Environmental Print for Preschoolers

This week we are learning about environmental print and how important it is for early literacy. Children become curious about print which leads them to experiment with reading and writing. When children see familiar logos in their environment they are able to make meaning based off of what they know. In a YouTube video shown in class, a five-year-old girl was asked what each logo represented. For example, this logo was one of the many presented:

The little girl said that it was GE and that her grandpa worked there. She made a connection between the logo and the fact that a family member works there. In the article "Print Awareness", an example of a toddler seeing a Burger King coffee cup and asking his mother for French fries is presented.

The activity our class worked on was a great way to collect environmental prints for several objects: Mott's Applesauce, Starbucks, McDonald's, and Pop-tarts were just a few that were brought into class. The books that we created will be helpful when we assess environmental print once we are out in the field. Observing and documenting environmental print awareness is important for effective teaching. Environmental print is very important for early literacy because it expands children's ability to learn language.

How to Read Aloud

In preparation for our trip to the Monroe County Public Library, I listened to the read aloud lesson on the Mem Fox website. Listening to the lesson really helped me understand how to read aloud, and the speaker gave me a lot of helpful information on how to read aloud well. For instance, it is important to maintain enthusiasm and be expressive as possible when reading aloud. Furthermore, you should not use a patronizing voice that makes it seem like you're talking down to children. There are multiple things we can do to our voices for a read aloud: high and low, loud and soft and pausing are just a few. One thing that stood out to me was the statement, what we love, our listeners will love. When we present something with excitement to children they will reciprocate the feeling.

Literacy is Cultural

One important aspect of early childhood literacy that I learned today is that literacy is cultural. Since families come from many different cultures they learn words and make connections and meaning of those words differently than other families. In class each group drew a diagram of representing important information on literacy. Drawing a diagram was a great way to visualize how families in different households are all connected to school. Children learn literacy at home through their cultures as well as in the classroom.