Supporting Language and Early Literacy:
at Home and in
Early Childhoodand Community Settings
Session 3: Phonological Awareness,Alphabet Knowledge, &
Concepts about Print
Your …
• (insert your name/title here)• Insert your co-presenter’s name/title here)
FACILITATORS
for this Session …
Participants will:• Become familiar with standards that apply to the
development of Phonological Awareness, Alphabet Knowledge, and Concepts about Print
• Define and describe these content areas and how they develop
• Explore formal and informal types of assessment• Describe strategies adults can use to support
development in these areas
GOALS
for today’s SessionAGENDA
Check-in activity
Discussion in pairs or small groups:
• What do you hope to achieve by participating in this session?
• What’s your expectation of the facilitator(s) in
this session?
Guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction:
• deliver content-rich curriculum with challenging but achievable goals in ways that honor and respect the unique learning needs of young children
• Use a play-based curriculum to develop self regulation, language, cognition, and social competence
• Core or universal curriculum should include support for all developmental domains and content areas as described in the WMELS
The Wisconsin Model for Response to Intervention: Applications in Early Childhood Settings. WI Dept. of Public instruction, June 2012
Dual Language Learners (DLLs)“Children, birth to 5, who are learning 2 or more
languages at the same time, as well as those learning a second language (English) while continuing to develop
their home or first language.” Reinl, R. Language in Play: Introduction to the Early English Language Development (E-ELD) Standards, Webinar 2013 www.wida.us/EarlyYears
• Universal practices, the foundation for meeting the needs of all children, includes differentiated instruction
• Adaptations and modifications to meet the needs of individual children essential – it’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)!
For guidance and support for serving DLLs, refer to the following resources:
• WIDA Early Yearswww.wida.us/EarlyYears
• Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners Serving Dual Language Learners Facts and Tips: http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/dual-language-learners-facts-and-tips.php
• Office of Head StartEarly Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic
Dual Language Learners (DLLs)
Intentional teaching - using shared (dialogic) reading, shared writing, and multiple opportunities to interact with writing, letters, sounds, and spoken words - is necessary.
Children might also need some explicit developmentally appropriate instruction to learn vocabulary, phonological awareness, the alphabet, and print concepts.
Exposure to print, books, and read alouds are important, but not enough to prepare children to become readers and writers.
Planning and Curriculum GoalsDeciding what should be done to
promote development and what we want children to learn
• Needs Identification & Prioritization• Planning (Strategy/Indicators)
ImplementationProviding meaningful,
experiential activities that support individual and group goals guided by supportive
interaction and relationships
AssessmentGathering information to determine what the child
can do and what the child is ready to learn • Data Collection
• Data Analysis
WISCONSIN MODEL EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS
Teaching Cycle
Research-based Early Literacy Content Areas
• Oral Language (WMELS A. Listening & Understanding & B. Speaking & Communicating)
• Vocabulary (WMELS A. Listening & Understanding & B. Speaking &
Communicating)
• Phonological Awareness (WMELS C. Early Literacy)
• Alphabet Knowledge (WMELS C. Early Literacy)
• Concepts about Print (WMELS C. Early Literacy)
• Writing (WMELS C. Early Literacy)
National guidance
• Evidence suggests early abilities in Alphabetic Knowledge (AK) and Phonological Awareness (PA) - strong predictors of later reading and writing skills
• Evidence suggests a strong-to-moderate relationship with Concepts about Print abilities and later literacy outcomes
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, 2008
http://familieslearning.org/public/uploads/editor/files/nelp-report.pdf
Developing Early Literacy
report of the national literacy panel
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS)
Domain III. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION
C. Early Literacy (2011 Update)
C.EL.1 - Develops ability to detect, manipulate, or analyze the auditory parts of spoken language C.EL.2 - Understands that the alphabet represents sounds of spoken language and letters of written languageC.EL.3 - Shows appreciation books and how print works
Wisconsin Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA)
Connections
• Reading Standards, K-5• Speaking and Listening Standards, K-5• Language Standards, K-5
For more info:http://standards.dpi.wi.gov/stn_ela-tchingandlrng
Activities that teach phonological
awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and concepts about print
should be entwined like strands of
a rope with comprehension and communication being your GOAL!
