Judith A. Schickedanz

Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten

Repeated interactive read-alouds, a systematic method of reading aloud, allow teachers to scaffold childrens understanding of the book being read, model strategies for making inferences and explanations, and teach vocabulary and concepts. A storybook is read three times in slightly different ways in order to increase the amount and quality of childrens analytical talk as they answer carefully crafted questions. During the first reading, teachers introduce the storys problem, insert comments, ask a few key questions, and finally ask a “why” question calling for extended explanation. This is accompanied by elaborations on a few key vocabulary words. Second reads capitalize on childrens growing comprehension of the story by providing enriched vocabulary explanations and asking additional inference and explanation questions. Third reads consist of guided reconstruction of the story in which children recount information as well as provide explanations and commentary. These techniques have shown to be effective in increasing childrens engagement, understanding, and appreciation of literature in preschool and kindergarten settings.

The NELP Report on Shared Story Reading Interventions (Chapter 4): Extending the Story

The authors discuss the 19 individual studies included in chapter 4 (shared story reading interventions) of the report of the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) and offer more nuanced conclusions than the report’s authors do. They also emphasize the need for more comprehensive approaches to shared story reading in preschool than those found in the studies available to the NELP for its meta-analysis. Like the panel authors, the authors of this response call especially for shared reading interventions that support children’s understanding of meaning, as well as vocabulary and syntax development and print-related skills.

For Young Children, Pictures in Storybooks Are Rarely Worth a Thousand Words

This article focuses on young childrens misinterpretations of storybook illustrations. Examples of misinterpretations drawn from preschool classrooms are presented and analyzed to explain four kinds of confusion that are typically involved. Based on these analyses, the authors argue that young children are capable of the reasoning required to understand storybook illustrations, but need specific information and guidance to reason well in these complex contexts. The authors present strategies that teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade can use to provide children with support. These strategies include explaining to children how illustrations work, bringing text information to childrens attention, helping children use or acquire relevant background knowledge, and modeling the strategic use of personal experiences and background knowledge.

Comparison of Preschoolers' Narratives, the Classroom Book Environment, and Teacher Attitudes Toward Literacy Practices in Korea and the United States

This study investigated Korean and U.S. preschoolers’ personal and fictional narratives, their classroom book environments, and their teachers’ attitudes about reading aloud. The participants were 70 Korean and American 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in 2 university lab preschools and their 4 teachers. The structures and content of the preschoolers’ personal and fictional narratives were analyzed. The teachers’ attitudes and practices about their language and literacy curriculum, including books provided in the classroom and selected for reading aloud, were examined for associations with preschoolers’ narrative productions. Research Findings: The content of preschoolers’ personal narratives and the structural levels of their fictional narratives differed between the 2 Korean and 2 U.S. classrooms. The classroom book environments in the Korean and U.S. classrooms also differed, with more fictional books displayed in the 2 U.S. classrooms than in the 2 Korean classrooms. The 2 Korean and 2 U.S. preschool teachers also held different attitudes about the use of fiction and nonfiction for read-aloud story sessions, and U.S. teachers allocated more time in their school day for reading aloud than did Korean teachers. Practice or Policy: U.S. preschoolers may profit from a greater balance between fiction and nonfiction books in the classroom. Korean children might benefit from more exposure to fiction and fantasy along with more practice in creating fictional narratives.

An Examination of the Relations Between Oral Vocabulary and Phonological Awareness in Early Childhood

This article reports a post hoc analysis conducted as part of a larger study in which 61 typically developing, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds were assessed in phonological awareness (PA), vocabulary (i.e., receptive, expressive, and definitional), and grammatical skill at baseline and 3, 6, and 9 months later. The larger study’s purpose was to shed light on the theory of lexical reorganization claim that increases in receptive vocabulary provide the basis for PA development. Its results showed that expressive vocabulary accounted for additional PA growth in 4- and 5-year-olds but not in 3-year-olds. The post hoc study involved a closer analysis of PA growth in relation to expressive vocabulary. Its results suggest that increases in receptive vocabulary might be necessary as a foundation for initial PA development but that expressive-level vocabulary might be needed to hold words in memory to perform complex manipulations required in higher level PA tasks.