Early Literacy in Infants and Toddlers

1. Early Literacy in Infants and Toddlers Department of Health and Welfare March 19, 2013 Sponsored by: Idaho Commission for Libraries 325 W. State Street Boise, ID 83702

2. Who we are… The Idaho Commission for Libraries assists libraries to build the capacity to better serve their clientele. Our vision is for all parents and caregivers to nurture their children’s early literacy skills, and for all children to develop as independent readers and become lifelong learners. Libraries.idaho.gov/read-to-me-resources

3. Be aware of current research relating to early literacy, vocabulary development, and access to print materials Be able to share talking points with parents about the importance of early literacy Be able to model six early literacy skills children must develop in order to become successful readers Learn about free resources available from ICfL and local libraries to help support development of early literacy skills Outcomes As a result of our presentation today, we hope you will:

4. Agenda • What is early literacy? • Modeling Six Early Literacy Skills • @ your library • Books to Go • Electronic Resources • Q and A

5. “Early Literacy” What children know about reading and writingbeforethey learn to read and write.

6. Family poverty is significantly associated with lower reading achievement scores for children, and Idaho has a high percentage of families living in poverty. In Idaho In 2011, over 55% of infants born in Idaho received Women Infant Children (WIC) services. (Idaho Division of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics)

7. Idaho Reading Indicator scores in 2011 show that 19% of children entering Kindergarten did not recognize three or more letters of the alphabet. Another 25% recognized fewer than 11 letters. Idaho Reading Indicator scores in 2011 show that 26% of low-income children entering kindergarten (those receiving free or reduced lunch rates) did not recognize three or more letters. Another 28% recognized fewer than 11 letters. In Idaho

8. The development of early literacy skills in a child’s life can better prepare that child for success in reading when he or she enters school. Children who do not have early literacy experiences before they begin school start behind and tend to stay behind (the Matthew Effect). Children who are not reading on grade level by the end of first grade have a 1 in 8chance of catching up without costly direct intervention. Some key findings…

9. Reading scores have important implications for later achievement. Basic readers are more than twice as likely as proficient readers to fail to graduate from high school. Below basic readers are almost six times as likely to fail to graduate. Implications Only 33% of Idaho’s fourth graders scored proficient or higher on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); 36% scored at the basic level and 31% below basic.

10. Access to Print Materials The most successful way to improve the reading achievement of low-income children is to increase their access to print.

11. increases in the amount of reading children do increases in children’s emergent literacy skills improvements in children’s reading achievement Access to Print Materials There is a causal role between increased access to materials and-

12. Working with parents Here are some Talking Points to share with the families with whom you are working/ visiting…

13. Why is it important for children to get ready to read beforethey start school? Children who start kindergarten with good pre-reading skills have an advantage. They are ready to learn to read.

14. Why are parents so important in helping their children get ready to read? You are your child’s first teacher. You know your child best. Children learn best by doing, and they love doing things with you.

15. What do children need to learn to become good readers? To become successful readers, children need to: • Learn a code • Understand its meaning

16. Aa Bb Cc DdEe Ff GgHh Ii JjKkLl Mm < / * # > + \ ** [ = ) ] ~ NnOo Pp QqRr Ss TtUu Vv Ww Xx YyZz : ]] { ++ } // ^ ! [[ (( >> \\ | [ *<: }><#. Reading is learning the code.

17. Reading is more than decoding words. Good readers understand the meaning of what they read. Meg is hipple when she roffs with her mom. Reading is understanding the meaning.

18. What do children need to know before they can learn to read? What is decoding? • Noticing print • Knowing letter names and sounds • Hearing the sounds that make up words

19. What do children need to know before they can learn to read? What is comprehension? • Knowing what words mean (vocabulary) • Understanding the meaning of printed language

20. Help your child be ready to read with simpleactivities every day. Five simple practices help children get ready to read:

21. Use the language you know best to help your child get ready to read. Use the language you know best.

22. A foundation for reading… The Six Early Literacy Skills

23. The Six Early Literacy Skills

24. Print Motivation Keeping reading FUN and sharing books is important. If the experience is not a positive one, children will relate reading to something negative, which will make them less likely to choose to read. The joy of, and interest in, reading books

25. Model fun of reading and of playing with language-- enjoy book and interaction yourself Begin reading books early—even when baby is a newborn. Make sure you and child are in a good mood. Have a comfortable area to share reading time. Stop reading when child becomes tired or loses interest. Video Print Motivation

26. Cloth or “indestructible” books Board books with bright, simple illustrations Board books with photographs of other babies Books with contrast Let child choose books for you to share Note: Not all “board books” are for babies/toddlers Suggested books

27. Print Awareness Knowing that print has meaning, knowing how to handle a book, and recognizing print in the environment Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful.

