Current research has proven the critical role of parents and caregivers in developing language and early literacy skills in children beginning at birth.
Early childhood and early literacy research is not always easily accessible to parents and caregivers — or even to library staff. The Public Library Association and the Association for
Library Service to Children, in cooperation with the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development of the National Institutes of Health, have partnered to bring important information about early literacy to library systems around the country. Libraries will play a key role in disseminating information about the importance of early literacy to parents, child care providers, early childhood educators, children‘s advocates and political decision makers.
To increase the number of children in Dallas entering school ready to learn to read
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Recognizing that the primary caregivers are the first/most important teachers.
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Focusing on out of classroom learning settings: homes, daycares, churches, recreational centers.
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Through Thriving Minds (formerly known as DALI- Dallas Arts Learning Initiative).
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 1

•
Pre-reading skills that children must learn in order to read and write. Multiple art forms will be used to enhance these skills.
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Narrative skills (Art form emphasis – storytelling)
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Being able to describe things and events and tell stories
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Helps children understand what they read
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Print motivation (Art form emphasis - bookmaking and related crafts)
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Being interested in and enjoying books
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Children who enjoy books and reading will read more. Children become good readers by practicing.
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Vocabulary – (Art form emphasis- theater and drama)
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Knowing the names of things
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Helps children understand what they read
•
Helps children recognize words when they try to sound them out
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Phonological awareness (Art form emphasis
– music and poetry)
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Being able to hear and play with smaller sounds in words
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Helps children sound out words as they begin to read
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Letter knowledge (Art form emphasis
– shapes and spatial relations)
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Knowing letters are different from each other, know their names and sounds, and recognizing letters everywhere
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Helps children understand that words are made of smaller parts, and to the names of those parts
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Print awareness (Art form emphasis
– drawing)
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Noticing print everywhere
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Knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on a page
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Helps children feel comfortable with books so they can concentrate on reading
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 2

Learning to read and write is essential to school success. Children who are proficient readers are usually the most successful learners.
Studies point to a relationship between shared reading experiences, language development and reading achievement. Children who are read to from an early age have more advanced language skills at age four. They also have a greater interest in books and enjoy reading activities to a greater extent. A child’s interest in reading is an important predictor of later reading achievement.
 Art helps students visualize the images words represent as they learn to read
 Art develops fine-motor skills, necessary prerequisites for writing
 Art develops the whole brain and the whole child
 Music nurtures a child's cognitive, emotional, social, language, and physical development
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Development of literacy is a continuous process that begins early in life and depends heavily on environmental influences
•
Early reading experiences are now recognized as being of such importance that the
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that “pediatricians prescribe reading activities along with other instructions given to parents at the time of wellchild visits.”

Define early literacy and explain its importance.
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Present the six pre-reading skills that help children get ready to read.
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Introduce Dialogic Reading as a way parents and caregivers can help develop
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pre-reading skills in their children. Demonstrate how to use Dialogic Reading when reading picture books.
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Offer ideas to make book sharing an enjoyable experience so that parent and child read together more often
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Suggest books, rhymes and other resources that are age app ropriate
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 3

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Register up to 35 participants per session. The sessions are intended for parents and caregivers only, although children may come. Have books and toys on hand for children who attend.
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Choose a self-contained room, if possible, for the sessions.
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Offer sessions during the day and the evening or weekend to make them available to stay-at-home and working parents.
Every Child Ready To Read poster
[
]
New Road (Gibbons)
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear? (Carlstrom)
Jump, Frog, Jump (Kalan)
Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo (Lewis)
Bam Bam Bam (Merriam)
Three Little Kittens (Galdone)
Flower Garden (Bunting)
Hush! A Thai Lullaby (Ho)
Mainly Mother Goose — Tape/CD (Sharon, Lois & Bram)
Head and Shoulders from Wee Sing for Babies (Beall)
Your choice of resources about how to choose books for two- and three-year olds
Video: Hear & Say Reading
Equipment:
A television and VCR
Flip chart or blackboard
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Use this script as a guide when making presentations to parents and caregivers.
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Feel free to substitute books and rhymes that are more familiar to you or your audience.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 4

Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 5

Time : 5 minutes
Purpose of Activity:
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Participants will receive an overview of the session
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Participants will begin to reflect on their own views of the impact adults have on children and literacy skills.
Materials needed:
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Participant Guides (to distribute)
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Pre-Assessment (copies for all attendees)
Instructions for facilitators:
1. Ask participants to fill-out Pre-Assessment
2. Give participants overview of the workshop
Welcome to Every Child Ready to Read. During this workshop, we will celebrate the wonderful things parents and caregivers already do for children to help they get ready to read. Throughout our session today, we will give you other ideas that you can use to help get your children ready for school, specifically getting them ready to read. Today you will learn about how to take advantage of opportunities that arise in daily life to help your child get ready to read. Often these are unplanned, casual acts like commenting about words on an article of clothing or encouraging children to talk more when you are having a conversation. It may also be making an effort to ready good books with children, telling what new words mean and helping them use these new words. Getting your child ready to read also means singing songs, playing games, doing art activities, and playing with your child.
 We’re going to talk about things you can do with your preschooler to help him or her enjoy language, books and reading.
 We will tell you about six very important skills that you can begin teaching right now to help your child get ready to learn to read when he or she begins school.
 We’ll tell you about art activities you can do with your child to reinforce and enhance the six skills
 We will show you a way to read picture books with your two- and three-year old that can dramatically increase language development.
 We’ll suggest some great books, songs and word games that you can use to help your child learn these pre-reading skills.
One of the things we have provided for you is an Every Child Ready to Read guide that will give you information on early literacy as well as tips for developing reading skills with your child. This guide will be used throughout the workshop and it’s yours to write in and take home.
Please make yourself comfortable. Get up and stretch or move around during the session if you need to. Please take care of yourself. During the workshop, please express your opinions and questions, please allow others to express theirs, and please understand that we have only so much time, I may to stop you before you are finished and ask whether we can talk more after the session.
We will be working in small groups during the workshop. Your group consists of the at your table .
Let's start with a rhyme that young children enjoy. Keeping books and language fun will keep them coming back for more.
☼ [ DEMONSTRATE the following rhyme or song or one of your choice]
Five Little Ducks
(Adapted from Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 6

Time : 10 minutes
Purpose of activity:

To share information about the importance of early literacy for later success in school
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To illustrate the amount of time and opportunities available for literacy activities
Materials Needed:

Participant Guide, page ____

Puzzles for each small group
Instructions for facilitators:
1. Make copies of the five statements below in a large font to have one statement per page a. Children who have may literacy experiences as toddlers and preschoolers come to school ready to learn. (Allington & Walmsley, 1995) b. During the first months and years of life, children’s experiences with language and literacy can begin to form a basis for their later reading success. (Burns,
1999) c. Values, attitudes, and expectations held by parents and other with respect to literacy are likely to have a last ing effect on a child’s attitude about learning to read. (Snow et al., 1998, p. 138) d. Research shows the development of early literacy skills through early experiences with books and stories is critically linked to a child’s success in learning to read. Children who are read to from an early age have a larger vocabulary and better language skills when they start school.
[Source: Catherine Snow. “The Contacts of Literacy: What Children Learn from Learning to Read
Books” in W. H. Teale Emergent Literacy: Writing andReading , Norwood.] e. They also have a greater interest in books. Children who want to have books read to them are more likely to want to learn to read. A child’s interest in reading is an important predictor of later reading achievement.
Source : Adam Payne, Grover Whitehurst, and Andrea Angell. “The Role of Home Literacy
Environment in the Development of Language Ability in Preschool Children for LowIncome Families”.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly v. 9 issues 3-4 (1994) p.422-440.]
2. Cut each page into puzzle pieces (about 10 pieces per page) and place in an envelope.
Do NOT mix the statements in the same envelope
3. Make enough puzzles for each group to receive one. Depending on the group size, some groups will have the same puzzle.
4. Explain to the participants that we will be talking about the importance of helping their children get ready to read.
5. Make sure participants have their Participant Guide CLOSED.
6. Tell participants that they will be working on a puzzle that contains a key element of helping children get ready to read.
7. Distribute envelopes to each group and let them begin working on their puzzle.
8. When all the groups have completed their puzzles, ask them to read the statement on their puzzle aloud.
9. Ask participants to turn to page ____ in the Participant Guide.
10. After participants read their puzzles, you may elaborate on the following points: a. Parents and caregivers can help children grow up to be successful readers and learners beginning at birth. b. The importance of helping your child get ready to read i. Learning to read and write is essential to school success ii. Children who are good readers are usually the most successful learners.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 7

