Research on Reading and Literacy

Zero to Three
http://www.zerotothree.org/
Aimed at parents, this site has many helpful links on early language and literacy.

The Emergence of Story Telling During the First Three Years
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_language_storytelling&AddInterest=1145
A useful introduction to young children's development of narrative, and how this helps them to make meaning of events in their lives. One of the sites linked from Zero to Three.

A Book Is a Child's Companion
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_language_companion&AddInterest=1145
A brief essay about the children's need to feel relevant to the characters in a story in order to fully enjoy books and literature.

Language Development Stages in Young Children
http://www.kidsdevelopment.co.uk/
LanguageDevelopmentStagesYoungChildren.html
A brief overview aimed at parents.

[PDF] The Language of Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers:
www.ounceofprevention.org/research/pdfs/LanguageofBabies.pdf
This article, sub-titled 'Linking Research to Practice', gives a layperson's overview of key research on early literacy.

[PDF] Closing the Achievement Gap - Ounce of Prevention Fund
www.ounceofprevention.org/news/pdfs/ClosingTheAchievementGap.pdf
An American article which links poor academic achievement with poverty: 'By age four, an 18-month gap is apparent between an impoverished child and his more affluent peers; that gap is still present at age 10 and continues throughout high school.' A child begins learning at birth and the quality of interactions in the home are important.

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children
www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/reading/
Learning to read is a complex process. This article from the US National Academy Press (1998) summarises potential changes in educational and other systems to address reading difficulties.

[PDF] Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel
http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/NELPReport09.pdf
This 2008 report, sub-titled 'A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention', describes the measured effects of a number of interventions (including shared-reading) on children's acquisition of early literacy skills.