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Too Long, Didnt Read

The Research behind Prescriptions for Literacy


BY S. BRYCE KOZLA

Children need to hear a thousand stories before they learn published scientific research can reach possibly harmful con-
to read. clusions:
Mem Fox1
Cherry picking: Highlighting the desired conclusions and
This quote is the basis for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten downplaying the rest, or omitting the rest completely, is a
program, a reading club started by Sandy Krost at Bremen (IN) misleading trick that some literacy programs use to sell their
Public Library. Libraries across the nation are leaping to write products.
grants and start programs of their own. Online discussion lists
are bursting with questions about the research behind children Bottom fishing: After research has been completed, an
hearing one thousand stories before kindergarten. evaluator may make comparisons that were originally unin-
tended. Rather than taking a subset of a group and compar-
Last year, I wrote a blog post full of research that librarians can ing them to the group as a whole, they might compare only
use to justify their communitys need for a 1,000 Books Before to the best performing members of the experimental group
Kindergarten program, and its still one of my most viewed to the worst performers of the control group.
entries. None of the research is the study that proves children
should hear one thousand stories. Pre-post studies: Some studies may lack a control group in
favor of tests or surveys before and after the study. Any gains
This is because this study does not exist. The above quote is made on the posttest are assumed to be attributed to the
simply a prescription for literacy. experiment. Its not feasible to suggest that children, who
learn every day, would make zero gains without the experi-
Prescriptions for literacy are based on recommendations for ment.3
literacy practices, implied by findings of scientifically-based
reading research (SBRR). This means that the actual prescrip- Though its understandable that researchers always hope for
tion is removed enough from its scientific origin to be misun- the best possible outcome, misleading conclusions do happen.
derstood and occasionally appropriated. For instance, Foxs And if prescriptions are removed enough from the research, its
quote is based on research implications from Anne van Kleeck.2 nearly impossible to trace.
However, these findings also highlight the importance of print
and phonological awareness as well as letter naming and writ-
ing in addition to story structure in order to be reading-ready
when school starts. While exposure to stories is an important S. Bryce Kozla is the Youth Services Librarian at Washington
piece, its definitely just one slice of the complex task of literacy County Cooperative Library Services in Oregon.Bryce blogs
engagement and acquisition. about her GIF-fueled adventures in youth services athttp://
brycedontplay.blogspot.com. You can read her unsolicited
When we dont know where our prescriptions come from, it life comments by following@PLSanders on Twitter.
opens doors to other issues. Slavin mentions three ways that

34 Winter 2015 Children and Libraries


Too Long, Didnt Read

Stories India
This happened recently to librar- parent plays at home can help their chil-
ians Amy Commers and Melissa Depper
when searching for the origin of the fol-
dren get reading ready! of
lowing quote from Foxs Reading Magic: An increasing importance has been
from
Experts in literacy and child develop- placed on early literacy at the national
ment have discovered that if children level. The National Early Literacy Panel
know eight nursery rhymes by heart by report, a 2008 publication, outlined
the time theyre four years old, theyre best practices for early literacy provid-
usually among the best readers by the ers. Standards are already being set for
time theyre eight.4 accountability in preschool settings, Younguncle in the
changing the ways providers approach Himalayas
Vandana Singh
After in-depth literature reviews on their instruction. Informing literacy learning 148 p., 12 halftones
blogs that rival any Ive seen, they con- with SBRR is crucial, but there are con- Paper $12.00
cluded that it was mostly likely based cerns about unclear implementations of
on implications from a 1987 study by the Common Core Standards in early lit-
Maclean, Bryant, and Bradley. The eracy spaces. While emphasizing explicit
research focused on the knowledge of instruction in language, literacy, and
five nursery rhymes and the develop- math, some worry that the time spent Jungu, the Baiga
ment of phonological skills between the on play-based learning, motor develop- Princes
ages of three and five. While the actual ment, and other equally crucial skills will Vithal Rajan
implications may sound less spectacular fall to the wayside.8 Many of these con- Illustrated by Srivi Kalyan
112 p., 30 halftones
than the quote, it was a breakthrough in cerns arise from the fear that administra- Paper $12.00
its time: the relationship among nursery tors and policymakers will not fully read
rhyme knowledge, phonological skills, the Common Core Standards and rely on
and reading was significant across all Too Long; Didnt Read version, with a
IQs and socio-economic backgrounds.5 few easiest-to-implement prescriptions
It was definitely a major find for unlock- for literacy underscored over all others.
ing the keys to effective early literacy
instruction, though there was no impli- Unencumbered by national instruction Growing Up in
cation of future reading success. prescriptions, libraries can provide a cre- Pandupur
ative and welcoming environment for Adithi and Chatura Rao
112 p., 13 halftones, 1 map
Nursery rhymes definitely have merit as emotional growth and literacy to thrive.
Paper $12.00
a useful early literacy tool. What makes Libraries can also help families build
them so powerful is their practice and home environments associated with
play with phonemic components like positive reading outcomes: regular read-
onset and rime, alliteration, repetition, ing aloud, encouragement and opportu-
and elongating syllables. Nursery rhymes nity to read, ready availability of books,
are also widely known in some socioeco- an attitude that promotes reading as a
nomic classes, so they become a source fun activity, and frequent conversations.9
of bonding.
The Dugong and
These recommendations may not come the Barracudas
Conversely, some households are not with the apparent literacy guarantee Ranjit Lal
familiar with nursery rhymes. In that that prescriptions do, but they position 140 p.
Paper $15.00
case, songs, street rhymes, chants, and libraries as a leader in equipping families
clapping games are a worthy replace- with the tools they need to raise readers.
ment6 especially if that means it Literacy can be a gift to families from the
becomes a shared experience for the public library, and we can promote it as
family: Parents seeking a collabora- the complex science that it is.
tive approach during activities reported
increased exposure to home literacy and Mem Fox may seem to be a repeat Vikram and the
Vampire
numeracy activities than families with offender when it comes to prescribing Natasha Sharma
less collaborative involvement.7 literacy practices, yet she is far from the 124 p., 18 halftones
only party to do so. Its also completely Paper $12.00