c. How the ability to read and write does not always develop naturally, without parents’ and caregivers’ deliberate guidance. d. How children are able to get ready to read as early as 6 weeks of age i. Children get ready to read long before they start school e. How children can get ready to read as they go about their daily routines f. Give your child a life-long an advantage if you start now to develop a love for books and reading g. Research shows that attention to early literacy activities before entering school results in higher achievement levels.
Importance of Parent/Caregiver:
Parents and other caregivers are in the best position to help young children get ready to read because:
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You know your children best and can help them learn in the ways that are easiest for them.
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Young children learn best by doing things, and love to do things with YOU.
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Young children often have short attention spans and enjoy repeating favorite activities.
You can read to your child and share early literacy activities for short bits of time throughout the day.
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Parents are tremendous role models —If your children see that you value and enjoy reading, they will follow your lead.
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Children learn best by doing things —and they love doing things with YOU. So read with your child every day.
(Adapted from Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 8

Time: 10 minutes
Purpose of Activity:

To establish the concept of routine activities as opportunities for meaningful interactions
Materials needed:

Flipchart, whiteboard, or other way to record responses

Marker
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Participant Guide, page _____
Instructions for Facilitators:
1. Ask participants to think of children who are two or three years old. a. Two and three olds are already busy learning language and getting ready to read. What are some of the things your children do now during a typical day? b. Write responses on flipchart or whiteboard. Some responses might include:
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2. At conclusion of list, let participant know they will see that many of these relate to early literacy.
3. Ask participants to turn to page ____ in their Participant Guide.
4. Ask participants to put a star next to the activities that are part of their child’s routine.
5. Ask participants to draw a circle around one activity they would like to add to their routine with their children.
(Adapted from Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 9

Time: 20 minutes
Materials needed:

Posters with early literacy defintion and six skills

Participant Guide
Purpose of activity:
1. To help participants understand what early literacy is
2. To introduce the six pre-reading skills and understand activities they can do to help their children develop these skills
Instructions for Facilitators:
1. Show definition of early literacy on poster. Explain they may have heard this term used.
The definition we will be using is:
Early Literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read or write (Repeat definition)
2. Refer to the Poster – Six Pre-Reading Skills Your Child Can Start Learning From Birth
3. Ask participants to turn to page ____ in their Participant Guide.
4. Introduce the six pre-reading skills to the participants a. Print Motivation b. Vocabulary c. Narrative Skills d. Print Awareness e. Letter Knowledge f. Phonological Awareness
5. Explain to participants that some activities are already listed for them under each of the six skills. Please add any more ideas they learn today.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 10

PRINT MOTIVATION is a child's interest in and enjoyment of books.
Why is this important for children to find books interesting and enjoyable?
Children who enjoy books and reading will be curious about how to read. They will read more.
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 and reading. When the experience of sharing a book is pleasurable for both the parent and the child, the child will be more attentive and responsive. The more pleasurable book sharing is, the more regular and frequent an activity it will become.
[Source: 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)]
READ a book you enjoy, MODELING how to read it in a cheerful voice.
For example: Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy Carlstrom
What can parents do to help two- and three- year olds enjoy books and want to read more?
 Read often and make it enjoyable.
 Make sure you and your child are in good moods, so the experience is a positive one.
 Stop reading when your child becomes tired or loses interest.
Print Motivation Art Connections o Bookmaking o Draw a picture of a character from the story o Make something you saw in the story o Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story o Make your own rebus story o Create story puppets
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 11

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.
Young children are much better at hearing different sounds or phonemes than adults. This is why children are wired for learning multiple languages in the early years.
Being able to hear the beginning and ending sounds that make up words will help children sound out words when they begin to read
One of the best, and most enjoyable, ways is to sing and to say nursery rhymes, and to sing songs.
 Hearing words that rhyme helps your child learn that words are made up of smaller parts.
 Songs have different note for each syllable, this helps children break down words. Sing throughout the day, as you do routines such as bathing, dressing, putting toys away, etc.
Make up your own songs too.
 Head and Shoulders song from Wee Sing for Baby by Beall
 Miss Muffet or Eensy Weensy Spider (from Mainly Mother Goose tape by Sharon, Lois and Bram
 Excerpt from rhyming book such as Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
 Excerpt from book with sounds such as Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Ho (different animal sounds in different cultures)

