This dynamic video from early literacy expert Nell Duke presents simple strategies that can boost children's early reading and writing skills when their brains are primed to absorb new language learning! Filmed in exemplary child-care settings, this video gives you a visual tour of environments that enhance young children's awareness of print and provide rich opportunities to interact with letters and sounds. It also spotlights techniques for best-practice teaching--from taking environmental print walks, to using playful songs and rhymes to transition between activities, to reading aloud in engaging ways. The video and guide cover literacy activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. A must-have resource for any child-care setting. For use with Grade Pre-K.

Nell K. Duke is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Educational Psychology and Associate Director of the Literacy Achievement Research Center (LARC) at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on literacy development in early childhood, especially the development of comprehension and informational literacy in young children. She teaches in-service and doctoral courses in research and literacy education, and speaks and consults widely on literacy education. Nell is the recipient of several awards, including the IRA Outstanding Dissertation Award and NCTE Promising Teacher Award. She is the coauthor of Reading and Writing Informational Text in the Primary Grades, Literacy and the Youngest Learner, and Beyond Bedtime Stories (all published by Scholastic). Nell has had articles published in The Reading Teacher, Language Arts, Young Children, and other widely read journals. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her family.