Head Start

1. Head Start Literacy Knowledge and Skills Development in Young Children

2. Virginia Head Start Association Conference Wednesday, April 6, 2011 10:45-12:15

3. Presented By Pamela K. Blackburn Early Childhood Specialist Virginia Head Start TA Region III pblackburn@icfi.com

4. Objectives • Explore the “Literacy Knowledge and Skills” domain of the revised Early Learning Framework • Investigate the concepts of emergent literacy • Recognize the importance of aligning supporting documents, manuals and polices • Identify effective strategies for literacy instruction

5. Reflections On Reading • What do you remember about reading as a child? • What was your favorite book when you were a child? Why? • Do you enjoy reading as an adult? Why or why not? • How have your experiences affected your classroom practice?

6. What We Know • The early childhood years-from birth through age eight-are the most important period for literacy development(Neuman, Copple and Bredekamp, 2002) • Society now expects virtually everyone in the population to function beyond the minimum standards of literacy (Neuman, Copple and Bredekamp, 2002)

7. More of What We Know • Reading and writing acquisition is best • conceptualized as a developmental continuum (Neuman, Copple and Bredekamp, 2002) • An average or greater vocabulary is needed for adequate reading comprehension from grades 3 and forward • (Biemiller, 2004)

8. Children Living in Poverty Know less than half the words that a child from a middle class home knows

9. Alignment Considerations • Head Start Performance Standards • Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 • Virginia School Readiness Goals • Local School Division(s) School Readiness Goals • Overall Program Goals • Program School Readiness Goals • Curriculum • Professional Development Goals

10. CLASS Instructional Support Concept Development Quality of Feedback Language Modeling Literacy Focus

11. Language Modeling Open Ended Questions Frequent Conversation Repetition and Extension Advanced Language Self and Parallel Talk

12. Literacy Focus Explicit Purposeful • Explains the importance of print • Connects to or is embedded in real • World applications • Uses literacy- related terms • Draws attention to literacy concepts

13. Presenting….. The Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework

14. Specific Domains

15. Language Development • Includes understanding and using one or more languages • Specific language skills in early childhood are predictive of later success in learning to read and write • Children who are skilled communicators are more likely to demonstrate social competence

16. Language Development The ability to understand language Two Elements The ability to use language

17. Literacy Knowledge and Skills Development • Refers to the knowledge and skills that lay the foundation for reading and writing • Early literacy is the foundation for reading and writing in all academic endeavors in school • It is considered one of the most important areas for young children’s development and learning

18. Literacy Knowledge and Skills Development Five Domain Elements • Book Appreciation • Phonological Awareness • Alphabet Knowledge • Print Concepts and Conventions • Early Writing

19. Book Appreciation and Knowledge • Shows interest in shared reading experiences and looking at books independently • Recognizes how books are read, such as front-to-back and one page at a time, and recognizes basic characteristics, such as title, author, and illustrator • Asks and answers questions and makes comments about print materials

20. Book Appreciation and Knowledge • Asks and answers questions and makes comments about print material • Demonstrates interest in different kinds of literature, such as fiction and non-fiction books and poetry, on a range of topics • Retells stories or information from books through conversation, artistic works, creative movement, or drama

21. Phonological Awareness • Identifies and discriminates between words in language • Identifies and discriminates between separate syllables in words • Identifies and discriminates between sounds and phonemes in language, such as attention to beginning and ending sounds of words and recognition that different words begin or end with the same sound

22. Print Concepts and Conventions Recognizes print in everyday life, such as numbers, letters, one’s name, words, and familiar logos and signs Understands conventions, such as print moves from left to right and from top to bottom of a page

23. Print Concepts and Conventions Recognizes words as a unit of print and understands that letters are grouped to form words Recognizes the association between spoken or signed and written words Understands that print conveys meaning

24. Early Writing Experiments with writing tools and materials • Recognizes that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes, such as giving information, sharing stories, or giving an opinion • Uses scribbles, shapes, pictures, and letters to represent objects, stories, experiences, or ideas • Copies, traces, or independently writes letters or words

