In this companion to Reading and Writing Grade by Grade, Resnick (Learning Research and Development Center, U. of Pittsburgh) and Snow (education, Harvard Graduate School of Education) discuss the importance of good speaking and listening abilities before children read and write. They detail oral language development from preschool through age eight, what kind of talk should be expected, and standards for skills they need, such as narrative, explaining and seeking information, oral performances, and giving and understanding directions, and expectations for the conventions of speech, such as turn-taking, word choice, and grammatical awareness. The DVD contains video examples from preschool and primary classrooms. There is no index. The book is part of the New Standards project, a joint project of the Learning Research and Development Center at the U. of Pittsburgh and the National Center on Education and the Economy, which developed competitive performance and assessment standards. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less