General assessment guidance
• Teacher-made checklists based on learning targets
• Anecdotal notes• Photos/ Audio recordings• PALS-PreK• Child writing samples with observational notes
(reflects child’s developmental levels of concepts of print, phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge)
• PALS PreK: developmentally appropriate for 4 year olds ‐ ‐• Measures preschoolers’ developing knowledge of
important literacy fundamentals:– name writing ability– upper-case and lower-case alphabet recognition– letter sound and beginning sound production– print and word awareness– rhyme awareness and nursery rhyme awareness
• Provides guidance to teachers for tailoring instruction to children’s specific needs
• Reflects skills that are predictive of future reading success
Phonological Awareness
• Hearing and understanding the different sounds of a spoken language
• Ability to hear, identify and manipulate individual sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
Sour
ce:
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ds/4
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Phonological Awareness Continuum of Development
Develops along a continuum of complexity
• Babies enjoy listening to adult speech• Begin to imitate speech sounds• Repeat words• Toddlers join in to sing songs, rhymes, “fingerplays”
led by an adult
Source: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
Phonological Awareness Continuum of Development
• Preschoolers begin to recognize spoken words that rhyme
• Recognize sounds that match and words that begin with the same sound (alliteration)
• Begin to generate words that rhyme
Source: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
Phonological Awareness Continuum of Development
• Begins to identify syllables in words (i.e. – claps 2x for “Bob-by”)
• Can tell the number of syllables heard in a word/name
• Identifies the “rime” in a set of words (i.e. – dad, sad, mad, bad all have /ad/ )
• Begins to recognize blends (/st/, /sn/ ) and diagraphs (/th/, /ch/)
Source: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
Phonological Awareness: Phonemic Awareness
PA Task Example
Compare or match sounds in words Which word does not begin with /h/?hat, hair, wind, house
Isolate and pronounce separate speech sounds
Say the last sound in rich.
Put words together from their separate sounds (blending)
/sh/ /ou/ /t/ - Say it fast. (shout)
Break words apart into their component phonemes (segmentation)
Say the sounds in crash.(/k/, /r/, /a/, /sh/)
Add, change, or delete phonemes from words (phoneme manipulation)
Say heart. Change /t/ to /d/. What’s the new word? (hard)
Glaser, D. , & Moats, L.C. (2008). An introduction to language and literacy. Boston: Sopris West.
Phonological Awareness Supports
• Oral language activities are foundational -> songs & fingerplays -> nursery rhymes -> storytelling -> listening activities/games -> listening centers -> rhythm activities, clapping• Rhyming words picture matching games
National guidance
Assessment and instructional activities should occur within a child’s
developmental level along the developmental continuum of
Phonological Awareness
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, 2008 http://familieslearning.org/public/uploads/editor/files/nelp-report.pdf
Developing Early Literacy
report of the national literacy panel
Informal assessment example
Rhyming Words Scenario• Day 1 - teach rhyming words through
read aloud activity using dialogic reading strategies
• Day 2 – during choice time - small group activity lead by teacher: rhyming match bingo game (can use for targeted group and for all children in mixed groups)
• Assessment: observational data and rating scale with rubric
Informal assessment example
Rhyming WordsTarget: With a verbal prompt, “find the picture that rhymes with ____”, the child will identify the rhyming word on a game card with 100% accuracy.
