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Promoting Literacy through Promoting Literacy through Play EnvironmentPlay Environment

Do you know how to use Do you know how to use items handled to you to items handled to you to

promote literacy for promote literacy for children in your classroom? children in your classroom? If not pay attention to my If not pay attention to my

presentationpresentation.

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Promoting literacy Promoting literacy through play through play environmentenvironment..

Literacy development of children begins before formal schooling and is influenced by the :quantity and quality of literacy-related experiences in the home environment.

Play is an ideal setting which allows the young child to practice, elaborate, and extend emergent literacy abilities.

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Promoting literacy through Promoting literacy through play environment.play environment.

Play creates a pleasurable, low risk environment in which mistakes are inconsequential and which ,as a result, can serve a significant role in supporting literacy development , in low risk atmosphere children are able to engage in emergent forms of reading and writing.

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..– Manipulation of the play environment through physical arrangement of play centers, inclusion of literacy-related materials and dramatic play

props can affect the quality and variety of a child’s oral

language use, engagement in literacy and story comprehension.

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Enriching Play EnvironmentEnriching Play Environment

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Pretend play picturesPretend play pictures

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Choosing props…Choosing props… In order to determine the

appropriateness of different literacy props we need to ask:

1. Can the props be used quite naturally and safely by children?.

2. Is the prop a real item that children might naturally find in their environment?.

3. Does the prop serve a particular function that children may be familiar with in their everyday life?.

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Challenges and Challenges and RecommendationsRecommendations

Traditional views of play as children’s business.

Parents and teachers in general don’t view play as a real opportunity for academic learning (to read & write) to occur.

To adjust this perception persuasion,explanation and providing more evidences are required in the favor of connecting play to literacy .

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On Not Pushing Too HardOn Not Pushing Too Hard

There is a danger that filling play settings with literacy props may shove aside other playthings that children might enjoy, prefer and benefit from.

Teachers should avoid becoming too directive or too intrusive with play based assessment and be careful not to push play out while pulling literacy into play.,

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Promoting Literacy through Promoting Literacy through Play EnvironmentPlay Environment

By :

HAIFA HALAWANI