Studies show that young children who learn sign language are well prepared to acquire future language and literacy skills. Sign language provides a good foundation for language skills and an additional avenue of communication for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Infants and toddlers often become frustrated when trying to communicate their needs. Sign language allows them to communicate their needs without words, reducing frustration. Written...

"This critically acclaimed, lavishly illustrated book will help educators create the highest quality learning opportunities for a new generation of children. The second edition features substantial and important changes, including the addition of new chapters by pioneers of the work that happens in the atelier who draw on several decades of experience."

"Drawing from 30 years of teaching and professional development experience, this book offers a roadmap for using children's literature to provide authentic learning. Featuring a ''storyteller's voice, '' each chapter includes a case study about how a particular fiction or nonfiction work can be used in an early childhood classroom; a series of open-ended questions to help readers construct their own inquiry units; and a bibliography of children's...