Tanya S. Wright

Spring 2023 Smart Book winners from the Academics' Choice Awards Literacy Learning begins at birth and continues throughout our lives! Birth to age 5 is a critical period in building the foundation for later success in reading and writing. Educators play a vital role in nurturing young children’s early language and literacy knowledge and skills. However, the specific practices that support literacy development in early childhood are often different than those used with older children. From some of the foremost early literacy development experts in the field comes this practical resource that is a must-have for all educators of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Using eight key practices—Knowing, Showing, Designing, Including, Engaging, Explaining, Observing, and Responding—as the framework, the authors discuss how educators can support five important areas of young children’s early literacy development: Language and knowledge Print concepts Sounds and letters Writing Text comprehension A range of features highlights information about these areas and practices, including the latest research findings, recommended resources, tips for integrating technology into play and learning, and more. With this book, explore how to create effective, appropriate, and fun learning opportunities for our littlest literacy learners.

You probably know that having young children memorize new words or relegating vocabulary instruction to one time of day is not the way to go, but you may not know what else to do to support students' vocabulary development. In this guide, Tanya Wright shows you how to make word learning more meaningful and engaging as you incorporate teaching about words across the day. Young children love to learn and use new words; the key is to tap into their natural curiosity and excitement. Tanya shows you how to create opportunities for children to think about and use words in meaningful contexts during read aloud, content-area learning, reading instruction, and writing instruction--all day long Classroom videos of teachers and children learning about words bring the ideas to life, and a friendly "What We Know" feature highlights important research that informs the practice.

Vocabulary forms a relentless divide between children who succeed and those who do not. This divide is often between poor children and their privileged counterparts. Without vocabulary knowledge, children cannot interpret text meaningfully or respond in ways that enable them to fully participate in classroom discussions. All About Words is a practical guide designed to help early childhood teachers take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Common Core State Standards. It offers strategies for planning and presenting vocabulary instruction and for monitoring children's word learning progress, along with helpful appendices that provide specific guidance on which words to teach. Each chapter includes ideas to support home-school connections, recognising the important role parents play in children's vocabulary development. Throughout, the authors encourage readers to examine day-to-day classroom issues, making it an ideal resource for professional development.

Vocabulary forms a relentless divide between children who succeed and those who do not. This divide is often between poor children and their privileged counterparts. Without vocabulary knowledge, children cannot interpret text meaningfully or respond in ways that enable them to fully participate in classroom discussions. All About Words is a practical guide designed to help early childhood teachers take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Common Core State Standards. It offers strategies for planning and presenting vocabulary instruction and for monitoring children's word learning progress, along with helpful appendices that provide specific guidance on which words to teach. Each chapter includes ideas to support home-school connections, recognising the important role parents play in children's vocabulary development. Throughout, the authors encourage readers to examine day-to-day classroom issues, making it an ideal resource for professional development.