Ready to Read: Early Literacy Welcome … Hand out nametags.

Preschoolers Children 3 to 4 Years Old What to Expect Between their third and fourth birthdays, children ★ Start to play with other children, instead of next to them; ★ Are more likely to take turns and share and begin to understand that other people have feelings and rights; ★ Are increasingly self-reliant and probably can dress with little help; ★ May develop fears (“Mommy, there’s a monster under my bed.”) and have imaginary companions;

★ Have greater large-muscle control than toddlers and love to run, skip, jump with both feet, catch a ball, climb downstairs and dance to music; ★ Have greater small-muscle control than toddlers, which is reflected in their drawings and scribbles; ★ Match and sort things that are alike and unalike; ★ Recognize numerals; ★ Like silly humor, riddles and practical jokes;

★ Understand and follow spoken directions; ★ Use new words and longer sentences; ★ Are aware of rhyming sounds in words; ★ May attempt to read, calling attention to themselves and showing pride in their accomplishment; ★ Recognize print around them on signs or in logos; ★ Know that each alphabet letter has a name and identify at least 10 alphabet letters, especially those in their own names; and ★ “Write,” or scribble messages.

Factors that contribute to a child’s health Good nutrition Stimulating environment Variety of experiences Repetition Feeling good, loved, cared for Lots of reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are factors that affect brain development. A stimulating environment providing a variety of experiences contribute to better brain development Good nutrition. Healthy children, in the short term—are you fed?—and long term—are you healthy? Allow people to better interact with their environment—and develop more synapses. The same with being loved and cared for. Repetition. Research shows that repetition of activities always strengthens brain synapses.

Preschoolers can say short sentences, have a vocabulary of about 900 words, show great growth in communication, tell simple stories and understand basic concepts like size, numbers and time

Why is it so important to get children “Ready to Read”? Knowledge of the alphabet at entry into Kindergarten is a strong predictor of reading ability in the 10th grade. “70% of CPS Kindergarten students were not ready to take on the Kindergarten Reading Program during the '05-'06 school year.“ ~Evelyn W. Bell, Executive Director, Office of Student Assistance, Intervention and Outreach for Columbus Public Schools The BIG HARRY AUDACIOUS GOAL of Franklinton Ready 4 K (as well as the library) is to see 90 % of children ready for kindergarten in 10 years. Knowledge of the alphabet at entry into kindergarten is a strong predictor of reading ability in the 10th grade. If a child is a poor reader at the end of the first grade, there is nearly a 90% probability that a child will remain a poor reader at the end of the fourth grade. 38% of the 4th graders in the US can’t read at a basic level. Of these, 10-15% drop out of high school. It is never too late to encourage literacy, but it is much easier to encourage it before a child begins kindergarten. In late childhood (age 9-10), a child cannot learn a first language fully or naturally. With intervention at 9 years of age, 75% will still have difficulty reading. This child has missed the “developmental window,” the critical period for acquiring language. The brain has become more rigid, less plastic.

Why promote learning before a child starts school? By age three, brains are twice as active as those of adults. Loving, family relationships affects brain development. Prime time to develop language skills is before age 7. Early experiences can help children learn to read.

What is early literacy? What children know about reading and writing before they can read or write. Ask Coaches what they think early literacy is Ask Coaches how they would encourage early literacy with a child Then go into definition -- Early literacy is what children learn about reading and writing before they can actually read or write. We are not trying to teach children to read but giving them the tools they will need when they go to school and start learning how to read Children learn these skills beginning from birth. Children who are exposed to books early in life have better language skills than those who wait till later.

Six skills every child needs to learn to read; Starting from birth! Six skills have been identified which get children ready to read (again they are not learning to read yet, but developing these skills gives them the tools so they can learn) The skills are: Print Motivation which is loving books Vocabulary which is learning new words Print Awareness which is using books Letter Knowledge or the ABCs Narrative Skills or storytelling Phonological Awareness or Sounds If we know what these skills are it can make it easier to encourage the development of these skills in everyday interactions with children. No fancy toys are required to help a child get ready to read (except maybe a library card!) We will now go into more specific detail about each of these 6 Skills so you armed with these tools as well.

