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Teachers play an important role in early literacy development. Teaming up with our children's teachers will make sure that no child is left behind because of their literacy skills or background. Teachers can also become mindful of how their role extends beyond the classroom. It's important to help make parents aware of how they can assist their child's education in early years.
Teachers play an important role in early literacy development. Teaming up with our children's teachers will make sure that no child is left behind because of their literacy skills or background. Teachers can also become mindful of how their role extends beyond the classroom. It's important to help make parents aware of how they can assist their child's education in early years.
How Teachers Can Help:
How Teachers Can Help:
In general...
In general...
1. Use the available resources!
2. Let children talk to each other.
3. Let children speak in large group settings.
4. Balance different kinds of activities. Activities can be child-initiated or teacher-initiated, with or without direct instruction. Learning activities that develop literacy skills also need to be balanced with other subjects.
For bilingual children:
For bilingual children:
1. Use different languages in the classroom to support bilingualism and literacy development.
2. Encourage parents to use their first language at home, including for literacy activities.
3. Recognize that children come from diverse backgrounds.
4. Learn about the background of every bilingual student to understand their language and literacy development.
5. Help children overcome difficulties in their second language.
You can find more information on bilingual development here.
For low-income children:
For low-income children:
1. Provide positive support and consistent assistance.
2. Recognize that preschool years are crucial for long-term literary success.
3. Read to children, teach them how to read, and patiently help them on words they may have trouble.
4. Make sure children are writing. Encourage them to keep a journal, and proofread their spelling, grammar, etc.
5. Have varied and sustained conversations.
6. Have group times: give more push to those who do not talk or participate as much.
7. If possible, have smaller class sizes. This could facilitate attention and enhance learning.
Engaging children in different types of play to get their attention
Making sure to address children's individual backgrounds
Encourage children to participate in group activities
Encouraging Comprehension and Communication in Reading and Speaking
Encouraging Comprehension and Communication in Reading and Speaking
Currently in classrooms, when teachers ask questions about what they read, students have limited answers that do not show a deep understanding. Students are only repeating what is written.
To prevent this, teachers should ask questions in a specific way.
- Helpful: Open-ended questions that build on previous replies, such as:
- "What do you mean by that?"
- "Why is that more important?"
- Less helpful: Fill in the blank or yes-or-no questions.
Longer, more meaningful responses show if the child understands what he/she is reading and help children develop skills to communicate their ideas.
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic Awareness
- Children need to learn to connect sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes) to help develop word recognition. This process is called phonics instruction.
- However, teachers cannot spend too much time teaching phonics because:
- There is only so much that “sounding out” can teach students.
- It can take away time from developing oral vocabulary.
- Once a basic foundation of phonemic awareness is set, getting practice with reading and writing is the best way for being able to sound out and spell words.
Classroom Interventions
Classroom Interventions
Combination of Family and School-based Interventions
Combination of Family and School-based Interventions
- How: Utilize community early childhood centers to educate parents to incorporate school-based interventions and literacy activities at home similar to school activities .
- Results: Combined program was associated with greater progress in story telling, receptive language, and in literacy concepts after 6 months.
Combination of Teacher Intervention and Technology-based Curriculum
Combination of Teacher Intervention and Technology-based Curriculum
- Classrooms across the U.S. are implementing technology-based curriculum where early literacy skills are taught using a computer system as a tool for teachers.
- This technology has positive effects teaching simple concepts like:
- developing letter sound knowledge
- getting better at hearing/recording sounds
- However, technology works to supplement teaching, not replace teachers.
- Teacher intervention works better to teach kids more complex concepts:
- Print concepts
- Literacy skills in a social context
- Flexibility in early literacy
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