There are many ways to learn and prac- understandable. We live in an age of
Distributed by the
tice the oral language you learn in Euro- sound bites, and it is way too tempting to
UNIVERSITY OF
American nursery rhymes. How powerful rely on them when we have so few hours
CHICAGO PRESS
it is to know that the songs and games a in the day.
www.press.uchicago.edu

35
Winter 2015 Children and Libraries
Too Long, Didnt Read

As practitioners, however, we deserve to be empowered by 2003): 1216, ww.ascd.org/publications/educational-


quenching our thirst for knowledge. We need the behind-the- leadership/feb03/vol60/num05/A-Reader%27s-Guide-to-
scenes DVD commentary of literacy while we share quick tips Scientifically-Based-Research.aspx.
and interact with our library families. 4. Mem Fox, Reading Magic, Second Edition, Updated and
Revised Edition (San Diego: Mariner Book, 2008).
We are trusted as the literacy experts of our community! 5. Morag Maclean, Peter Bryant, and Lynette Bradley,
Prescriptions (and even commandments, adding a moral Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes, and Reading in Early
fabric to literacy) strip us of the necessary why that helps us Childhood, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 33, no. 3 (July 1987):
make deliberate decisions with our patrons. 25581, www.jstor.org/stable/23086536.
6. Dorothy Strickland and Judith Schickedanz, Learning
Want to get started with some great resources for the research About Print in Preschool: Working with Letters, Words,
behind your favorite prescriptions for literacy? If you havent yet, and Beginning Links With Phonemic Awareness, 2nd ed.
please read the Every Child Ready to Read literature review in (Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2009).
its entirety: www.everychildreadytoread.org/project-history%09/ 7. Ivana Lukie et al., The Role of Child Interests and
literature-review-2010. Then, check out Melissas Research Link: Collaborative ParentChild Interactions in Fostering
[Some Sources]: http://melissa.depperfamily.net/blog/?p=5575. Numeracy and Literacy Development in Canadian
Special thanks to her and to Amy at www.catchthepossibilities Homes, Early Childhood Education Journals 42, no. 4
.com for starting this conversation. & (July 2014): 25159, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10643-
013-0604-7.
8. Jessica Hoffman, Katie Paciga, and William Teale,
References Common Core State Standards and Early Childhood
Literacy Instruction: Confusions and Conclusions, UIC
1. Mem Fox, Ten Read-Aloud Commandments, accessed Center for Literacy Research Report 2 (October 2014), 116,
February 1, 2015, http://memfox.com/for-parents/for- http://cfl.uic.edu.
parents-ten-read-aloud-commandments. 9. Linda Baker, Peter Afflerback, and David Reinking,
2. Anne van Kleeck, Emergent Literacy: Learning about Print Developing Engaged Readers in School and Home
before Learning to Read, Topics in Language Disorders 10, Communities (New York: Routledge, 1995).
no. 2 (March 1990): 2545.
3. Robert Slavin, A Readers Guide to Scientifically Based
Research, Educational Leadership 60, no. 5 (February

36 Winter 2015 Children and Libraries

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