Article Reviews and Responses

By: 

Kimberly Wylie

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Reading aloud to children: the past, the present and the future 4
Highlight: 4
Article Summary: 5
Critique: 6
Implementation Ideas: 8

Raising standards in reading and writing: Insights from England′s National Literacy Strategy 10
Highlight: 10
Article Summary: 11
Critique: 12
Implementation: 14

Assessing early literacy in young children 17
Highlight: 17
Article Summary: 18
Critique: 19
Implementation: 21

Phonological awareness: One key to the reading proficiency of deaf children 23
Highlight: 23
Article Summary: 24
Critique: 25
Implementation: 27

References 29

Abstract

This paper shall be a review and response to each of four articles discussing different issues concerning literacy. A quotation from each article shall be highlighted and discussed. An article summary, for each, will be presented. A critique will then be given. And, finally, ideas for implementing the author′s ideas into a kindergarten classroom will be described.

Article Reviews and Responses

Reading aloud to children: the past, the present and the future

Highlight:

Reading aloud to children as a method of reading instruction has been a tool used for centuries. In fact, Durkin noted "the descriptions of the earliest education in the United States indicated that beginning reading was once taught more often in a kitchen than in a classroom." (as cited in Guofang, 2000)

However, for approximately five decades society turned away from this tried and true method of teaching, and it wasn′t until the late 1970′s that it once again resurfaced as an effective method in encouraging the development of literacy in children. Research began to be conducted noting the beneficial qualities of reading aloud to children, but as Teale (as cited in Guofang, 2000) noted and Guofang (2000) agreed, more naturalistic studies are needed to truly give a full analysis of the effects of children being read to.

By evaluating the efforts of storytelling to children in a non-clinical setting, researchers can not only discover what is most likely to be occurring in similar households that are not under study, but also can better develop new processes to help facilitate the learning. Experiences recorded in nonrealistic settings may not be what happens in real life, and new processes developed as such may not be practical or effective.

Article Summary:

Guofang′s (2000) article entitled Reading aloud to children: The past, present and future was a three-part article discussing the history behind the concept of reading to children, recent research supporting this concept, and what could be done in the future. By referring to a multitude of research Guofang makes the point that more naturalistic research needs to be done on this topic.

The article begins by acknowledging that reading to children is a centuries old concept utilized by parents, teachers, storytellers and charlatans. Huey "recognized the importance of parents reading aloud to children and wrote that the secret of it all lies in the parents′ reading aloud to and with their children." (as cited in Guofang, 2000)

The article also notes that for a period of approximately 50 years, this literacy tool was set aside. However, in the late 1970′s a resurgence of interest in reading aloud to children sparked debate and with research has once again become a valued tool that is encouraged for teachers and parents to utilize.

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