Rhyming Fun in a Box
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Rhyming Time
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See Participant Guide page ____
o Sing songs with your child o Make egg shakers (see Participant Guide page ___) o Listen to music especially songs with words o Share poems with your child (especially rhyming poems)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 12

Time: 15 minutes
Purpose of Activity:

To illustrate the rhythm of language and words
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To model nursery rhymes, songs, chants, poems and other examples of language in a playful purposeful ways.
Materials needed:

Participant Guide page _____

Examples of nursery rhymes and songs prepared ahead of time
Instructions for facilitators:
1. Using the rhymes below, model the rhymes for participants.
2. Write the rhymes on a chart prior to session (or use rhyme posters in
Facilitators Guide).
3. Demonstrate the sing-song joy of the language of rhymes.
4. Model a nursery rhyme using inflection and playfulness.
5. Ask participants to list as many nursery rhymes as they can think of in their guide. Then compare with others at the table.
6. Ask participants to select one nursery rhyme from their table and recite it to the large group.
7. Sing a common child’s song or use a CD/tape to model the language of rhyme in music.
8. Ask participants to list as many children’s songs as they can think of in their guide. Then compare with others at the table.
9. Ask participants to select one song from their table and share with the group.
10. Share prepared examples of nursery rhymes and songs with participants on flipcharts. Ask participants to join in on the second reading of the example.
11. Facilitator will model examples of rhyming words or nonsense words usage for participants. Facilitator will prepare these on a chart ahead of time so that all participants can view them. Use the following examples and ask participants to say them with you. Give the participants the opportunity to add some of their own.
Rain, Rain go away.
Please come back another _____.
Sam had a ____(cat).
Ask participants what other words rhyme with cat. Make a list next to the sentence
(rat, zat, bat, hat). Explain they can be nonsense words. The goal is to remove the initial letter and keep the ending in tact.
Researchers have found that children will spend an average of 26 minutes reading, talking about, and guessing words during word plays. If word plays are not used they will pay attention to print for only 10 minutes. (Campbell, 1998)
(From Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 13

Time: 5 minutes
Purpose of activity:

To hear sounds and make new words
Materials needed:

Participant Guide page ____
Instructions for facilitators:
1. Ask participants to turn to page ___ in their guide.
2. Choose words from the chart and spend about 60 seconds making up silly words.
 Example: wat, zat, dap, cip pip, spip
3. Ask participants to now spend some time making up silly sentences.
 Example: The wat went to pip for a snip.
4. Ask participants to think of real words that rhyme and write them down and share with a partner which parts sound the same.
5. Practice hearing and clapping the parts of words.
 Examples:

jump ing (2 claps)
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Go (1 clap)
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Hap py (2 claps)
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Ma ri a (3 claps)
 Use the following rhyme to demonstrate:
Super duper 1, 2, 3
Can you say your name for me? (or Can you say the word for me?)
Bob by (2 claps)
Let’s all say it
Bob by (2 claps)
Repeat with other names or words
Note to facilitators:
During the preschool years, most children gradually become sensitive to letter sounds, as well as the meanings of spoken words. They demonstrate this awareness in many ways.
For instance, they notice rhymes and enjoy poems and rhyming songs; they make up silly names for things by substituting one sound for another (e.g. bubblegum, bubbleyum); they break long words into syllables or clap with each part.
Let’s look at the Participant Guide page ___. Choose words from the chart and spend about
60 seconds making up silly words. (Example: wat, zat, dap, cip, pip, spip). Spend another
60 seconds making up silly sentences. (Example: The wat went to pip for a spip.)
Think of real words which rhyme. For example “goat” and “coat”, “bat” and sat”, “lip” and
“sip”. Write them down and with a partner in your group, point to parts which sound the same. Try this with your own child.
Practice hearing and clapping the parts of words with your child. For example: “jump ing” (2 claps), “go” (1 clap), “hap py” (2 claps), “Ma ri a” (3 claps).
(From Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 14

