Literacy in the Community

Literacy is everywhere in my community. Walking through a college campus is a great way to think about what literacy looks like in the community. When I walk through campus I see street signs and buses with advertisements on them, whether it's for a new production coming to the theater or a new app for students to download. Literacy is also seen through flyers that are spread throughout campus. Whether handed out by students or posted to the wooden kiosks, flyers provide information about the many events that are happening throughout campus. Living in a literacy rich community is important because it is available to people of all ages.

I should care about what literacy looks like in my community because as a future teacher, I want my students to be aware of literacy in their community. I want to help my students understand that literacy can be pictures and symbols and not just words on a page. A fun way to incorporate this into the classroom would be to go on a literacy walk with students. Students can write down different types of literacy throughout the community, and then as a class create a "What Literacy Looks Like" book. 

Language Learners

I have recently experienced what school is like for students whose first language is not English. Of course I took the required Spanish courses in high school, but my memory was put to the test recently in a literacy class I am taking this semester. Our instructor handed out instructions on what to do, and it was all in Spanish. I immediately struggled to make sense of the task. Luckily, one of my classmates understood Spanish a lot more than I did, so she was able to figure out it out. The activity only lasted about ten to fifteen minutes, but the entire time I had difficulty understanding and communicating. I can only imagine what this feels like to language learners in the classroom.

Just think for a minute about this. Here's a student whose first language is Spanish, or something other than English, and they are sitting in your classroom each day. They may not understand what is going on and they may have difficulty expressing themselves. Sitting in school for seven or eight hours a day feeling lost is most likely a horrible feeling to those students who don't speak English very well. The recent experience I had of feeling this way after ten minutes has really opened my eyes. I immediately thought of ways to support language learners in the classroom.

Support is essential to the students who are struggling with language. If there is no support these students may feel lost or disconnected to the teacher and their classmates. They may not feel like they are a part of the class. Teachers must work with these students and communicate with them. They can never give up on their students either. A great way to incorporate their language into the classroom is to bring in books and other resources. It gives the student an opportunity to enjoy school. Showing the student that you really care about them and their success is another important goal.  Most students, no matter what language they speak, want to learn and discover new things. It is up to us teachers to provide these opportunities for our students.

What is Literacy?

Literacy embodies reading and writing; however, when you think deeply about literacy, so many other things are embedded within. In addition to reading and writing, literacy includes prior knowledge, experience, and interests. Can you think of a memory (positive or negative) that has affected the way you think about literacy?Literacy also includes different ways to engage students, for example, during a read aloud, have students repeat certain parts or even act out the story. Another way to engage students is to have students write or draw what their favorite part of the book was. There are so many ways to make literacy engaging for students. Literacy is about making meaning; however, to make something meaningful a connection has to be made, whether it's from prior knowledge or experience.

As teachers, it's important to reflect on our own past experiences with literacy. A creative way to do this is to create a literacy timeline. After creating my literacy timeline, filled with positive and negative moments from preschool through college, I couldn't help but reflect on these moments and how they have affected me as a teacher. I remember enjoying literacy and its creative aspects, for example, writing my own version of a book I read in elementary school. Another thing I enjoyed about literacy was being able to experience it through theater. I have learned from my positive memories, and I have also learned from my negative ones. I want to give my students a choice in what they read. I want to create engaging and authentic lessons that incorporate activities where students will use their imaginations and creativity. Finally, I want to incorporate my student's interests into literacy. Through this my students will make meaning and connect with what they are reading.

Early Literacy Teaching Strategies

 

According to the article "The Essentials of Early Literacy Instruction", the development of reading and writing concept skills is a dynamic process, meaning the process is constantly changing. In order to support this dynamic process of early literacy, the article provides essential early literacy teaching strategies. Also known as mediation strategies, teachers create ways to extend learning and build upon content knowledge. Effective early literacy instruction includes providing children with developmentally appropriate materials, environments, experiences and support. In addition to effective teaching strategies, play is also essential to making literacy activities meaningful.

