"The road to becoming a reader begins the day a child is born and continues through the end of third grade," writes the authors of two new booklets from the Partnership  for Reading.  Designed for parents and caregivers to help young children become readers, one publication covers birth to preschool and the other grades K-3.

     The booklets, entitled A Child Becomes a Reader, draw from many research studies on early literacy development to reveal how children learn the spoken and written language through common, daily activities.  "You don't need special training or expensive materials" in teaching children at home, advise the booklets' authors.  The publications offer ideas, which include fun language games along with additional resources, to help parents turn everyday interactions into learning opportunities.
     Each booklet of A Child Becomes a Reader is age-specific, with the "birth through preschool" edition covering:

• What children should be able to do by age 3 and 5;

• What to look for in day care centers and preschools.
   

     The "kindergarten through grade 3" edition examines:

• What children should be able to do by the end of kindergarten and first, second and third grades;

• What to look for in kindergarten and first, second-and third-grade classrooms.

     Also available from the National Institute for Literacy:

READING: The Foundation Children Need To Succeed - For School Administrators
     School administrators have a leadership role to play in helping students become good readers. This brochure provides an overview of instructional priorities related to reading.  

Using Research and Reason in Education
     Teachers believe in the power of information, but the rush of school life makes it difficult to stay current with the research on effective instruction. This brief paper will help teachers become discerning consumers of educational programs and materials. It provides guidance on how to recognize scientifically based instructional strategies, and how to use the concepts of research in the classroom.

To download online versions of these publications, visit www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading or contact :

The National Institute for Literacy
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
US Department of Education
1775 I Street NW, Suite 730
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-233-2025
Fax: 202-233-2050

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