Theories+of+Literacy+Development

Morphett and Washburne proposed the theory in 1931 to advocate for not teaching reading until children were mature enough for instruction. They hypothesized that this could happen when children were a mental age of 6 1/2. This theory impacted reading instruction until the mid-1950s. The theory has since been proven incorrect and ineffectual. The idea of maturation still has impact on reading theory, but the idea of a specific age is no longer a part of reading instruction. Activities: Really none. The book makes a slim connection to invented spelling, but as we know from ECI 543 invented spelling is rooted in other theories of development and reading.
 * Maturation Theory**

Not a coherent theory but refers to series of ideas that researchers share including the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs to help facilitate literacy development of family members; the relationship between family literacy and student achievement; the ways in which literacy is naturally used in the home. This theory stresses the importance of family involvement on student achievement. The theory advocates that administrators take three actions to encourage family literacy. The first action is to help create a two-way street of communication between parents and teachers in order to gain information about literacy in the home. The second action is to teach parents about the school culture and necessary skills for a student to be successful. The third action is that administrators need to help parents understand what parents need to do at home to help support and encourage their children's academic success. Many studies have been done on parent and child reading interactions to support the importance of the connection between home and school. Activities: Family stories and photobooks; Parent volunteers reading in the classroom; Family information nights at the school to inform parents about literacy; Family reading challenges
 * Family Literacy Theory**


 * FORUM QUESTION:** Which of the theories that you read about in chapter 5 influences your teaching the most and how? Given that home literacy greatly impacts a student's success, what are three ways that you can bridge the literacy gap for those that do not have the support at home?



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 * FURTHER READING**