VOCABULARY is knowing the names of things
Why is it important for children to hear a wide range of vocabulary and to expose them to many words?
 Children need to know the meaning of words to understand what they are reading.
 When you think about it, you know if you are reading a word correctly if you have heard it before. You are sounding it out. The more words children hear, the more ready they will be to make connections when they read.
GIVE EXAMPLE OF SOUNDING OUT CARROT. Write “carrot” on a flipchart or blackboard. As you sound out the word, you don’t know if you are saying it correctly unless you have heard it before.
 Talk and read with your children. Reading to children is especially important in building a larger vocabulary because children hear more new words when you read books.
 Label more than just things; label feelings
—yours and your child’s. This will help your child express how he feels and become less frustrated.
 Explain unfamiliar words rather than replacing them with familiar ones.
[READ an excerpt from Bam Bam Bam or a book of your choice to show that books offer words that parents and caregivers might not use in normal conversation with children.
USE New Road by Gail Gibbons or a non-fiction book of your choice as an example of how nonfiction can also introduce new words and help increase a child’s vocabulary.]

Expand on what you read or talk about.
 Label feelings, both yours and your child’s. This will help your child express how he or she feels and become less frustrated.

Talk about concepts like more/less/same; before/after; above/below; time and seasons; also ideas like fairness, friendship, honesty. This helps children develop vocabulary about things that are real but cannot be seen.
If you are more 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.
[Source: Patton O. Tabors . One Child, Two Languages . Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes, 1997.]
Vocabulary Art Connections

Peekaboo Game (Dorayne Breedlove)
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Name Book
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Changing Face Cup puppet
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Coffee Can Theater – show a picture or word and act it out or move like the word

Emotion cards

Using paintings/photographs help your child identify the objects in the painting/photograph
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 15

PRINT AWARENESS is noticing print everywhere; knowing how to handle a book; knowing how we follow the words on a page.
Why is print awareness important?
 Children must become aware of words before they can read them.
 They also must be familiar with how books work: books have a cover, you begin reading at the top of the page and from left to right (in English), books have words and pictures to tell the story. We read the text/print on the page, not the pictures.
 When children feel comfortable with books, they can concentrate on reading.
How can parents help children notice print and understand how books work?
 Let your child turn the pages as you read a book
 As you read, point to words from time to time so your child learns you are reading text, not the pictures
 Hold book up-side-down and see if the child knows it has to be turned around.
 If a book has a word or phrase that repeats, point to it on the page and let the child say it, and you point to the words
 Have your child make a book; talk about the different parts: cover, words, pictures, beginning, middle, end
 Print is everywhere —help your preschooler recognize it: names of restaurants and stores, food, movies, stop signs and street signs and other types of print that you see as you walk and drive.
Print Awareness Art Connections: o Drawing o Painting with Colored Yolk o Make your own mailbox and send letters to yourself and friends o Make and decorate signs
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 16

Additional activity
Time: 15 minutes
Purpose of Activity:
 To increase the number of specific words used by the child
 To understand the importance of using exact names of objects and events
Materials needed:

Participant guide

Sample environmental print diary

Newspapers, food ads, magazines, flyers, etc.

Paper, poster board, scissors, glue
Instructions for facilitators:
1. Ask participants to turn to page __ in the Participant Guide.
2. Ask participants to write down all the signs and words that their children could read or recognize while in the car. They may share others if they wish.
3. Show participants how to make an environmental print diary or poster for their child a. Create an environmental print diary ahead of time as an example. Cut out pictures of well-known signs and logos that children might recognize and put these in a book made out of construction paper.
4. Have participants make four-page environmental print diary for their child.
Note to facilitators: As infants and toddlers are attempting to say words, we as adults can easily assist. Young children will learn to recognize things in their everyday environment.
Traveling in the car with your child is an excellent time for oral language development. As you drive along say the names of the places you see and point to the signs, such as
McDonald’s or Target. Children will remember the visual signs as precursor to reading.
Your child is reading when he/she is reading signs. We are going to put together a simple environmental print diary for your child. On your table you will find pictures and ads from places in your areas. Cut out and glue at least three pictures on the paper. Write the name of the place under the picture. Put your child’s name on top of the page. After you are finished, you will have a sample you can take home.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 17