Reading should be a positive experience Reading should be enjoyable ,this develops print motivation. Children should associate books with cuddle and love. It is important to make time for reading by shutting off the TV, computer or radio. Eliminate distractions. Print Motivation is a child's interest in and enjoyment of books. The more pleasurable book sharing is, the more regular and frequent an activity it will become. If a child does not associate reading with something they enjoy it will be difficult for them to learn to read Reading is an act of love. Bedtime is a perfect time for stories as child is winding down and snuggled up in bed. It is difficult for a child to focus on a book when a lot of other things are going on. Turn off the distractions (TV or radio).

PRINT MOTIVATION: Loving Books How to do this with Books: Read to a child often, and make it fun! Allow child to turn the pages Activities parents can do: Pick books with topics that interest their child Pick books that they enjoy Let child pick books Read the book as many times as the child wants Print Motivation is a child's interest in and enjoyment of books. Why is this important? Children who enjoy books and reading will be curious about how to read. They will read more. Children become good readers by practicing. It is important to strive to read everyday with children. Make reading a habit! Studies show that when the interaction around a book is negative (sit still; listen; harsh language), then the young child likes reading and books less. He associates the negative interaction with the BOOK! When the experience of sharing a book is pleasurable for both the parent and the child, it is easier to talk about the pictures and the child will be more attentive and responsive. [Adriana Bus, Jay Belsky, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, Keith Crnic. “ Attachment and Bookreading Patterns: A Study of Mothers, Fathers, and Their Toddlers,” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 12,81-98 (1997) The more pleasurable book sharing is, the more regular and frequent an activity it will become. What can we do? Let children see reading is fun We have succeeded in print motivation when we hear “read it again!”. It’s OK to repeat the same story if the kids have a positive reaction. We might also hear parents or caregivers say “hide this book, I’ve read it too many times!” we can assure them that this is a great thing, and if they keep repeating the same books they will notice that their child will start turning the pages, and maybe even start saying the story along with them.

Parents should talk with their children One of the early literacy skills children need is a growing vocabulary. Children need to be exposed to many words. Parents should have conversations about books, memories, family history, daily activities to stimulate vocabulary. Toddler can learn 9 new words per day!!! Children need to be exposed to many words. How many words do you think a toddler is capable of learning? Answer is 9!!! Children need to know as many words as you can teach them. Why? Because later on when they learn to read, if they do not know what something is, it is a lot harder to read.

VOCABULARY: Words Picture books that introduce new words and ideas How to do this with Books: Picture books that introduce new words and ideas Activities parents can do: Introduce new words repeatedly Re-state unfamiliar words in simpler language Ask follow-up questions Label more than just things, label feelings and concepts as well

Parents should talk to their children in their native language! It is best to speak to a child in the language you know. If you are fluent in a language other than English, research shows that it is best for you to speak to your child in the language you know best. This allows your child to hear language spoken fluently and allows you to explain many things to the child that you might not be able to do in English. By learning concepts and discussing thoughts and ideas, the child is exercising his mind. Then he will be able to translate what he knows when he gets to school, rather than having to learn both the concept and the English word at the same time. [Patton O. Tabors. One Child, Two Languages. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes, 1997.] A four or five-year old is at the “perfect” age to learn a second language. They can learn sign language and spoken language at the same time. If you expose them to languages systematically and regularly, they can easily learn multiple languages. Babies can learn any language they hear – and as early as six months old, babies start to specialize. Actually babies recognize and prefer their own language very soon after birth. In the book Einstein Never Used Flashcards, the authors talk about a study that took place in France when babies were just a few days old. In one group, researchers played the babies a recording of Russian over and over again. But when the language changed to French, the babies started sucking wildly, as if to say Viva la France! So babies can distinguish between two languages and prefer their own language—chauvinists at just 48 hours old. (from Einstein Never Used Flashcards by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Robert Michnick Golinkoff, 2003, p.68. But if a child waits until high school to start studying a foreign language, this task will be much harder. It’s not that the teacher is misguided or the language is too difficult… it’s just that the teenager has missed the critical period for acquiring new languages. His brain has “pruned” away that part of his brain, due to lack of use. The same thing is true of birds… Like humans, bird-brains have specialized areas that are just for song learning and production (language). If they don’t learn their birdsongs at a crucial time of development, their songs are over-simplified. Birds need to hear their species-specific birdsong soon after birth, in order to acquire the ability to produce complex sounds.

