Emergent Literacy Coaching @ Your Library Part I: Overview of Best Practices

1. Emergent Literacy Coaching @ Your Library Part I: Overview of Best Practices Presented by: Elaine Czarnecki & Dr. Gilda Martinez Fall, 2008

2. Why another workshop? • New staff since original statewide training • “Refresher course” for veteran staff • Updated guidelines and resources

3. Goals of This Workshop • To familiarize participants with the most current research on how to help young children start school ready to learn to read • To familiarize participants with the way readiness is assessed by kindergarten teachers • To demonstrate how public libraries can incorporate this information into their storytimes and provide support for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR), including the Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)

4. Introducing… • The Emergent Literacy Peer Coaching Wiki:http://wiki.carr.org/traction

6. Growing Up to ReadIt’s Never Too Early Literacy development starts with talk, and children begin to develop their language skills in infancy. • A wide range of experiences with printed and spoken language, from infancy through early childhood, will strongly influence a child’s future success in reading.

7. Preschool Years are Critical Research consistently shows that the more children know about language and literacy before they come to school, the better equipped they are to succeed in reading!

8. National Research Council FindingsChildren need opportunities to: • Develop oral language skills, including phonological awareness or sensitivity • Develop motivation to read and write • Develop concepts about print and letter knowledge • Develop comprehension

9. Vocabulary & Language Development • Conversations with adults help children learn the words they will need to understand when reading. • Toddlers will begin to associate the words they use in conversation and the objects they represent with the pictures in books.

10. Vocabulary & Language Development (continued) • Children will soon begin to label the objects in books, comment on the characters, and ask adults to read to them. • Talking to adults is a child’s best source of exposure to new vocabulary and ideas!

11. Kindergarten Work Sampling System (WSS) Indicators: • Gains meaning by listening • Speaks clearly and conveys ideas effectively

12. VSC objectives: Attend to the speaker Determine a speaker’s general purpose Listen carefully to expand or enrich vocabulary Proficient student behavior (fall): Looks at the personwho is speaking and/or remains quiet until the speaker is finished Communicates to the teacher one key idea about a book or class discussion Pays attention to new vocabulary and is sometimes able to use it in the correct context during conversation Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) (listening)

13. VSC objectives: Speak clearly enough to be heard and understood in a variety of settings Use complete sentences in conversation and to respond to questions Use sentences with subject/verb agreement Proficient student behavior (fall): Uses meaningful grammatically correct sentences to communicate so that other children understand Communicates with one or two articulation errors, but is easily understood Responds to a teacher’s question using a complete sentence or thought, with only occasional verbal reminders Consistently uses sentences and phrases with subject/verb agreement (e.g., “I’m playing t-ball tonight.” or “This snack is good!”) Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)(speaking)

15. Phonological Awareness or Sensitivity • Along with developing vocabulary knowledge, it is important for preschoolers to become aware of the sounds in spoken words. • Phonological awareness is important because the sounds in words will be linked to letters when the child learns how to read and write words.

16. Developing Phonological Awareness • Young children may begin to notice rhymes and will enjoy poetry and rhyming songs. • Songs, rhyming games, language play and nursery rhymes are all excellent ways to encourage a child’s phonological awareness. • Reading aloud books that focus on sounds is another enjoyable way to develop a child’s sensitivity to the sounds of language.

17. Kindergarten Indicator • Demonstrates beginning phonemic awareness

18. VSC objectives: Categorize words as the same or different by initial or final sounds Repeat and produce rhyming words Identify rhythms and patterns of language, including rhyme and repetition Proficient student behavior: Communicates that all words begin with /b/ when student hears the words “bat, ball, and big.” Supplies a word or sign that rhymes with skip, such as skip-trip. After listening to a song or poem with a repeating language pattern, such as Willaby, Wallaby, Woo, student is able to repeat correctly the nonsense phrase and the rhyming words that correspond to it. Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)

19. Print Motivation • Young children learn by imitation. Children who see their parents reading and writing will want to copy their model. • Providing reading material in the home, reading aloud and talking about books, giving books as gifts, and of course, visiting the public library are all wonderful ways to show that reading is fun!

20. Print Motivation(continued) • Opportunities to imitate writing behavior should not be forgotten! • Providing different types of writing materials, and encouraging children to experiment by “writing a grocery list” or “making a book” are excellent ways to show children that writing is fun, too. • Remember to praise all approximations!

21. Concepts About Print • A child’s sensitivity to print is a major first step toward reading. • Young children can begin to understand that print is everywhere in their world, and that reading and writing are ways to get ideas and information.

22. Developing Book and Print Awareness • Very young children learn to look where you point, as you read the story and share the pictures. • They will soon begin to recognize their favorite books by the covers and learn how to turn the pages. • Around the age of four, children should begin to understand that the print is what is read in books.

