In our first lesson, I'll introduce you to the course philosophy and our objectives. Then I'll provide examples and anecdotes to show you some of the many ways we all interact with reading in our daily lives. We'll explore the history of reading instruction so that you'll understand where research has taken us.

Just as a child communicates with us before using words, young children initiate many literacy-related activities before they actually read and write. In this lesson, I'll reveal the language skills that have the greatest impact on a child becoming a successful reader and writer. You'll end this lesson with a new understanding of the complexities of language development. You'll also see any child's language skills in a new light.

Today you'll discover what's happening when a child works to store information in memory. By the end of this lesson, you'll realize how important it is to store information in some sort of order, and also how to get things out of memory again once they're put away. You'll then be able to watch a young reader with a new awareness of how this skill impacts her success.

While we'd never want or expect a child under two to read, much pre-literacy work goes on during the early years before a child is really even talking. In today's lesson, you'll learn how infants grow to become readers. We'll explore the many emerging literacy processes that occur during the first two years of life. Then I'll fill you in on numerous activities that you can do during this period to build literacy skills. Put away the flashcards—these activities are way more fun!

Today we'll explore the sequence of skills that brings toddlers and preschoolers to the threshold of becoming true readers and writers. You'll learn why you should read that favorite story one more time, with enthusiasm! In fact, once you understand how much this repetition is helping your child's literacy, you'll want to read it a dozen more times. I'll provide examples of pre-writing and reading in this lesson, too.

Research shows that we all learn literacy skills in pretty much the same order. In today's lesson, I'll show you that order, and then I'll explain why it's okay if your child doesn't meet these milestones by a specific age. This lesson will guide you through the evolution of reading and writing letters, words, sentences, and then complex ideas.

Now that you know all about the mental processes and learning sequences that lead to becoming a writer, I'll show you many activities that demonstrate how the complex skill of writing emerges. You'll learn what to watch for and how to assist a child who's becoming a successful scribe.

What's going on when a child isn't reading or writing when you expect him to? By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to assist a child who struggles with literacy learning and how to locate resources for assistance. We'll also discuss learning differences to help you enjoy the strengths of a child who may be a little slower to master reading and writing than her peers.