Early Literacy Tuesday, September 16, 2014

REFLECTION & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:  1. Literacy is a process that begins in infancy and continues throughout our lives. What role do parents and early caregivers play in guiding a child to literacy?  2. Some young children have rich literacy experiences while others have little exposure to books and other forms of print. How can teachers meet the diverse needs of young students in their classrooms?

Quick Write Consider the statement below & respond by free writing in your journal for 5-10 min: Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand what they are reading, they are not really reading. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

HOW EFFECTIVE TEACHERS SUPPORT THE YOUNGEST CHILDREN’S LITERACY DEVELOPMENT? Teachers…  foster young children’s interest in literacy and teach concepts about written language.  understand that children move through the emergent, beginning, and fluent stages of literacy development.  match instructional activities to children’s stages of reading and writing development.  monitor children’s literacy development to ensure that they’re moving through the three stages, and they intervene when children aren’t making expected progress.

WHAT INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES SUPPORT EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENT? Shared reading & writing Language Experience Approach Interactive read-aloud & writing Manuscript handwriting Writing centers Morning message

HOW DO TEACHERS FOSTER AN INTEREST IN LITERACY?  Concepts about print  Assessing students’ concepts about print  Concepts about words  Environmental print  Literacy play centers  Concepts about the alphabet

ACTIVITY  Construct morning messages that you could use in the following settings…  A kindergarten classroom  An upper elementary classroom  How might you use your morning message to support your students’ interest in literacy? (e.g. concepts about print, concepts about words, concepts about the environment, vocabulary etc…)  Write your messages on chart paper & share with the class.

INTERACTIVE READ-ALOUD What? Why? How?

SHARED READING What? Why? How?

Interactive Read-Aloud Fountas & Pinnell, Ch. 15 Using the list provided in Fig (p. 224), select 5 books that each meet at least 3 of the guidelines. Use books on display&/or in the curriculum lab Individually, select 1 picture book: Create an outline for “Opening Moves” (pp ) that you could use to begin an Interactive Read-Aloud activity. Present your book introduction to a small group of peers.

Engaging Readers in Thinking & Talking About Texts – Creating a Literature Culture Through IRA & Shared Talk About Texts What to the titles of chapters 15 & 16 say about literacy? Discuss Chapter 15: Select & read 2 of the “Ways of Opening” [Figures 15-9 to 15-15] Discuss what the teacher is doing in each of the 3 possible openings. Discuss Chapter 16: What are the characteristics of “intentional conversation”? How can teachers teach “technical vocabulary” or “academic language” through IRA? Why do you think there is so much emphasis placed on “teacher talk” in literacy instruction?

Fluency Respond to the prompts below in your Reader Response Journal: What do we mean by “fluent reading”? How do you know if a student is reading fluently?

How do effective teachers assist students in “cracking the alphabetic code”? Teachers… teach students to “crack the code” through phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling instruction. understand that phonemic awareness is the foundation for phonics instruction. teach high-utility phonics concepts, rules, phonograms, and spelling patterns. recognize that students’ spelling errors are a measure of their understanding of phonics.

Phonemic Awareness  Phonemic Awareness Strategies  Teaching Phonemic Awareness  Sound-Matching Activities  Sound-Isolation Activities  Sound-Blending Activities  Sound-Addition and Substitution Activities  Sound-Segmentation Activities  Nurturing English Learners  Assessing Children’s Phonemic Awareness Why Is Phonemic Awareness Important?

Phonemic Awareness Activity Dr. Seuss wrote many books which teachers can use to develop their students’ phonemic awareness. Select one of the books provided in class and brainstorm possible activities to support phonemic awareness your picture book.

What’s the Role of Phonics in a Balanced Literacy Program?  Phonics concepts:  Consonants  Vowels  Blending into words  Phonograms  Phonics rules  Teaching Phonics  Explicit Instruction  Application Activities  Assessing Students’ Phonics Knowledge

Stages of Spelling Development Stage 1: Emergent Spelling Stage 2: Letter Name-Alphabetic Spelling Stage 3: Within-Word Pattern Spelling Stage 4: Syllables and Affixes Spelling Stage 5: Derivational Relations Spelling

How do effective teachers teach spelling? Word Walls Making Words Word Sorts Interactive Writing Proofreading Dictionary Use Spelling Options

Meaning [Sematic Cue System] Structur e [Syntactic Cue System] Visual [Graphophonic Cue System]

Graphophonic Cue System What do students in K-8 need to know about letters & letter- sound relationship? Review the developmental continuum provided. What information is provided to help you plan instruction that is developmentally appropriate? Consider the students in your kindergarten & elementary practicum classrooms. Would you describe them as emergent, transitional, fluent readers?

D ESCRIBE THE EMERGENT, BEGINNING, & FLUENT STAGES OF LITERACY DEVELOPMENT. Emergent reading & writing Beginning reading & writing Fluent reading & writing

Decoding Strategies Read and reflect on the variety of strategies presented in your handouts. Which of these strategies do you typically use when reading? Let’s make a Strategy Hand!

Instruction Explicit & Direct Design a mini- lesson to teach a specific strategy! Step 1: Provide objectives, establish expectations, and introduce the skill Step 2: Model the skill Step 3: Provide an opportunity for guided practice with feedback Step 4: Independent practice and application

Vocabulary What do we know about the importance of vocabulary to reading comprehension? How do readers learn vocabulary? What word learning strategies can teachers introduce to support students’ vocabulary development? National Reading Panel Report

Assessment: What? How? When?

Critical Concepts in Literacy Development

Types of Assessment InformalFormal

Thank you Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco What is your response to Polacco’s autobiographical story? How did Mr. Falker make a difference in Polacco’s life? What did Mr. Falker actually do – as a teacher – to ensure that Polacco didn’t fall through the cracks?