Developmental Appropriateness in the Classroom

"Teachers of young children, whether employed in preschools, child care programs, or elementary schools, have a unique responsibility to promote children's literacy development, based on the most current professional knowledge and research." (IRA, NAEYC)

Three helpful tips for teachers hoping to implement structural changes in their classroom:

1). Rather than teaching letters explicitly, such as the much utilized "letter of the week", begin teaching through association and analogies, such as with the names of fellow classmates and popular icons.
***However, there is a fine line between making much-needed associations and teaching children to value things that aren't conducive to healthy lifestyles.
ex. The article associates the letter Mm with 
McDonalds. I don't think that fast food is something
that primary school children should value, lest they 
become, as the baby above, desensitized to media. 

2). Develop a process for your classroom to decode unfamiliar words: 1) Look at beginning letters and make associations 2) Look in middle for familiar syllables 3) Look at end letters and make associations

3) Integrate phonemic awareness activities into the classroom that are fun for the children, but deliberate on the part of the teacher. 
*** Don't be afraid to use technology and multimedia! http://pbskids.org/games/rhyming.html

What is the importance of a joint position between the IRA and the NAEYC, endorsed by a number of other organizations? What type of impact and reverberations could the suggestions wherein have on the public education system?
Think back to your childhood and your favorite books age 4-6. Are any of them able to be translated into a phonemic awareness activity? How would such an activity be organized?

Bell, Donna and Donna Jarvis. Letting go of the "Letter of the Week".
International Reading Association and National Association for the Education for Young Children. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. 
Yopp, Hallie and Ruth Yopp. Supporting Phonemic Awareness Development in the Classroom.