlene C. Schulze

Informational Text in K–3 Classrooms: Helping Children Read and Write, by Sharon Benge Kletzien and Mariam Jean Dreher

Learning About Print in Preschool: Working With Letters, Words, and Beginning Links With Phonemic Awareness, by Dorothy S. Strickland and Judith A. Schickedanz

Marvelous Minilessons for Teaching Beginning Writing, K–3, by Lori Jamison Rog

Oral Language and Early Literacy in Preschool: Talking, Reading, and Writing, by Kathleen A. Roskos, Patton O. Tabors, and Lisa A. Lenhart

Scaffolding With Storybooks: A Guide for Enhancing Young Children’s Language and Literacy Achievement, by Laura M. Justice and Khara L. Pence

Teaching and Learning in Preschool: Using Individually Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Literacy Instruction, by Elizabeth Claire Venn and Monica Dacy Jahn

“Tell Me a Story”: Developmentally Appropriate Retelling Strategies, by Jill Hansen

Using Children’s Literature in Preschool: Comprehending and Enjoying Books, by Lesley Mandel Morrow and Linda B. Gambrell

What Should I Read Aloud?: A Guide to 200 Best-Selling Picture Books, by Nancy A. Anderson  NEW!

Writing in Preschool: Learning to Orchestrate Meaning and Marks, by Judith A. Schickedanz and Renée M. Casbergue

Books—More titles

Browse through the recommended reading archives to see more titles on this topic.

Articles

The Reading Teacher regularly features articles of interest to those working with young readers. Click on a title below to view some highlights, or browse the journal for additional articles.

“Teaching tips: Learning about word parts with Kidspiration,” by Sharon Ruth Gill (September 2007; vol. 61, no. 1)

“Promoting emergent literacy and social-emotional learning through dialogic reading,” by Brooke Graham Doyle and Wendie Bramwell (March 2006; vol. 59, no. 6)

“Scaffolding beginning readers: Micro and macro cues teachers use during student oral reading,” by Ardith D. Cole (Feb. 2006; vol. 59, no. 5)

“The Princess Storyteller, Clara Clarifier, Quincy Questioner, and the Wizard: Reciprocal teaching adapted for kindergarten students,” by Pamela Ann Myers (Dec. 2005/Jan. 2006; vol. 59, no. 4)

“Everybody’s selling it — But just what is explicit, systematic phonics instruction?” by Heidi Anne E. Mesmer and Priscilla L. Griffith (Dec. 2005/Jan. 2006; vol. 59, no. 4)

“Strategy instruction in primary content textbooks,” by Sherry Kragler, Carolyn A. Walker, and Linda E. Martin (Nov. 2005; vol. 59, no. 3)

“First and second graders writing informational text,” by Sylvia Read (Sept. 2005; vol. 59, no. 1)

Selections from Reading Research Quarterly, the field’s leading source of top-quality research:

“Validity, reliability, and utility of the Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement,” by Carolyn A. Denton, Dennis J. Ciancio, and Jack M. Fletcher (Jan./Feb./March 2006; vol. 41, no. 1)

“Maternal reading and teaching patterns: Associations with school readiness in low-income African American families,” by Pia Rebello Britto, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, and Terri M. Griffin (Jan./Feb./March 2006; vol. 41, no. 1)

“Exploring the role of morphemes in word reading,” by Joanne F. Carlisle and C. Addison Stone (Oct./Nov./Dec. 2005; vol. 40, no. 4)

From Reading Today, IRA’s membership newspaper:

“Handcuffed in the garden of thorns,” (Aug/Sept 2007)  FREE!

“A wild restraint: Reading education and The Cat in the Hat,” (Feb/Mar 2007)  FREE!

“Engaging young students in reading,” (Feb/Mar 2007)  FREE!

“Keeping kids reading,” (Aug/Sept 2006)  FREE!

“Laundromat literacy,” (Aug/Sept 2006)  FREE!

Articles—More titles

Find more articles on beginning readers from Reading Research Quarterly and The Reading Teacher in the recommended reading archives. In addition, the archives includes articles on beginning readers from Reading Online, IRA’s freely available e-journal, which published original features and peer-reviewed articles from May 1997 until June 2005.