The strategies listed in the article include: rich teacher talk, storybook reading, phonological awareness activities, alphabetic activities, support for emergent reading, support for emergent writing, shared book experience and content-focused activities. These teaching strategies are effective in different ways. For example, rich teacher talk can be most effective in large group activities, like read alouds. Phonological awareness activities can be effective for small group activities, specifically clapping out sounds to the children as they spell out words.

In addition to the early literacy teaching strategies, children can develop reading and writing skills through play. Children are exposed to environmental print through play, and children's narrative skills are practiced through play. One example of play as effective literacy development is through dramatic play. In the article two children are playing in a restaurant. The children pick a restaurant that is familiar (environmental print) and the conversation begins with, "Can I take your order?" Verbal and written communication skills are being practiced as well as the children talk back and forth and one of them writes down the customer's order. 

Early literacy instruction is essential for children's development of reading and writing. It's important for teachers to understand and implement the teaching strategies in order for children to make meaning of early literacy.

#Kinderchat: Tools & Tech for ABCs

The #kinderchat from December 2, 2013, discussed tools, toys and technology for ABCs and phonics. This topic interested me because it relates to early literacy and the different materials that teachers can use in their classroom. A lot of the conversation was about what teachers would like to have in their classroom. One teacher said that although she loves her students' journals, she would like for them to have blogging as an option. Another teacher said that he wished he did a better job of going outside more often; furthermore, he said the best tools are dirt, sticks, insects, and worms. What was so interesting to me was the variety of tools, toys and technology that are used for literacy the #kinderchat participants were discussing. One teacher wanted her students to use more technology whereas the other wanted to go outside and use materials through nature. Either way teachers can develop activities in which children learn more on literacy. 

Another tweet from a #kinderchat participant I thought was interesting was from a kindergarten teacher. He said that there is power in the opportunity to share and  his kindergartners will stand patiently in line for "DAYS" to sit in the author's chair. One other teacher said that she wished there was more time for her kids to talk and share their ideas. This aspect of the #kinderchat made me think of the activities we discussed in class. Shared reading and shared writing in small groups gives children the opportunity to share their ideas and work together to create meaning. In relation to the teacher who said his students will stand in line to sit in the author's chair, shared reading is a wonderful way to allow children to let their voices be heard.

Classroom books was another topic brought up in this #kinderchat. One teacher said that student created books are very effective for literacy development, whereas another teacher said Story Kits are great ways for children to bring stories home to share with their families. Scaffolding letter knowledge with each other is another important thing I read from the chat. Scaffolding is an important teaching strategy and one that allows children to explore their interests. For example, teachers can scaffold by doing before-reading activities that spark children's interests. This week in class I was introduced to books that are made by the class. This is a great way for children to be creative and express their ideas. Children can recreate a story through art; they can draw certain objects that relate to the story, or even ones that aren't related at all. Either way the child is making meaning of the story. The #kinderchat was interesting in that I was able to read different teachers' perspectives on effective ways for children to increase literacy skills.

#kinderchat: Tools & Tech for ABCs

Playing Stories: The Mitten

 

Shared reading is a wonderful way for teachers and children to read together. Children make predictions based on the text and the pictures which creates meaning. When introducing a new book to children, the teacher first goes through a picture walk in which the teacher will show the children the pages and asks what they think will happen based on what they see. Next, the teacher will read the book and children are able to predict what is going to happen. After reading the book multiple times the children will be able to recite parts of the story with the teacher.

The large group activity in class this week was just another way to make shared reading effective and enjoyable. Playing stories means the teacher reads the book to the class, and the children act out the book. After the large group activity on The Mitten by Jan Brett, I wanted to think of other ways to involve a large group in playing stories. I was able to find a list of activities on Jan Brett's website, and one in particular is based on The Mitten. This is the activity on Jan Brett's website. The website has printable PDF files of two mittens and each of the animals in the stories. Teachers can print them and cut them out and have children color each of the objects. The two mittens can be taped together to make sure the animals can fit inside. Then, when the book is being read, the children can add each animal one by one into the mitten.

This activity is a great way for children to participate in the shared reading. Although there are only eight animals, each child can take turns being a different animal when the book is read. Children can also hold the mitten while the animals are crawling inside. Shared reading in large groups is an effective way for the teacher to model reading and for children to participate, predict and expand on their literacy skills.

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.