Structured Dramatic Play in the Early Childhood Classroom to Develop Language, Cognition, and Social Interaction

Jennifer Preschern, MA CCC-SLP, MA Learning DisabilitiesElisa Leporini, LCSW

www.sl3lab.com

Agenda

Overview of Structured Play

Setting up a lesson

Embedding language and social skills

Make and Take

What is structured play?

• Language Enrichment

• Plan-Play-Report

• Embedded Literacy

Play-Literacy Nexus

Language

PlayEarly Literacy

(Roskos and Christie, 2011)

Inter-disciplinary Team Roles

• Classroom teacher

• Speech-language pathologist

• Social worker

• Special education

Why structure play?

Research-backed improvements in:

• Overall cognition• Problem solving• Executive Functioning• Language skills, including vocabulary• Early literacy skills

Research support “The plan-play-report intervention is effective for improving social skills and promoting advances in children's cognitive and

communicative development.” (Craig-Unkefer & Kaiser, 2003)

“The intention of play planning and resulting play appears to exercise mature play behaviors that are foundational in executive functioning, namely inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitively flexibility. (Diamond et. Al, 2008)

“Results from the study provide support for the inclusion of systematic training of scripts to enhance interaction and communication skills among children with and without disabilities using socio-dramatic play. “(Goldstein & Cisar, 1992)

“Children learn vocabulary best when the teacher provides opportunities to use and practice vocabulary in context.” ( Newman, Susan and Julie Dwyer, 2009)

“One way to improve vocabulary through literacy is to have children “re-enact the book, making up their own versions of the story.(Wilcox, 2001)

“Literacy enriched play increases promotes literacy behaviors.” (Morrow and Schickedanz 2006)

“Preschools with language impairments do not enter conversations as often as typically developing children” (Hadley & Rice, 1991)

“

Dramatic Play Materials

• Book• Visuals • Props

Structuring a lesson

Book: Vocabulary Building, Play Schemes Language activity

Play

Clean-up

Report

Visual Supports

1. Visual lesson plan: Provide structure of lesson, build language for transition words (first.. then…last)

Visual Supports

2.Writing Sheets

Visual Supports

3. Characters: Choose a role and re-tell scenes

Book Reading to Build Vocabulary

• Choose Tier 2 words• Give word.. Kids repeat… Give example and

non-example… kids repeat word.. Use in your language

Isabel Beck Bringing Words to Life, 2002

Adapt Books

Language Activities

1. Categorizing

Language Activities

2. Pronouns (He/She, His/Her)

Language Activities

3. Basic Concepts (prepositions, color, size)

Language Activities

4. Answering WH ?

Language Activities

5. Describing and Requesting

Early Literacy

• Using writing and reading for a purpose

Play

• Parallel Play Vs. Dramatic Play• Less to More Support• Encourage kids to use words with each other

You need shared language to play together!

First Week

Observe:• Turn Taking• Use of Language• Play Scheme• Length of Engagement with peers (boy in video)

Fourth Week…

Observe:• Turn Taking• Use of Language• Play Scheme• Length of Engagement with peers (boy in video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHLfF6U5BDo&list=UUOOGUumSCvysj3_nnc4ceug&feature=c4-overview

Building Language with Clean Up

• Following Directions

• Sorting by category

Report

• Past Tense Grammar• Narrative Language• Problem Solving

Find the Tier 2 words Early in the morning, Mr. Baker gets ready to make cookies. He counts and measures the ingredients for his recipes.He mixes the cookie dough. Then, he rolls out the dough and cuts out shapes with cookie cutters. The cookies bake in the oven. Out they come, nicely browned. What a smell!Mr. Baker decorates the cookies with icing and colored sprinkles.Now he is ready for customers.

(from: Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington)

Model It- Repeat It- Examples/Non Examples

Build A Lesson

• Pick a book you have• Language activity• Early Literacy Writing Log Ideas• What props for play

Share

Questions and Answers

Jennifer Preschern, MA CCC-SLP jenpreschern@gmail.com

Elisa LeporiniLeporiniE@skokie69.net

Handouts available at:www.sl3lab.com

We are also looking

References Beck, Isabel. Bringing Words to Life. 2002.

Craig-Unkefer, Lesley and Kaiser, Ann. “Increasing Peer-Directed Social- Communication Skills of Children Enrolled in Head Start.” Journal of Early Intervention, Volume 25, 2003.

Diamond, Adele, W. Steven Barnett, Jessica Thomas, and Sarah Munro. “Preschool Program Improves Cognitive Control.” Science, 2007.

Hadley, Pamela. Rice, Mabel. “Conversational Responsiveness of Speech and Language Impaired Preschoolers.” Journal of Speech and Hearing Research. December, 1991.

Goldstein, H., and Cisar, C. “Promoting interaction during sociodramtic play: teaching scripts to typical preschoolers and classmates with disabilities.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 1992.

Morrow, Lesley, and Judith Schickedanz. “The Relationships between Sociodramatic Play and Literacy Development.” In Handbook of Early Literacy Research, vol. 2, 2006.

Neuman, Susan and Julie Dwyer. “Missing in Action: Vocabulary Instruction in Pre-K”The Reading Teacher, February 2009.

Roskos, Kathleen and James Christie. The Play-Literacy Nexus and the Importance of Evidence-Based Techniques in the Classroom. American Journal of Play, 2011

Wilcox, M.J., Murphy, K.M., Bacon, C.K., and Thomas, S. Improving language teaching practicesin preschool classrooms. Infant Child Research Programs, Arizona State University, Tempe Arizona, 2001.http://icrp.asu