LETTER KNOWLEDGE is knowing that letters are different from each other and that they have different names and sounds.
Why is letter knowledge important?
To read written words, children must understand that the written word is made up of smaller parts, individual letters, and that each letter has its own name and is related to sound.
 Point out the shapes of toys and other objects This ball is round. (Help your child feel the rounded shape.) This block has corners.
 Talk about how things are alike and different.
 Use simple puzzles to help children see different shapes.
 Read alphabet books and sing alphabet songs to introduce children to letters.
 Play with magnetic letters or make letters from playdough
 Talk about the letters that are most interesting to your child — like the first letter of his or her name. If your chil d’s name begins with “T,” help your child find the letter T on signs, food boxes, mail and on other objects. When you find a word that begins with the letter
T, say the word and have your child repeat. Ask what else begins with T. Repeat this activity using the beginning letters of other things your child likes.
 Use what we call environmental print
—find the letters in signs all around us.
Letter Knowledge Art Connections:

Play with Clay

Name Books

Use real-life examples of art/shapes – houses, windows, colors
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 18

Time: 10 minutes
Purpose of activity:

To model various activities to add excitement to learning the names of letters and words
 To use the child’s name to build more vocabulary and sound recognition
 To enable participants to create a sample letter book using their children’s first names

To encourage participants to practice using everyday materials to help children read
Materials needed:

Wide selection of newspaper, magazines, junk mail, food ads, etc.

Several sheets of plain paper to make the book

Glue, tape, scissors, stapler per table

A sample name book prepared prior to session by facilitator

Participant Guide page ___
Instructions to facilitators:
1. Provide plain pieces of paper and markers.
2. Staple the pieces of paper together to make a book.
3. Show your example of a completed book.
4. Directions and extensions are in the Participant Guide page ____.
5. Ask participants to write the name of their child on the cover of their book and place one letter on each page afterwards at the top or bottom of the page.
6. Ask them to cut out and glue appropriate pictures that match the letter on the page. They might want to draw a picture of something their child knows.
7. Encourage participants to take their book home and share it with their child. If they did not finish making the book, encourage participants to take the book home and complete it and even include their child in the process.
Note to facilitators: We know that children learn and respond to their names, so it make sense one of the first words they learn to read and write would be their name. They are f ascinated by anything containing their name. You might have heard them say “That’s my name” or “That’s a letter in my name”.
We can promote vocabulary development by simply connecting new objects and labels to letters in a child’s name. We are going to make a name book using the letters of your child’s name and connect them to other objects. You will find paper and pictures on your table. If you would rather draw a picture, please do so.
(From Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 19

Narrative skills is the ability to describe things and events and tell stories.
Why are narrative skills important to learning how to read?

