Professional Development Ideas for Promoting Early Literacy

The print version of this issue of Classroom Leadership outlined strategies that help teachers and parents promote reading readiness in prekindergarten. The workshop activities described in this online article are designed to help teachers and parents become comfortable in using the 10 strategies, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will use them on a regular basis.

1. Have daily conversations with children. Listening and speaking are the foundation of reading and writing.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Working in pairs, see how it feels when one person interrupts the other to ask questions or finish sentences. Then practice being quiet and listening, speaking only occasionally to ask a clarifying question or make a supportive comment.
   Conversations also set the stage for having fun with language. Singing songs, telling stories, reciting rhymes, and moving to rhythmic chants help children develop phonological awareness; that is, knowing the sounds of speech.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Think of familiar nursery rhymes or chants. List the sounds children hear when reciting them (for example, the ending in “eensy, weensy, spider”). Make up new endings for familiar rhymes. (“Jack be nimble, Jack be red, Jack jump over the _____.”) Have fun with this activity, and it will become apparent why children will enjoy it, too.
   Pointing out the individual sounds in words promotes phonemic awareness. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in the language, whether a single letter such as /s/ or a letter combination such as /sh/. Phonics is the relationship between sounds and letters. So, for example, if a child asks how to spell “dog,” a teacher might say, “It starts with the sound /d/ and the letter d looks like this.”
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Role play games of alliteration. For example, put three objects that start with the /b/ sound in a bag (such as ball, block, and book) and ask a team member to add something else that begins with b.
2. Keep lots of printed materials and writing materials within children's reach.Classrooms and homes should be filled with things to read.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: List all the printed and writing materials that can be easily found or added to the classroom and home. Focus on materials that can be reused or recycled and inexpensive places to obtain them (garage sales, resale shops, used book sales at the library). Make labels for objects children use regularly. Think of different ways to post or hang them where children can easily see them.
3. Set up a reading and writing space for children. Classrooms and homes should have a special space for reading and writing to convey their importance.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Set up your own private reading and writing space and a regular time to use it—for example, a corner of the teacher's lounge in the early morning or a small table in the bedroom that is off limits to other family members between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. Individualize this space, perhaps with something as simple as your favorite pen. When adults discover the pleasure of reserving a sacred space and time to read and write, they will appreciate the value of providing the same opportunity to children.
4. Let children observe adults reading and writing.
   Young children imitate adults, so modeling reading and writing is important.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Shadow another adult for part of the day at school or home. List all the times that person engages in reading or writing, especially when children are nearby. Brainstorm ways to call children's attention to the activities on the list.
5. Read with children every day. Teachers and parents should set aside a regular time each day to read with children.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Adults enjoy being read to just as much as children. Recapture this joy by reading aloud with another adult or listening to a short story on the radio. (Many public radio stations offer this type of programming.) Practice reading children's storybooks with another adult.
6. Call children's attention to reading and writing in everyday activities. Young children's natural curiosity provides many opportunities to include reading and writing in daily routines.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: List the ways reading and writing are part of the daily routine. How is reading and writing used when grocery shopping, for example? Keep a notebook handy and jot down more examples of reading and writing in your daily activities.
7. Encourage children to “read.” When children pretend to read, they show their basic understanding of book concepts.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: “Read” familiar storybooks using only the pictures. “Read” the cover of a cereal box or other food container, making up words from the pictures or your knowledge of the product.
8. Display children's writing. Display all the different forms of children's writing, including scribble letters and words based on word sounds (for example, “bg” for “big”).
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: List places to display children's writing in the classroom and at home. Other than bulletin boards and refrigerators, what comes to mind? Brainstorm creative ways, beyond tapes and clips, to attach the writing. Think of eye-level surfaces that can be cleared off to provide more display space.
9. Make a word bank or word file. A word bank or word file is an illustrated dictionary of words children use when they talk, read, and write.
   Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: List 10 words that you regularly write (for example, on your task or grocery list) and make an entry for each one. Have fun illustrating the words or cutting out appropriate photos. Find an old file box or notebook (or buy one) and fill it with blank cards to start a word bank or file for children.
10. Take children to the library. Visit the school or public library often, preferably on a regular schedule.
    Training and practice strategies for teachers and parents: Sew sturdy tote bags that children can use to carry books to and from the library. Let children decorate the bags themselves. Get flyers about library events, post them on the parents' bulletin board, and send copies home. Arrange to take children on a library tour. Provide stamp pads and other equipment (for example, a check-out desk and return box) so they can play “library” at school or home.

By participating in these workshop activities, teachers and parents will become more confident in using the strategies with young children. By rediscovering the satisfaction and fun of reading for themselves, adults will be able to more easily and naturally encourage preschoolers to become literate, too.

References

Epstein, A. S. (1993). Training for quality: Improving early childhood programs through systematic inservice training. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Resources

Epstein, A. S. (2002). Helping your preschool child become a reader: Ideas for parents. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. (2000). Key experiences in language and literacy. (Videotape and booklet.) Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. (2001). How young children learn to read in High/Scope programs. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press. Available athttp://www.highscope.org/NewsNotes/PositionPapers/mainpage.htm.

Hohmann, M. (2002). Fee fi phonemic awareness! 120 pre-reading activities for preschoolers. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.

Hohmann, M. & Weikart, D. P. (2002). Educating young children: Active learning practices for preschool and child care programs. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press.