Early Literacy
T/TAC at VCU
Goals for Today
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We will provide an overview of the
components of a quality early
childhood program
We will discuss the evidence-based
research within the domains of
language and literacy
We will share developmentally
appropriate practices and activities
for the preschool classroom
“Excellence Makes the
Difference”
Activity
Quality Early Childhood
Programs
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Environment
Regular routine
Parent/Teacher Communication
Teaching methods
Varied curriculum
Language experiences
Literacy experiences
Language Development
Receptive Language
(Listening and Understanding)
Children are:
 attending to and understanding
different forms of spoken language
 progressing in understanding directions
 understanding an increasingly complex
and varied vocabulary
Expressive Language
(Speaking and Communicating)
Children are:
 developing the ability to understand and
use language to communicate
 progressing in their ability to initiate
and respond to conversation
 using complex and varied spoken
vocabulary
 progressing in spoken clarity and length
Receptive
Expressive
Oral
Language
Listening
Speaking
Written
Language
Reading
Writing
How Do You Assess Language?
Observations
 Anecdotal records
 Samples of children’s work
 Student responses and interactions
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Classroom Activities
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Listening to stories, poems, and
expository text
Telling and retelling stories and nursery
rhymes
Singing and chanting
Making predictions
Discussing text
Discussing experiences and past events
Specific instruction in language concepts
Literacy
Assessing Literacy
Phonological Awareness Screening
(PALS)
 Observations
 Anecdotal records
 Samples of children’s work
 Student responses and
interactions
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Phonological awareness
is…
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Working with
individual sounds in
words, called
phonemes.
Understanding sounds
work together to
form words.
The research
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Phonemic awareness and letter-sound
knowledge account for more of the
variation in early reading and spelling
success. (National Reading Panel, 2000)
Studies show that a reader’s ability to
remember, imitate, recall, manipulate,
and articulate sounds is essential to
early reading. (NICHD)
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The ability to process sounds that are
heard (phonological processing)
differentiates good readers from poor
readers. It’s a predictor of future
reading performance and achievement.
Preschoolers show a growing
awareness of:
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Rhyme
Beginning sounds
Ending sounds
Separating sounds/syllables
Associating sounds with written
words
Guidelines for Phonological
Awareness Activities
Fun and developmentally appropriate
Done in groups
Encourage curiosity about language
Address individual differences
Provide useful information about students
Include visual clues
Yopp, 1992
Activities
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Group activities
Nursery Rhymes
Literature
Songs
Software
PALS web site
(http://pals.virginia.edu/Instructional-Resources/)
Print Awareness
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Left to right, top to bottom, front
to back
Letters, words and spaces
Functions of print
Matching spoken and written words
Print carries a message
Illustrations carry meaning
How do we do this?
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Classroom full of print
Repeated readings of literature
Predictable text patterns
Poems and songs
Environmental print
Displaying children’s work
Book Knowledge and
Appreciation
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Recognizes favorite books
Understands that books and other
print resources are handled in specific
ways
Imitates the special language in books
and story dialogue
Enjoys listening to and discussing books
read aloud
Retells and acts out stories, makes
predictions
To foster appreciation and book
knowledge
Read storybooks to
children
 Read informational books
to children
 Create a print rich
environment
 Reading related
activities
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Alphabet Letters and Sounds
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Children begin to associate the names
of letters with their shapes
They begin to notice beginning letters
in familiar words
They make some letter/sound matches
Students may begin to identify some
of the letters of the alphabet
How do we do this?
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Familiarize students with the names
and shapes of letters
Begin with letters in names
Use letter/keyword/picture displays
when introducing (Adams, 1990)
Early Writing
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Begins to understand writing is a way
to communicate
Represents stories and experiences
through pictures and dictation
Experiments with a variety of writing
tools and materials
Progresses through developmental
continuum
What to do?
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Provide experiences for writing
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Have a print rich environment
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Include writing opportunities in play
Points to remember…
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Young children develop vocabulary,
extended language skills and knowledge
of the world when given opportunities
to interact with children and adults in
language and print-rich environments.
Activities should be integrated across
the different developmental areas.
On-going assessment assists planning
and evaluation.
For additional information please visit our
website at: http://www.vcu.edu/ttac or
participate in our online community at
http://ttacoline.org