Rating Scale: 0-does not; 1- with assistance; 2- more than 50%; 3-100%
Name Date: 11/15 Date:11/21
Date: 12/4
Date:
Ann 1 2 3
Kyle 1 1 1
Jose 2 2 3
Alphabet Knowledge
• Names of letters and their sounds• Includes “alphabetic principle” –
=> letters have specific sounds => a letter is a symbol
=> symbols grouped together form words
=> strings of words form sentences with with communicative intent
Alphabet Knowledge
• MORE than reciting or singing the ABCs• Predictive of later success in learning to read• Requires visual discrimination and memory• Letters in own name most relevant
Joe
Alphabet Knowledge Continuum
• Explores, repeats, imitates alphabet related songs and games
• Recognizes the difference between letters and other symbols
• Recognizes letters and their sounds in familiar words, especially in own name
Source: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
Alphabet Knowledge Continuum
• Makes some letter/sound connections and identifies some beginning sounds
• Uses a combination of letter sounds, familiar environmental print, and picture cues to recognize a printed word
• Recognizes that most speech sounds are represented by single letter symbols
Source: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
Alphabet Knowledge Continuum
• Begins to sound out words (decoding)• Recognizes and names all letters of the
alphabet• Reads familiar “decodable” words and some
irregular words
Source: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
“Own Name Advantage”Evidence suggests
connecting names and sounds of alphabet letters to
children’s names is an effective way to introduce
the alphabet.
Displaying children’s photos, their names in print, and photos of their families, adds to literacy as well as
creating a warm, welcoming environment.
Alphabet Knowledge Supports
Exposure to Print Rich Environments• Labels• Name labels• Labels with pictures• Environmental print• Word walls • ABC books, puzzles, magnetic letters
Research suggests …
• No research support for “letter of the day/week” approach
• No best order to introduce letters• Evidence supports “own name advantage”
Schickedanz, J.A. & Collins, M.F. So Much More than the ABCs, NAEYC, Washington, DC., 2013Pinnell, G.S. & Fountas, I.C. Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH, 2011
Teaching Letters
• Learn to see unique features of each letter (lines, curves, circles)
• Short but intentional mini-lessons throughout the day
• Shared writing, daily message – functional opportunities to teach letters
Pinnell, G.S. & Fountas, I.C. Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH, 2011
Concepts about Print
• Understanding of how print works; its functions
• Spoken words can be written on paper• Carries a message to the reader• Pictures and words are different things, but
both convey messages• Letters form words, words form sentences
Concepts about Print
• Books hold meaning • Cover/front and back• Left-right / Top-down • Begin in the front on the left page • Punctuation adds meaning • Spaces between words are important
New Awareness Emerges!
I can … Think it
Say it Write it Read it
Concepts about Print Developmental Continuum
• Enjoys books, begins to point to & name pictures• Understands that print has a message• Views book front to back• Knows a book has a title, author, and illustrator• Recognizes some environmental print• Understands top-bottom/left-to-right format• Understands letters, words, sentences are different• Knows books have characters, plots, sequences of
eventsSource: Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, 4th Ed., WI Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, 2013 http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
“Print referencing”
To increase a child’s attention to print
• ask questions about the print seen on a page• make a comment about the print seen on the page • track under the print with your finger or a pointer as you
read the words aloud
Evidence suggests using these strategies can have a big impact on early literacy development
Justice, L.M., & Sofka, A.E. Engaging Children with Print: Building Early Literacy Skills through Quality Read-Alouds, Guildford Press, New York, NY, 2010
Informal assessment exampleConcepts of Print1.Develop questions/prompts (“Show me the (front/back)
of the book”; “Where do I start to read on this page?”; “Point to a (upper/lower) case letter”; “What does this mark tell us?” (while pointing to ?., etc.)*
2. Create checklist – add date. Score +/-
* Based on Concepts of Print test by Marie Clay, 1975
name Front/back
upper case
lower case
where to start knows “?”
Ann + + - + -
Kyle + - - + -
Jose + + + + +
Activity Resources
PALS Pre-K for Activities:https://pals.virginia.edu/tools-activities.html
Read On Wisconsin!http://
readon.education.wisc.edu/index.php/category/age-group/preschool
(infants & toddlers, too!)
Double Focus!
Highly effective teachers and caregivers… provide daily, intentional language and early literacy learning opportunities for the children they serve, and … engage families in providing daily, intentional language and early literacy learning opportunities for their own children!
Winton, P.J., McCollum, J.A., & Catlett, C. Practical Approaches to Early Childhood Professional Development: Evidence,
Strategies, & Resources. Zero to Three, Washington, DC., 2008
Wrap-up
• Share a new concept or specific strategy you learned that you will use.
• What questions do you still have about teaching early literacy?
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