Let’s Read a Story to Enhance Creative Art and Literacy Skills! Early Childhood Conference April, 2016 Dr. Gayle Bortnem Northern State University bortnemg@northern.edu

Introductions Who are you? Preschool teacher/director for 20 years NSU professor for 16 Research in developing vocabulary levels in 4 year olds using read alouds in non-fiction/fictional literature Who are you? Teachers- Infant/toddler Preschool Kindergarten After school 1-3rd grade Directors-Principals Special Education Other?

DEFINITIONS Literacy – knowing how to read Emergent literacy –developing the skills to learn how to read We learn language and literacy by having experiences to; Talk Listen Read Write Visual –children observe and make meaning from pictures, movies, environmental cues

When did you learn that the squiggles were letters….words…had meaning?

I loved Reading to children BUT…… How do I show what the children are learning from reading literature? Are there ways to assess young children’s understanding from listening to a story? How about using art to show that children are learning literacy skills?!!

What do you do now? Read a story What do you do? Read Rainbow Fish Example- Theme: Fish Read Rainbow Fish Questions Art project Centers- Science-fish tank Math Counters-fish Water table-catch fish with nets Read a story Questions after story? Plan an activity to support the theme? Art project? Centers? What do you do?

Is this a D.A.P. way to assess a child’s abilities or learning about the story ?

What and How do I assess art? Literacy skills Vocabulary Stages of scribbling (Beginning and ending sounds) Sounds of words (rhyming) Stages of writing

Stages of writing

Be careful about interpreting what the pictures mean…. Always say to the child, “tell me about your picture” NOT What is it? Or the worst, try to say “oh, I like your dog” and it’s a horse!!

Let’s do an activity. My theme is SPRING. My learning objectives ; children share words (and drawings) of spring (vocabulary). My assessment; observing and writing down what the children explain about their drawings. After watching my “draw and tell” story, please make your own picture and label it.

Act out a movement or shape to go with type. Learning objectives ; children share words (and paintings) of clouds (vocabulary). Assessment; observing, taking pictures and writing down what the children explain about their drawings. Act out a movement or shape to go with type. Flannel story Types of Clouds; stratus, cumulus and cirrus Use of shaving cream & glue

Learning objectives ; children share understanding of rhyming words by reading stories. Assessment; observing, writing down what the children say and draw.

A teacher has to document learning from what the story taught

Types of documentation for observation

Reading a book Leads to…….. Art in many forms; Design and building Legos, Lincoln Logs, blocks Clay and materials for sculpture designs PERFORMANCE-BASED arts: Create, perform, demonstrate, learn, show…..that another session!

Ish by Peter Reynolds Thank you and keep reading!!