"sounding out"

When it comes to reading with young children, we notice as educators all the different ways that they try to read words. When these children are trying to read and they are stuck they try to sound out the word. In some cases this can be beneficial but in others it just doesn't work the way it is intended to. Our language is made up of words who don't sound the way they are spelled and who even sound the exact same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. 

When I was in my field experience this semester I noticed the student's constantly trying to sound out the words and getting stuck because they were frustrated when they didn't make sense. I had come to realize different strategies to help these children learn how to read these words without such a struggle. It is important in these situations to tell these children to take a step back and look and see if it looks right or if it makes sense in the sentence that it is in. This forces the child to look deeper at the story and its content. Also as a teacher in these situations it is a good idea to involve the pictures in the figuring of the word. Guide the child's thinking towards the picture and how it is incorporated and would make sense in the sentence. This helps the child connect the meaning of the pictures with the meaning behind the words. These are just a few ways to help the students really look at the text and focus on connecting the story with the meaning. 

Literacy Playshop

what is the literacy playshop approach and what are you thinking about it?

Literacy playshop in the classroom is a way to incorporate topics that children like into the lessons in the classroom. It is a way for children to become very actively engaged in what they are learning and they will become more interested in the subjects. Begin by asking children what show or toys they like at that moment and remember to jot down what they say. Last year when i was working in a pre school classroom the children were all interested in the movie Frozen. During free time we would put out Frozen templates so they could practice sketching different outlines. During the transition periods and recess we would also play the CD so the students knew it was time to clean up and switch and they loved it. 

I think literacy playshop is a great way to bring the students interests into the classroom. They will want to participate, share with the class, learn more about others interests and keep an open mind. I think the students will only benefit from these playshops. Especially if the teacher incorporates puppet shows, videos and plays into the lessons. It will keep the students attention and allow them to think outside of the box. 

No tables or chairs haiku

Learning can be fun
It lets us create and play
More room to explore

Staying positive

As teachers, we need to focus on encouraging our students to continue bettering themselves in the classroom. Focusing on students strengths will only help them try to strive and meet the goals that they need to meet. If we focus on children's weaknesses it will bring them down and they will want to give up. Being a positive influence on students at such a young age will leave an impression that they can achieve whatever they want. Bringing them down will only cause them to want to move on and forget about what they can not do. Always having a smile on your face is the best accessory!

Literacy in my community

As a future teacher, when I think of literacy I think of all of the components inside of the classroom. In reality, literacy is everywhere around us whether we realize it or not. We see literacy in our community through the simple tasks of talking, singing, reading, drawing and writing. This can occur at home, with friends, with family or with strangers; whether you are trying to accomplish a goal or not. Having a conversation with a friend, typing an e-mail or even doodling in class are ways that literacy is shown through the community. We see parents practicing literacy with their children through playing little games or asking questions like "what sound does a pig make" or talking them through what you are doing as you are doing it. This is important so the child practices their verbal skills as well as being able to match a name with an object. Helping children work on their literacy skills at a young age will only help improve their language and phonemic development as they grow.

All over the world children are entering classrooms with students and teachers who don't speak the same language as them. These language barriers can put an emotional as well as academic strain on not only these students school lives but their personal lives as well. Entering a situation where no information is known or understood is nerve racking for anyone. Being a young and vulnerable student trying to make a better person of themselves does not deserve to be put down in any way.

We need to be more cautious and sensitive of these situations and make sure to make these children with language barriers feel like they belong. We need to make them feel like they are part of a community and can belong, even when they feel lost. When I traveled to Greece and Rome for spring break my junior year of college, I was always the outsider looking in. I did not know either of the languages and always felt like I was just in the way and misunderstood. I did not like that feeling and I don't think anyone would. As a teacher, we need to incorporate all learners and all students and make it known to them we are trying to create a relationship based on respect and trust. We are there to benefit them and make them feel welcome.

Getting Started

Lets get up and start moving! Growing up, we all heard how beneficial it was to keep moving while learning because then we are engaging ourselves properly and keeping alive, alert and active! Through the article and research, I have learned that incorporating movement and sounds into the curriculum can benefit a student relating to just about any subject and from any background no matter what prior experience or language skills that they possess.

 Every child is unique and has they own specific way they thy enjoy expressing themselves, so through free movement and free expression each chill is teaching their peers what they already know while ganging even more knowledge from others. While these children are growing through music, movement or art each child is learning several kills as t hey go whether they realize it or not! As each child watches and interacts with another child, they are picking up literacy skills and expanding their own skills at the same time. It will allow children to be able to put two and two together at their own pace through activities that they enjoy because each child is on their own learning path with their own capabilities and we as teachers need to encourage and support that!

Kinderchat

This week I had my first experience with #kinderchat on twitter and thouroughly enjoyed what I saw. When I was browsing through the posts I clicked on a tweet from February 3rd that read "I think the conversation around parent involvement, and support is huge. Parents need to be a teacher first. #kinderchat" This tweet stood out to me because of all of the comments below with responses involving mixed emotions regarding the tweet. Someone came back with "Times have changed, but kids haven't. Parents not knowing what time their kids should go to bed? Problem. #kinderchat" I think this is a good point because even though a parent can be a teacher in life it is very important to make sure to be loving and supportive at all times and for children to know it isn't always all work and no play. The argument got heated and it was interesting to follow along.