Parents should sing and rhyme with their children Rhyming and singing builds phonological awareness This is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words, which helps children sound out words as they begin to read. Phonological Awareness is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. Why is this important? Helps children sound out words as they begin to read. -Hearing words that rhyme helps your child learn that words are made up of smaller parts. -Songs have different note for each syllable, helps children break down words. How can parents reinforce these skills? 1.) Nursery rhymes. 2.) Repetition is important. This is how children learn. 3.) Singing throughout the day, during routines such as diapering, bathing, etc. 4.) Making up their own songs (about the child, about the child’s daily activities)

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Sounds How to do this with Books: Rhyming books Nursery rhymes Poetry Activities parents can do: Sing Share tongue twisters Play “Say It Fast, Say It Slow” Rhyme with your child Share fingerplays

Children need to tell their own stories Telling stories enhances children’s narrative skills The ability to describe things and events and to tell stories is Narrative Skills Understanding that stories have a beginning, middle and end helps children to understand what they read Narrative Skills is the ability to describe things and events, and to tell stories Why is it important? Helps children understand what they read What can parents do? 1.) Say to the names of things (both real and pictures in books) 2.) Be descriptive in their speech (Child: “It’s a tree.” Parent: “It’s a tall tree… with green leaves”) 3.) Listen as child tries to talk (Be patient) 4.) Tell their child stories, stressing the order of events (This builds sequencing skills) 5.) Narrate the life of their child, their child’s daily events 6.) Give the child words to describe his or her feelings

NARRATIVE SKILLS: Storytelling How to do this with Books: Choose books with a simple sequence of events Choose books that have a clear beginning, middle and end Activities parents can do: Pause during a book and ask child questions, i.e. “What sound did the first animal make? And the second?” Act out the book using puppets or props Talk about when they were little, or talk about what they’re doing now Listen to their child when they tell stories, and ask for more details

Children need to talk about the books they read.

Dialogic Reading The more actively involved a child is in the story, the more learning is going on inside his or her mind. How parents can do this while reading: Ask “What do you see in this picture?” Add to what child has just said Ask open questions (not just yes or no answers) How parents can do this when talking: Have two-way conversations. Give child time to answer Listen to their child and ask for more details

You’re never too young to enjoy books Young children can make the connection that symbols actually mean something and are not just pictures This is print awareness. Print Awareness is noticing print everywhere; knowing how to handle a book; knowing how we follow the words on a page. In English: open book right to left, read left to right and top to bottom What can you do? Point to signs around them and say the words. Example: “Oh here are your cheerios. I know you love them. See the cheerios box, with pictures of the cheerios (point) and the word Cheerios” (point). -Read books with infants and toddlers. Let the child turn the page!

PRINT AWARENESS: Using Books How to do this with Books: Point out text or letters that look different than others Point to words as you are reading (especially repeating words) Let child turn the pages Activities parents can do: Hold a book upside down and see if the child notices Read aloud all types of print, i.e. labels, signs, lists and menus Make flashcards Point out signs

Children need to know the alphabet Young children can tell that letters are different from each other, and have different sounds. This is letter knowledge. Letter Knowledge is knowing that letters are different from each other, that they have different names and sounds. What can parents do? Babies and toddlers need to understand things through their senses. Use real things to help them understand their world: 1.) Have many objects that start with a single letter: “Here are some things that start with B.. B-all, b-at…” (etc) 2.) Share some ABC books 3.) Point to letters on a STOP sign: “This is an S, like at the beginning of your name, Sammy.”

LETTER KNOWLEDGE: ABCs How to do this with Books: Start with simple ABC books Books that emphasize a particular letter or sound Activities parents can do: Point out the first letter of their child’s name and write it Learn shapes to get ready to learn letters Play with toys that encourage touch: play-doh, puzzles, finger paint Provide magnetic letters or foam letters Play games like “I Spy”