Being able to talk about and explain what happens in a story helps a child understand the meaning of what he or she is reading. Good narrative skills lead to good reading comprehension.
What can parents do to help two- and three-year olds develop narrative skills?
 Name things (real objects and pictures in books) as you go through the day
 Make sure your child has lots of opportunities to talk with you, not just listen to you talk.
Some ways of talking are better at developing narrative skills. For example: o Ask your child to tell you about something that happened to him today; ask for more details so he can expand on his narrative.
Ask questions that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no.” This encourages your child to think and increases comprehension. o Tell your child stories to help her learn how a story is told. o As you go through your day, talk about some of the things you are doing. o Choose a book you’ve read a number of times. Read it again and at certain points in the story, let your child tell you what happens next. o Let your child tell a story using props or puppets. o Have your child draw and tell you what is happening in the picture. o As your child gets older, label not just things but also actions, feelings, and ideas.
Happy, sad and angry are common feelings, but think of less common ones, too: embarrassed, quiet, sleepy, jealous, frustrated and others. Talk about your own feelings. Use words to say what your child might be feeling.
 Listen as child tries to talk, be patient
Art Activity with Participants:
Instructions for facilitator:
 Show a piece of art to the group and asks small groups to: o Tell the story of a piece of art (painting, sculpture, photograph, musical number) –
What, who where, why – follow-up – write story that child tells (print awareness)
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Time: 5 minutes
Purpose of Activity: To guide participants in the movement and motions of finger plays
Instructions for facilitators:
1. Lead participants in the finger play, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” with movements.
2. Have participants practice this finger play with you.
3. If time allows, lead participants in other variations of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” such as “very small or very large spider” and change voice and motions accordingly.
Note to facilitators: Acting out stories and performing finger plays helps children learn that print has meaning and contains a message. Finger plays are movements of the hands to create a story or rhyme. The movements also make it easier to learn new words.
(From Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
Narrative Skills Art Connection: o Tell the story of a piece of art (painting, sculpture, photograph, musical number) –
What, who where, why – follow-up – write story that child tells (print awareness) o Storytelling o Change the ending/sequencing o Act out the story o Puppets
to the list of things that they say two- and three-year-olds do, or that they do with their children. For each activity they mentioned, see what early literacy skill it relates to. If you have the skills and their definitions written on posters on the wall, it helps them make the connections.
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How we read to children is as important as how often we read. A common way to read to children is for the adult to read and the child to listen.
☼[ READ Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis or Jump, Frog, Jump by Robert Kalan — or another book of your choice —to demonstrate how books are usually read.]
There is another way to read a book that helps children develop narrative skills and vocabulary.
It’s called Dialogic Reading or the “Hear and Say” method.
With Dialogic Reading, the adult helps the child tell the story. The adult becomes the questioner, the listener and the audience.
Research has shown that Dialogic Reading is very powerful. On tests of language development, children who were actively involved in the reading process with hear and say reading had more advanced language and pre-reading skills. Children can jump ahead several months in learning after only a few weeks of Dialogic Reading.
[Gr over Whitehurst, et al. “A Picture Book Reading Intervention in Day Care and Home for Children from Low-Income
Families.” Developmental Psychology v.30 no.5 (1994) p.679-689.]
Research has confirmed how important expressive vocabulary is as children learn to read.
Good readers do sound out words they don’t know in order to figure them out.
[National Research Council. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children . Washington, DC: National Academy
Press, 1998.]
Let’s see how Dialogic Reading works. [ SHOW PART ONE of the video, Hear and Say . Start at
2:27.]
Now let’s try Dialogic Reading ( USE THE BOOK you read earlier .)
[ REFER participants to one or all three of the following :
The Hear and Say bookmark
The handout, Dialogic Reading: What Questions
HOLD UP A BOOK and have participants think of questions to ask, respond to a child’s reply, add description.]
[Parent Handout #1 use for yourself and/or as parent handout if useful to your group]
What questions
Not questions that can be answered yes/no
Not questions where child can just point
Acknowledge child’s reply
Add some description to it
Let child repeat
[Let participants ask and answer questions as you hold up the book.
Practice in pairs, optional.]
☼ The second part of Dialogic Reading uses open-ended questions. Let’s see how that works.
[SHOW PART TWO of the video, refer participants to the handouts provided earlier and/or pass out handout: Dialogic Reading: Open-Ended Questions and Expansion.]
Now let’s try reading [USE THE BOOK YOU READ EARLIER] and ask open-ended questions.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 22

[HOLD UP A BOOK and have participants think of openended questions to ask, a child’s reply, and adult follow-up question.]
[Use Parent Handout #2 for yourself and/or as parent handout if useful to your group.]
☼ Now it’s your turn! Pair up with someone. Choose a book to read and practice Dialogic
Reading. One of you be the child and one the adult. The child gets to choose the page. After one minute or so, I’ll have you switch roles. Make sure to start with the what questions, acknowledge the child’s response, add information, then up to open-ended questions and making sure to relate what is going on to the child’s experience.
☼ [ONCE PARTICIPANTS ARE DONE, ASK: ]
What do you think about Dialogic Reading?
What did you find easiest to do?
What did you find hardest?
Dialogic Reading is a great way to help your child learn pre-reading skills.
You can still read a book all the way through without stopping to ask questions so that your child gets the continuity of the story. Children this age will ask you to read the same book again and again — you will have plenty of opportunities to use Dialogic Reading!
Some books work better for Dialogic Reading. Here are some tips for how to choose books.
[ REFER TO THE HEAR AND SAY BOOKMARK .]
Try talking this way with your child even when you are not reading a book.
Asking questions and listening to them when you’re doing things together: looking at art, driving places, watching television, playing together.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 23

Time: 5 minutes
Purpose of activity:

To encourage participants to identify key concepts of learning for them and reinforce this learning with other participants
Materials needed:

