Early LiteracyEarly Literacy

T/TAC at VCUT/TAC at VCU

Goals for TodayGoals for Today We will provide an overview of We will provide an overview of

the components of a quality early the components of a quality early childhood programchildhood program

We will discuss the evidence-We will discuss the evidence-based research within the based research within the domains of language and literacydomains of language and literacy

We will share developmentally We will share developmentally appropriate practices and appropriate practices and activities for the preschool activities for the preschool classroomclassroom

““Excellence Makes the Excellence Makes the Difference”Difference”

ActivityActivity

Quality Early Childhood Quality Early Childhood ProgramsPrograms

EnvironmentEnvironment Regular routineRegular routine Parent/Teacher CommunicationParent/Teacher Communication Teaching methodsTeaching methods Varied curriculumVaried curriculum Language experiencesLanguage experiences Literacy experiencesLiteracy experiences

Language DevelopmentLanguage Development

Receptive LanguageReceptive Language(Listening and (Listening and Understanding)Understanding)

Children are:Children are: attending to and understanding attending to and understanding

different forms of spoken different forms of spoken languagelanguage

progressing in understanding progressing in understanding directionsdirections

understanding an increasingly understanding an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary complex and varied vocabulary

Expressive LanguageExpressive Language(Speaking and (Speaking and

Communicating)Communicating)Children are:Children are: developing the ability to understand developing the ability to understand

and use language to communicateand use language to communicate progressing in their ability to initiate progressing in their ability to initiate

and respond to conversation and respond to conversation using complex and varied spoken using complex and varied spoken

vocabularyvocabulary progressing in spoken clarity and progressing in spoken clarity and

lengthlength

ReceptiveReceptive ExpressiveExpressive

Oral Oral LanguageLanguage ListeningListening SpeakingSpeaking

Written Written LanguageLanguage ReadingReading WritingWriting

How Do You Assess How Do You Assess Language?Language?

ObservationsObservations Anecdotal recordsAnecdotal records Samples of children’s workSamples of children’s work Student responses and Student responses and

interactionsinteractions

Classroom ActivitiesClassroom Activities Listening to stories, poems, and Listening to stories, poems, and

expository textexpository text Telling and retelling stories and Telling and retelling stories and

nursery rhymesnursery rhymes Singing and chantingSinging and chanting Making predictionsMaking predictions Discussing textDiscussing text Discussing experiences and past Discussing experiences and past

eventsevents Specific instruction in language Specific instruction in language

conceptsconcepts

Literacy Literacy

Assessing LiteracyAssessing Literacy

Phonological Awareness Phonological Awareness Screening (PALS)Screening (PALS)

ObservationsObservations Anecdotal recordsAnecdotal records Samples of children’s workSamples of children’s work Student responses and Student responses and

interactionsinteractions

Working with Working with individual sounds individual sounds in words, called in words, called phonemes. phonemes.

Understanding Understanding sounds work sounds work together to form together to form words.words.

Phonological Phonological awareness is…awareness is…

The researchThe research Phonemic awarenessPhonemic awareness and letter- and letter-

sound knowledge account for sound knowledge account for more of the variation in early more of the variation in early reading and spelling success. reading and spelling success. (National Reading Panel, 2000)(National Reading Panel, 2000)

Studies show that a reader’s Studies show that a reader’s ability to remember, imitate, ability to remember, imitate, recall, manipulate, and articulate recall, manipulate, and articulate sounds sounds is essential to early is essential to early readingreading.. (NICHD) (NICHD)

The ability to process sounds The ability to process sounds that are heard (phonological that are heard (phonological processing) differentiates good processing) differentiates good readers from poor readers. It’s a readers from poor readers. It’s a predictor of future reading predictor of future reading performance and achievement.performance and achievement.

Preschoolers show a Preschoolers show a growing awareness of:growing awareness of:

RhymeRhyme Beginning soundsBeginning sounds Ending soundsEnding sounds Separating sounds/syllablesSeparating sounds/syllables Associating sounds with written Associating sounds with written

wordswords

Guidelines for Phonological Guidelines for Phonological Awareness ActivitiesAwareness Activities

Fun and developmentally appropriateDone in groups

Encourage curiosity about languageAddress individual differencesProvide useful information about studentsInclude visual clues

Yopp, 1992

ActivitiesActivities

Group activitiesGroup activities Nursery RhymesNursery Rhymes LiteratureLiterature SongsSongs SoftwareSoftware PALS web sitePALS web site

(http://pals.virginia.edu/Instructional-Resources/)

Print AwarenessPrint Awareness Left to right, top to bottom, Left to right, top to bottom,

front to backfront to back Letters, words and spaces Letters, words and spaces Functions of printFunctions of print Matching spoken and written Matching spoken and written

wordswords Print carries a messagePrint carries a message Illustrations carry meaningIllustrations carry meaning

How do we do this?How do we do this?

Classroom full of printClassroom full of print Repeated readings of Repeated readings of

literatureliterature Predictable text patternsPredictable text patterns Poems and songsPoems and songs Environmental printEnvironmental print Displaying children’s workDisplaying children’s work

Book Knowledge and Book Knowledge and AppreciationAppreciation

Recognizes favorite booksRecognizes favorite books Understands that books and Understands that books and

other print resources are handled other print resources are handled in specific waysin specific ways

Imitates the special language in Imitates the special language in books and story dialoguebooks and story dialogue

Enjoys listening to and discussing Enjoys listening to and discussing books read aloudbooks read aloud

Retells and acts out stories, Retells and acts out stories, makes predictionsmakes predictions

To foster appreciation and To foster appreciation and book knowledgebook knowledge

Read storybooks to Read storybooks to childrenchildren

Read informational Read informational books to childrenbooks to children

Create a print rich Create a print rich environmentenvironment

Reading related Reading related activitiesactivities

Alphabet Letters and Alphabet Letters and SoundsSounds

Children begin to associate the Children begin to associate the names of letters with their shapesnames of letters with their shapes

They begin to notice beginning They begin to notice beginning letters in familiar wordsletters in familiar words

They make some letter/sound They make some letter/sound matchesmatches

Students may begin to identify Students may begin to identify some of the letters of the alphabetsome of the letters of the alphabet

How do we do this?How do we do this? Familiarize students with the Familiarize students with the

names and shapes of lettersnames and shapes of letters Begin with letters in namesBegin with letters in names Use letter/keyword/picture Use letter/keyword/picture

displays when introducing displays when introducing (Adams, 1990)(Adams, 1990)

Early WritingEarly Writing Begins to understand writing is a Begins to understand writing is a

way to communicateway to communicate Represents stories and Represents stories and

experiences through pictures experiences through pictures and dictationand dictation

Experiments with a variety of Experiments with a variety of writing tools and materialswriting tools and materials

Progresses through Progresses through developmental continuumdevelopmental continuum

What to do?What to do?

Provide experiences for writing Provide experiences for writing

Have a print rich environmentHave a print rich environment

Include writing opportunities in playInclude writing opportunities in play

Points to remember…Points to remember…

Young children develop vocabulary, Young children develop vocabulary, extended language skills and extended language skills and knowledge of the world when given knowledge of the world when given opportunities to interact with opportunities to interact with children and adults in language and children and adults in language and print-rich environments.print-rich environments.

Activities should be integrated across Activities should be integrated across the different developmental areas. the different developmental areas.

On-going assessment assists On-going assessment assists planning and evaluation.planning and evaluation.

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