The Whole Language Kindergarten (Early Childhood Education Series)

Teachers interested in transforming their traditional kindergartens into child-centred Whole Language classrooms now have a model for change. In this book, distinguished educators Shirley Raines and Robert Canady provide guidelines for developing a child- and experience-centred environment in which the acquisition and development of literacy are paramount. The authors demonstrate that by involving children in the world of play, cultural awareness and creative expression fuse with "emergent literacy". This practical volume includes an abundance of Whole Language activities within the classical content areas of reading, writing, science, art, music, and mathematics. It offers clear suggestions on how to interest children in books and print; how to structure groupwork to emphasize whole language philosophy; and how parents can reevaluate their roles to better understand and effect classroom change. In addition, each chapter contains examples of kindergartens where programmes have been implemented, and describes how changes were organized, as well as how the children reacted. The text is unique in that it links the statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children on "Developmentally Appropriate Practices" with the proposition paper from the International Reading Association and six other professional organizations on recommendations for improvement of present practices in pre-first grade reading instruction. For those most concerned with early childhood and literacy education - childrens' teachers and their parents - this volume is a valuable tool.