28. Use board books or cloth books and let child hold book and turn pages If there are only a few words on the page, point to each word as you say it Run finger under title and/or repeated phrases Talk about environmental print (road signs, menus, food labels) Point out different kinds of print within books Read aloud every day Print Awareness

29. Any book! If there are only a few words on each page, point to each as you read it. Books with repetitive text Books with writing as part of the pictures Books with different kinds of typeface Suggested books

30. Narrative Skills Retelling stories, retelling events, and adding descriptions The ability to describe things and events, and the ability to tell stories, helps children better understand what they read.

31. As you talk with your child, give them time to “talk” back to you Have props available so your child can retell stories with puppets, a flannel board, props, or creative dramatics. Encourage your child to talk and expand their descriptions of things. When your baby coos or babbles, talk back to them. Video Narrative Skills

32. Board books with photos or illustrations of everyday things Board books with animals Books with a repeated phrase or repetition in the plot Books that tell a cumulative tale Suggested books

33. Letter Knowledge Knowing letters are different from each other, that the same letter can look different, and that each letter has a name and relates to specific sounds.

34. Help babies/toddlers see and feel different shapes Point out letters on toys, food boxes and other objects Play matching games (alike and different) Encourage scribbling Have letters available to “play” with: magnetic, foam, flannel Sing the alphabet song, including different versions Letter Knowledge

35. Board books with shapes, colors Shapes/colors books Alike and different books Alphabet/number books Suggested books

36. Phonological Awareness Ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words Includes rhyming, breaking words apart and putting word chunks together, and hearing beginning sounds.

37. Sing songs and repeat them Say nursery rhymes so that child hears words that rhyme-- emphasize rhyming words Add actions as you sing a song or recite a poem--This helps child break down language into separate words Change initial sound in familiar songs, or a repeated phrase in a story Make up your own silly, nonsense rhymes Say rhymes and sing songs in language most comfortable for you Video: Songs & Language.wmv Sing throughout the day Phonological Awareness

38. Books with rhyme Books with alliteration Books with sounds of animals and other things Songs in book format Books of Mother Goose rhymes Poetry books Any book! Suggested books

39. Vocabulary The more words young children know before they enter school, the better. Children who have never encountered a word will have a hard time reading it in a book later on. Knowing the names of things, understanding the meaning of words

40. Children should learn about 3,000 or more new words a year, according to Honig Vocabulary is richer and broader in picture books vs. watching TV Children need to be exposed to a word at least 12 times before they can start to use it in their vocabulary Vocabulary development

41. Take time before or during the reading of a book to explain an unfamiliar word (don’t replace the word) Talk about feelings Add descriptive words Speak “parentese,” as in a slightly higher pitch, speaking more slowly and in short sentences After reading a book, go back to an interesting picture and talk about it, adding less familiar words Show real items when possible; for babies and toddlers, point to and name objects Vocabulary

42. Any book! Just read, talk about, and name objects in the book. Non-fiction books Picture books that illustrate concepts- big/little, up/down, etc. Suggested books

43. Support materials ELL @your library Early Literacy Centers Parent/caregiver activity sheets (also in Spanish) libraries.idaho.gov/page/read-to-me-resources ICfL/Read to Me Resources

45. Storytimes Play areas (dramatic, blocks) Books Music CDs and audiobooks, DVDs Storykits Computers E-Books (e-audio, e-pub) Other programs: Music and Movement, Bilingual, School-Age, Parents, Child Care, STEM Have you visited your library lately?

46. DayByDayID.org TumbleBooks™ through library website Read to Me on Facebook The Bookworm monthly newsletter subscription New Resources: Scan with your Smartphone or tablet to go directly to page

47. The Bookworm Subscribe: http://libraries.idaho.gov/page/bookworm

48. Books to Go program The main objective is providing access to books for families who may have barriers to getting to the library. The program consists of bins of books- 15 bags with 3 books in each bag. The bags are available to be checked out from home visitors. In each bag there is a Bookworm literacy handout, a contents page with a literacy handout, and a quick survey. The quick survey should be filled out and replaced with each new checkout.

49. Nuts and Bolts • Each site needs a library partner. These have been identified, so we will be notifying them of who you are. They deliver bins, pick up surveys, and help you with problems. • Books that are lost or damaged will be replaced over the next 2 ½ years. • We’ll be asking you and your library partner to fill out surveys at some point. Our surveys are evaluated by our researcher, Dr. Roger Stewart, from BSU.

50. More nuts and bolts.. • There are activities on the Bookworms that home visitors can model or highlight. • Encourage library usage! If they have fines under $20, encourage them to talk to their local librarian about them. They can attend storytimes or use computers without a library card.