Kinderchat is a very beneficial resource for all different kinds of people to gather together and share different materials and opinions on certain topics. Everyone brings up good points and provides unique input on each topic that can help others look at a situation differently or get good ideas to bring into the classroom or provide for their own children.

The Essentials of Early Literacy Instruction

To make sure children get the proper education that they deserve, there are several different ways to promote learning in fun and engaging ways. Learning how to read at a young age needs to be promoted in a fun way so the children learn to enjoy reading and want to continue to grow and learn more. Working in small or large groups and using different materials and the children's past experiences to tie into the lessons in class help create a community where the students want to learn and benefit from all these aspects.

Here are 8 tips for effective early literacy instruction in the classroom:

1. Rich Teacher Talk: engage children in rich conversations in large group, small group, and one-to-one settings.

2. Storybook reading: Read aloud to your class, exposing children to numerous enjoyable stories, poems, and informative books.

3. Phonological awareness activities: Provide activities that increase children's awareness of the sounds of language.

4. Alphabet activities: Engage children with materials that promote identification of the letters of the alphabet.

5. Support for emergent reading: Encourage children to attempt to read books and other types of print.

6. Support for emergent writing: Encourage children to use emergent forms of writing, such as scribble writing, random letter strings and invented spelling.

7. Shared book experience: Read Big books and other enlarged texts to children, and point to the print as it is read.

8. Integrated, content- focused activities: Provide opportunities for children to investigate topics that are interest to them.

Story Telling

While children are in the classroom books are a major part of their experience. Whether they are reading the books themselves, having books be read to them or even just going along with the pictures they are picking up on literacy concepts and learning as they grow. It is always important to chose books or themes that spark interest in children so they are fully engaged and want to keep going and learn more. It is also important to make sure to be supportive as children learn so it encourages them to want to keep going.

As I mentioned previously, it is very important to support children in their reading process. Every child learns at a different pace and encouraging children that they are making progress and that their observations are accurate or on the right pace is a great way to keep them engaged. In an article I just read the main focus is on how important this strategy is in the classroom especially when it comes to storytelling in the classroom. If a book is being read out loud they believe it is necessary to point to the illustrations and talk out what is going on so that the children will be able to associate what is going on in the picture and the words and put them together in the future. Explaining the illustration also helps the children's vocabulary form. helping children develop oral vocabulary at a young age will only benefit them in the long run.



Fun ideas for home or in the classroom

Fingerplay: Make mini people or objects out of felt or on gloves and make characters from different songs or stories to keep the children involved and engaged. They will love to be able to move their fingers along to the beat or hold up the finger with the character on it when it is their turn in the story. This is a fun way to get multiple people involved in a group activity and can be used in the classroom or at home with the family or friends!

Act It Out: Have all of the students sit in a circle on the classroom floor and assign different characters to each child and provide them with a 'bib' which has a picture of each face or animal of every character in the story. When that character is mentioned in the book have that student stand up! It is a great way for the students to stay engaged and pay attention to the story and the illustrations that they are interested in.

A Family Experience

For teachers there are several ways to help motivate children to enjoy reading and to keep improving as they go. Even though these children are being exposed to these different types of reading and learning techniques in the classroom, it is also very beneficial for the children's parents to get involved with their reading at home. Getting families involved in their children's reading at home is a fun way to connect with one another while gaining knowledge from the experience!School life and family life being intertwined helps enhance the children's overall literacy!

Parents can help their children explore all different types of books at home as well as different ways of reading itself. The families can read the book aloud, take turn reading certain pages, repeat after one another, dwell on specific words that stick out, connect the pictures to the words, act the book out or even turn the book into something musical. Asking questions throughout the reading process or at the end is also beneficial for the child's understanding of what they are reading and how it all goes together. Reading with families at home can teach children that reading can be fun and it is something to enjoy!

Beautiful Minds

Lets get up and start moving! Growing up, we all heard how beneficial it was to keep moving while learning because then we are engaging ourselves properly and keeping alive, alert and active! Through the article and research, I have learned that incorporating movement and sounds into the curriculum can benefit a student relating to just about any subject and from any background no matter what prior experience or language skills that they possess. Every child is unique and has they own specific way they thy enjoy expressing themselves, so through free movement and free expression each chill is teaching their peers what they already know while ganging even more knowledge from others. While these children are growing through music, movement or art each child is learning several kills as t hey go whether they realize it or not! As each child watches and interacts with another child, they are picking up literacy skills and expanding their own skills at the same time. It will allow children to be able to put two and two together at their own pace through activities that they enjoy because each child is on their own learning path with their own capabilities and we as teachers need to encourage and support that!

Today was our first day of class in E340 Methods of Teaching Reading I: Preschool Literacy! We read an article called 'Critical Lessons From Case Study and Clinical Qualitative Studies: Literacy is Individual' and worked in groups of six to complete a poster explaining this article through pictures.