Britnee Cunningham Literacy Timeline

The alphabet method was an oral and spelling method for teaching students

to read. This theory was found tedious and had no connection to students

interest. The alphabet method reign supreme without any opposes until

1820.

Around the middle of the 18th century, the previous used hornbook changed

and was now referred to as battledore. This was segmented into three

sections.

In 1690, the New England Primer because American First Primer, it even

focused on the Puritans belief.

Spellers were introduced into colonies at the end of the 18th century. The

instructional objectives were spelling, emergent reading, religion, and

morality.

The layout of spellers tittered between a list of words with syllables

increasing and lessons for reading selections.

The first speller published on an American press was done in 1783 by future

lexicographer Noah Webster.

Beginning in the 1820s, United States educator began closely examining at

the work of European educational reformers. Educators as Horace Mann

 stated that spellers were just long lists of incomprehensible words and boring

essays.

By the mid-1800s, letter names were being replaced with letter sounds and

established as Phonic Readers. Now replacing pronouncing the name of

the letter with producing its sound.

McGuffey Readers were a series of graded primers for grade levels 1-6.

They were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th

century to the mid-20th century.

Lewis Monroe introduced The Chart Primer or First Steps of Reading in

1877. This method teaches student how to read using a process. First teach

letter names, then the sounds they make, and blend the sound into words.

Sentence method is introduced by Colonel Francis Parker who provided

more focus and an emphasis is placed on students comprehending and

understands what they are reading.

The Story Method was introduced in which teachers read aloud student joins

in when they recognize a familiar phrase or sentence. This was not found as

effective as hypothesize because it was essential teaching students to

memorize text.
 The area of level silent readers was dominated by Scotts Foreman in 1920s,

30s, and 40s. Text was questioned because of lack of diversity and students

ability to connect after the passing of the Civil Rights Act.

1965, the first African American family appeared on the cover of a basal

level reader printed by Scotts Foreman. Ginn, the second popular brand of

basal readers followed suit in 1966.

References

Sulzby, E. (1989). Assessment of writing and childrens language while

writing. In L. Morrow and J. Smith (Eds.),The role of assessment and

measurement in early literacy instruction (pp. 83-109). Englewood Cliffs,

NJ: Prentice Hall.

Yaden, D., Rowe, D. & MacGillivray, L. (2000). Emergent literacy: A

matter (polyphony) of perspectives. In M. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P. Pearson,

& R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. III, pp. 425-454).

Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Paratore, J. R. (2002). Home and school together: Helping beginning readers

succeed. In A.E. Farstrup and S.J. Samuels (Eds.) What Research Has to Say

About Reading Instruction (3rd ed., pp. 48-68). DE: International Reading

Association.