23. Kindergarten indicator • Shows some understanding about concepts about print

24. VSC objectives: Understand that speech can be written and read Track print from left to right and top to bottom, making a return sweep at the end of the line Recognize that letters build words and words build sentences Proficient student behavior: Draws / writes in journal and “reads” entry to the class “Reads” the morning message with the class, tracks with finger across the line and makes an appropriate sweep, although one to one word matching may not occur Selects own name out of a group of names, and begins to recognize friends’ names Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)

25. Letter Recognition • Preschool children can begin to recognize some letters of the alphabet, particularly those in their own names. • Most children begin by learning the alphabet song. • Sharing alphabet books, and having magnetic and/or foam letters for children to play with are appropriate ways to build letter recognition.

26. Kindergarten Indicator • Uses letter-like shapes, symbols, letters, and words to convey meaning

27. VSC objectives: Dictates and/or writes words, phrases or sentences related to ideas or illustrations Uses letters to represent phonemes in words Spells first and last name correctly Proficient student behavior (fall): Begins to sound out words to label pictures, with adult assistance Begins to write or type some letters or letter-like shapes to represent familiar words when labeling or writing about a picture Prints or types some of the letters in his name without a model Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)

28. Knowledge of Narrative or Story Structure • An understanding of the way narrative stories are structured begins to develop when read-alouds are shared frequently. • This understanding will help prepare children for reading in school, because they will be comfortable with the basic structure of the stories used in reading instruction.

29. Other Ways to Build Knowledge of Narrative • Encourage children to “read” a story they have heard many times. Pretend reading is often the first step toward becoming a reader! • Tell stories about the events of the day, and encourage children to do the same. • Puppet shows and other retelling activities are fun ways to build knowledge of narrative structure.

30. Comprehensionand Responding to Text • The understanding that print conveys meaning is one of the basic print awareness concepts. When reading aloud to children: • encourage them to predict, • talk about the events of the story, • help them link the events and characters to what they know about.

31. Kindergarten Indicator • Comprehends and responds to fiction and non-fiction text

32. VSC objectives: Make, confirm, or adjust predictions Make comments and ask relevant questions Connect events, characters, and actions in stories to specific life experiences Proficient student behavior: Guesses the book or story content from the book’s title and cover, and adjusts predictions throughout the story Comments on a story being read and is able to ask relevant questions Recalls events during the reading of a story, but inconsistently makes connections to specific life experiences Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)

33. VSC objectives: Respond to questions (who, what and where) and verify answers using illustrations / text Respond to text by drawing, speaking, dramatizing or writing Retell a story using text as support Proficient student behavior: Responds appropriately when asked a question but inconsistently finds support in the illustrations or text Builds a bridge and acts out the story, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, in the block area Retells the main events of a story Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC)

34. One Goal: Children are Ready for School! • You provide so much support for school readiness and early literacy development in your storytime programs! • The public library plays a vital role in helping to ensure that all children start school ready to learn to read!

36. Tips for Wiki Access • Wiki address: http://wiki.carr.org/traction • Click on Emergent Literacy under Projects on left hand side of page. • Explore wiki by clicking on the various Sections on left hand side of page. • If you would like to comment on any of the content, click on Comments and follow the instructions on this page.

37. Contact Information for Future Questions • Elaine Czarnecki ecz.read@comcast.net • Gilda Martinez gildamartine@gmail.com

38. Gains meaning by listening • Listening attentively to stories read aloud • Listening to an audio-taped story or song and showing understanding through body language (clapping or nodding) or facial expressions (smiling or laughing) • Using information from a story read aloud to draw a picture or complete a craft activity

39. Speaks clearly and conveys ideas effectively • Asking a question clearly enough for someone to understand • Describing a recent event and answering questions about it • Speaking loudly enough to be heard by the whole group at a storytime session

40. Demonstrates beginning phonemic awareness • Joining in with other children to recite rhymes and poems • Experimenting with words, giving them new beginning sounds • Listening to a word and then finding a word that rhymes with it in a familiar story, such as a Dr. Seuss story

41. Shows some understanding of concepts about print • Finding the front of the book, and turning the pages one by one • Pointing to words in a left to right progression when “reading” a picture book • Recognizing a favorite book by its cover; pointing to the title while saying it

42. Comprehends and responds to fiction and non-fiction text • Guessing what will happen next by looking at the pictures on the following page • Retelling a story using flannel board cutouts or hand puppets • Telling about when the family car was towed after hearing a story about a tow truck

43. Uses letter-like shapes, symbols, letters, and words to convey meaning • Making rows of squiggles and shapes on a paper and calling it writing • Copying letters and/or words from signs and books, enjoying the power of doing “real writing” • Writing their names on their artwork