Participant Guide page ___

Blank piece of paper for each participant
Instructions to facilitators:
1. Instruct participants to go to Participant Guide page ___ and look at the list of things they could do with their child.
2. On a separate piece of paper, write down two things from the list that you will try at home, based on what you have learned today.
3. Wad the piece of paper into a ball and toss it into the air for someone to catch.
4. Catch a piece of paper that is not yours and read what it says.
5. Ask participants to share what their piece of paper says.
Note to facilitators:
On the last page of the Participant Guide, write down two things you are going to try at home, based on what you have learned today. On a piece of paper, write down something you will try when you get home with your child. Then scrunch up the piece of paper and toss it up in the air for someone else to catch. Encourage each person to read the idea they caught out loud.
(From Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
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Time: 5 minutes
Purpose of Activity:

To evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of the workshop
Instructions to facilitators:
1. Hand out the evaluations and ask each participant to complete one and return it to the facilitator. Encourage participants to provide feedback on the workshop and what they would like to learn more about on early literacy for children.
2. Give door prizes, if available.
3. Thank participants for attending and dismiss the group.
Note to facilitators:
In our session today, we have discussed the important role that both parents and caregivers have in getting their child/children ready to read. We have specifically identified 6 prereading skills: print motivation, vocabulary, narrative skills, print awareness, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness. Your Participant Guide will provide you with additional resources and be a quick reference for ideas later on. We have also learned about art activities to enhance the six skills. And you have about dialogic reading to develop narrative and vocabulary skills.
I have passed out an evaluation form that I would you to complete. It is very important to let us know how useful the information we presented in this workshop is for you. Please make sure that I have your evaluation before you leave.
Thank you for your participation and for all the hard work here today. Read and enjoy sharing books with your children!
(Adapted from Read to Me: Developing Early Literacy with Children, KERA)
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Reading picture books with your child is a great way to teach vocabulary and help your child give more complete descriptions about what they see. Look through a book before you read it with your child for the first time. The first time you read a book together, you should do most of the talking yourself, making sure that you point out the names of things your child may not know. The next time you read the same book, do the following for each of the pictures/objects you named when you and your child read the book the first time:
 Ask “what” questions:
Point to the item in the book and say, “What’s this?” or “What’s this called?” Avoid questions that your child can answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ or by pointing.

Follow answers with questions:
When your child names an object, a sk a question about it. For example: “What color is the truck?”, “What is this part of the truck called?”, “What is the dog doing?”, or “What do we use the bowl for?”



Repeat what your child says:
Let your child know his or her answer is correct by repe ating it back: “Yes, that’s a cow.”

Help your child as needed:
If your child isn’t able to answer your question, give the correct answer and ask him or her to repeat what you have said.
Praise and encourage:
Tell your child when he or she is doing we ll by saying things like: “Good talking!” or
“That’s right. Good job!”
 Follow your child’s interests:
If your child shows an interest in a picture either by talking or pointing to it, follow it up immediately by asking questions to let your child talk.

Have fun!
Try to keep your reading times fun and like a game. One way to do this is to switch between asking questions and just plain reading. For example, you could read one page and then have your child tell you about the next page. Keep your child’s mood and attention span in mind. Keep it fun.
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas – Talker Facilitator Guide 29

Parent Handout #2
Now that you’ve had some practice using “what” questions, start using more general questions as a way of getting your child to say more than just one word at a time. Build upon what your child says to help your child learn how to give even longer descriptions of what he or she sees in the pictures.

Continue to use questions when you read books together as a way to get your child talking about the pictures. Now though, instead of using specific “what” questions like
“What is this?”, ask more general open-ended questions that require your child to answer with more than one word. For example, “What do you see on this page?” or,
“What’s happening here?”

When your child doesn’t know what else to say about a picture, you say something for your child. Try to get him or her to repeat it. For example: “The duck is swimming. Now you say, ‘The duck is swimming.’”

When your child gets used to answering open-ended questions, ask your child to say something more by asking another q uestion, like “What else do you see?”

When your child says something about a picture, praise him or her, and add a little to what’s been said. For example, if your child says “Doggy bark”, you might say “Yes, the doggy is barking at the kitty.” In this way, you fill in the little words and endings your child left out and provide a new piece of information. Later you might ask a question about this new information: “Who is the doggy barking at?”

Make sure you build upon your child’s phrases just a little so that your child is able to imitate what you’ve said.

If you encourage your child to repeat your longer phrases, he or she will start using them more quickly.
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