Stepping Stones to Reading

Even before they are able to read, young children possess many skills that can help pave the way for literacy. For example, preschoolers have sizable spoken vocabularies and often know that English words are read from left to right. The focus of this article is on another type of knowledge that many preschoolers possess—knowledge of the names of alphabet letters. The authors discuss theories and research pertaining to the acquisition of reading skills with an emphasis on recent research evaluating how children use their knowledge of the alphabet in their initial attempts to read and spell. An understanding of the research can help teachers base their instruction on the skills that children already possess and build from there. Educational implications and suggestions for translating theory into practice are discussed.