25. Important Terms Emergent Literacy The view that literacy learning begins at birth and is encouraged through participation with adults in meaningful activities; those literacy behaviors change and eventually become conventional over time

26. Important Terms Emergent Literacy Early behaviors such as "reading" from pictures and "writing" with scribbles are examples of emergent literacy

27. Important Terms Emergent Reading A child’s pretense of reading before he is able to read fluently and conventionally. Shows the child’s interest and motivation in learning to read

28. Important Terms Inventive or “Developmental” Spelling Spellings that result from a beginning writer’s initial attempts to associate sounds with letters. As children advance in literacy, their spelling becomes increasingly characterized by more complete understandings about the organizational patterns words.

29. Inventive Spelling • Allowing children to “pretend to write” with appropriate feedback • Builds phonological awareness • Knowledge of letter-sound association

30. Important Terms Inventive or “Developmental” Spelling Spelling develops from prephonemic to conventional spelling over time and with good instruction.

31. Inventive Spelling Developmental Sequence Scribbles Random letters One consonant per word One letter per sound Use of vowels Conventional spelling

32. Important Terms Interactive Writing The process in which the teacher takes down a child’s dictation, verbally stretching each word so that the child can distinguish sounds and letters. Also known as “shared” writing

33. Continuum of Development • Children • Participate in rhyming games • Attempt to read and write • Identify labels and signs • Enjoy listening to and discussing children’s books • Understand that print carries a message

34. Continuum of Development • Teachers • Establish a literacy rich environment • Encourage literacy-related play activities • Refer to letters by name and sound • Reread favorite stories • Promote experimenting with writing • Engage children in language games

35. Continuum of Development • Families • Visit the library regularly • Provide opportunities to draw and print using • a variety of materials and modalities • Read stories with predictable texts • Engage in conversation about what • is important to children

36. The Environment • Rich in Print • More does not mean better • Strategically display captions, labels • and other print • Include print, books and pictures that • represents family cultures

37. The Environment • Low on shelves • In baskets • Washable and sturdy • Soft cozy places • Display with covers visible Mobile infants and toddlers

38. The Environment Dramatic Play/Science • Small pads • Clip boards • Large sheets of paper • Tape • Tags • Notebooks • Writing instruments • Menus • Taking orders • Large Signs • Price tags • Notation of symptoms • Recording Observations and findings • Sketching • Labeling

39. Printed Materials • Topic/theme related books • Magazines • Pamphlets • Brochures • Postcards • Greeting Cards • Letters • traffic signs • Envelopes • Boxes • Maps

40. The Classroom Library • Comfortable seating • Soft areas • Include information poetry, stories, alphabet, counting and wordless pictures books • Open-face bookracks • Display children’s work, posters and other materials • Cassette player and headphones • Rubber stamps and ink • Pretend eye glasses • Flannel board • Books from wide range of difficulty

41. The Classroom Library Book “Hospital” • Crate or box (can decorate) • Invisible tape • Art gum erasers • Glue • Heavy duty book tape • Disinfectant (10 parts water and one part ammonia or alcohol)-dab on paper towel to wipe off covers and board books.

42. Book “Hospital” • Wait until children are not present to use disinfectant, rubber cement or similar substances or materials • Model doing a few “repairs” to introduce the “hospital” to children • Other ways children can participate (?)

43. English Language Learners • Use gestures and body language • Avoid slang words • Anticipate unfamiliar words • Support play and small group activities • Repeat and review • Use multimedia • Speak slowly and clearly • Rephrase in shorter sentences

44. Emerging Young Writers

45. Emerging Young Writers

46. Reading Aloud • What would children enjoy about this book? • Appropriate for age group? • What are the learning objectives? • Does the book promote the development of literacy skills? • Does the book reflect diversity? • Would you include the book in the library area?

47. Implementation Checklist • What areas are well established? • What areas need improvement • Three ideas I plan to implement to improve.

48. Writing Centers

49. Writing Centers

50. Writing Centers