Mealtimes offer an ideal opportunity to develop children’s early literacy skills. For example, talking with children during meals can significantly enhance their language development and other literacy skills. Research has shown that these types of interactions support the foundation for later reading and academic success. Benefits of Mealtime Conversations Language Development: Talking with children during… Read more »
Tag: teaching
Developing Early Literacy through Child-Directed Play
Child-directed play has emerged as a significant approach to developing children’s early literacy skills supported by recent research and educational practices. Play is the primary mode through which young children learn and develop. It encompasses various types, including free play, guided play, and structured play. Free play is child-initiated and directed, allowing children to explore… Read more »
Connecting Early Literacy and the Science of Reading
The ability to read and comprehend written language opens doors to knowledge, creativity, and personal growth. However, not all approaches to teaching reading are evidence-based. That’s where the Science of Reading comes in. It’s a comprehensive framework rooted in cognitive science and linguistics that provides concrete information about how we learn to read and how… Read more »
Monkey See, Monkey Do- It’s More than Just a Game!
Why do we play imitation games with young children? Of course it’s fun, but did you know that the ability to imitate actions and sounds is a crucial aspect of children’s literacy development? Let’s explore why encouraging children to imitate actions and sounds is an important part of their literacy journey. It Builds Cognitive… Read more »
How to Develop Phonological and Phonemic Awareness During Emergent Literacy
During the emergent literacy stage our earliest developing readers and writers, typically aged birth to two years, are just beginning to understand and manipulate the sounds and structures of language. Even though children in this stage are not yet explicitly aware of phonemes and phonological concepts, there are strategies that promote language development that also… Read more »
Equitable Literacy: Foundational Principle II: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Early Childhood Environments
If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit this original blog post https://blogs.iu.edu/earlyliteracy/ which shared 6 evidence-based foundational equitable principles for supporting diverse learners. Implementing these principles into your classroom provides all children equitable educational opportunities. UDL and You! Every teacher knows and appreciates how complicated and diverse our young learners are. It can be overwhelming… Read more »
The Foundation of Equitable Literacy Instruction
What is equitable literacy instruction? Equitable literacy instruction is comprised of instructional practices that support all children to achieve high outcomes regardless of ability, race, or any other marginalized identity. Our extensive literature review identified 6 equitable foundational principles that provide the necessary classroom infrastructure for implementing effective equitable literacy instruction in Preschool to 3rd… Read more »
What’s In A Name? Teaching Letter Sight and Sound Recognition Using Children’s Names
Let’s face it, young children are egocentric beings. What better way to support their recognition of letters and letter sounds than to begin with something very important to them- their name! Children possess a wide range of letter-sight and letter-sound identification proficiency, therefore, be sure to differentiate for ability and accommodate individual needs when planning… Read more »
Enjoying the Holidays in a Culturally Responsive Way
Celebrating holidays in early childhood settings is not only fun and exciting, it offers additional opportunities to develop children’s early literacy skills by connecting lessons to occasions occurring both in the context of their daily lives and cultures and those around the world. Holiday literacy lessons involve books, dramatic play, drawing/writing, cooking, crafts, games, etc. … Read more »
A Culturally Responsive Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, but did you know that November is also National Native American Heritage month? During this time, be intentional about using terms that value and respect all people and avoid stereotyping by planning lessons and using materials that celebrate Native American heritage and traditions. For example, steer away from creating “Indian headbands”… Read more »