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Literacy Models

The following organizations and publications have information about early literacy models in early care and education settings.

Early Childhood Curricula Models with Literacy Components

*The Creative Curriculum

Teaching Strategies, Inc.
P.O. Box 42243
Washington, DC 20015
800-637-3652
World Wide Web: http://www.TeachingStrategies.com

The Creative Curriculum series, developed by Teaching Strategies, Inc, includes specific resources for curriculum development for infants and toddlers, preschool-aged children, school-agers, and family child care.

* The High/Scope Approach

High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
600 N. River Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198-2898
800-407-7377 (Publications)
734-485-2000
World Wide Web: http://www.highscope.org

Children in High/Scope settings are engaged in a consistent routine that includes time for children to plan, carry out, and reflect on their own learning activities as well as time to engage in small- and large-group activities. Key experiences are grouped into 10 categories: creative representation, language and literacy, initiative and social relations, movement, music, classification, seriation, number, space, and time.

*The Marazon Systems

MAPS For Life
P.O. Box 667
Perrysburg, OH 43552
419-661-1945
World Wide Web: http://www.mapsforlife.com/home.htm

The Marazon Systems (Classroom System, Home Visitor System, Family Child Care System, Christian System, and Parent System) are planning and assessment systems designed for a variety of educational settings for children of all ages. The system celebrates 96 child development characteristics across six domains or areas of the child's growth: Affective (relating to self), Social (relating to others), Creative (originating from self), Cognitive (thinking), Language (communicating), and Physical (doing).

*Montessori Method
    Association Montessori International/USA

410 Alexander Street
Rochester, NY 14607-1028
800-872-264
World Wide Web: http://www.montessori-ami.org/ami.htm

The Montessori Method aims at developing children's senses, academic skills, practical life skills, and character. Montessori teachers carefully develop environmental settings, using Montessori materials which are designed to encourage children to learn on their own. The American Montessori Society and the Association Montessori Internationale have several publications on the Montessori Method.

* Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC)

WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies
180 Harbor Drive, Suite 112
Sausalito, CA 94965
415-289-2300
World Wide Web: http://www.wested.org

The PITC curriculum was developed by WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies in collaboration with the California Department of Education Child Development Division. It is a comprehensive training system developed to assist caregivers of children under the age of three in both understanding and carrying out day-to-day care. The training covers four major content areas: Social-Emotional Growth and Socialization; Group Care; Learning and Development; and Culture, Family, and Providers.

Publications and Resources

* Child Care Programs Can Promote Literacy includes links to the Reading Pathfinder database with articles related to program and curriculum, parent involvement, school readiness, and additional special topics. This resource is available on the Web at http://readingpath.org/childcare/childcare1.html [NCCIC Editor's note (3-6-03): this url no longer exists.].

* Catalog of School Reform Models (Updated August 31, 2001), a product of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) and the National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform (NCCSR), provides descriptions of 32 entire-school models plus additional entries on reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and "other" models. Breakthrough to Literacy focuses on teaching prekindergarten through second grade students to relate oral language and pictures to print. The program provides each child, at his or her level of language/literacy development, stories and access to direct and explicit instruction for phonemic awareness. This is achieved through the use of "big books," pupil books, and a computer module. Additional information is available on the Web at http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/catalog/ModelDetails.asp?modelID=36. The complete catalog is available on the Web at http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/catalog/about.shtml.

*ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication (REC) Literacy Education Resources: Early Childhood to High School is a Web site with evaluations of the following primary grade reading programs: Academy of Reading; Accelerated Reader; Carbo Reading Styles; Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC); Direct Instruction; Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI); Failure Free Reading; Fast ForWord; Four Blocks; HOSTS - Helping One Student to Succeed; Invitations to Literacy; Junior Great Books (JCB); Literacy Collaborative; Multicultural Reading and Thinking (McRAT); Open Court; Reading Mastery, SRA; Reading One-to-One; and Reading Recovery. This resource is available on the Web at http://reading.indiana.edu/www/indexwr.html

* Head Start Resource Guide: Literacy Toolkit is a Web site that includes information on the Head Start Family Literacy Project, legislation and regulations that relate to literacy, Head Start Information Memorandums and Program Instructions, and a bibliography of resources, articles, books, and Web sites that identify research and programs whose focus is on literacy. This resource is available on the Web at http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/literacy_tk.htm.

The National Child Care Information Center does not endorse any organization, publication or resource.