"Early literacy is not about learning to read in preschool; it is about building the important foundations needed for a smooth transition into early reading and writing in the primary grades" (p.1).  ~ Paulson and Moats (2018) state, 

Print Concepts

See also: Book Handling and Print Concepts

10 Benefits of Reading Aloud to Kids According to Science, February 2023

Numerous scientific research studies have shown that reading to infants and toddlers gives them an unparalleled head-start on language learning, social skills and more. The American Association of Pediatrics has published multiple research studies detailing the benefits of reading to children. These studies have helped pediatricians support and encourage families to promote early literacy in their households. 

They cite benefits including:

• Improved academic performance.

• Increased critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Stronger language and communication skills.

• Positive socialization and empathy.

These benefits significantly increase among the children studied whose families read to them regularly. Other benefits include:

• Developing a stronger bond with your child.

• Increased concentration, memory and self-discipline.

• Decreased screen time.

• Developing a thirst for knowledge.

• Diversity in experiences and people or places they might not otherwise encounter.

• Increased creativity.

Word Walls in Pre-K

There is so much to understand about Word Walls in Pre-K and I thought I would share some of the highlights from the book, Literacy Beginnings and a blog article I found on Pre-k pages (http://www.pre-kpages.com/wordwall/).

The original purpose of Word Walls for K-5 was to support students in writing sight words correctly. For Pre-K Word Walls are NOW used for writing AND reading. But it doesn’t stop there for students in Pre-K. As the article states, “A word wall helps students learn the alphabet, letter sounds, the first letter in their name, names of classmates, the sequence of the alphabet, and even sight words.”

In the book, Literacy Beginnings, pages 190-191 the authors reiterate that the Pre-K word wall is intended to help students learn about words, but is not intended for students to learn them in isolation (only sight words). They recommend that you use it to support students in making reading and writing connections as they begin to notice print. The do not recommend overdoing a word wall. “Putting the children’s names on the wall and then stick to a few words that are very easy and that children often use such as I or the. Take your cues from your students when deciding which (if any) words beyond their name to include.” Furthermore the authors do not recommend including environmental print. Instead they recommend teachers create a separate word wall for environmental print. (This would go along with the original purpose of a word wall since environmental print is to show students they are ‘readers’.)

According to the blog in Preschool Pages Pre-K Words Walls are…

• an organized collection of words displayed in a highly visible place in the classroom.

• ·a tool to support instruction

• placed at student eye level horizontally so the students can see the progression of the alphabet from A-Z

• large enough to be easily read from across the room [Century Gothic at 150 is a good size font]

• include picture cues

• referenced and utilized on a daily basis.

• introduced at the beginning of the year as student names/photographs are ‘gradually’ added (recommendation: add to SWPL plans)

• used to introduce theme words that may be removed once a theme is over unless the word is a high utility word, i.e. color words, mom, dad, baby, ect.; must have picture supports

• intended to actively involve students in learning

1. First Quarter~help add their own name (article recommends highlighting first letter of student name in red); Plan activities where students locate their names and the names of their friends; ‘reading/writing’ connection

§ “Greeting: In the beginning of the year when we gather during circle time I will say good morning to each child individually. As we say good morning to a child he may go to the word wall and point to his name for the whole class using a fancy pointer. We may also discuss other students who also start with the same letter and point out their pictures as well. As the student points to his name I try to verbalize it as well; “Michael’s name is after Karen’s name but before Samantha’s on the word wall.” In addition to teaching the sequence of the alphabet this activity also introduces the children to the concept of the word wall and helps them to become comfortable using it.”

2. Second Quarter~help add environmental print/[theme pictures]; plan activities where students locate environmental print; “It is even more meaningful if you have the students bring in the Environmental Print to put up on the wall themselves.”; ‘reading’ connection

§ Theme Pictures: As you introduce new themes it helps to print out pictures using Microsoft clip art or similar to go along with your theme. For example, when learning All About Me you might print off some pictures of body parts like hand, nose, or mouth, then cut and laminate the pictures. During circle time [SWPL/Story Time] on the first day of your new theme introduce your picture cards to the children. Hold up the picture of the hand and ask the students what it is. After hearing the correct response repeat the name of the picture several times emphasizing the first sound. Call on a volunteer to place the card under the correct letter on the word wall.

3. Third Quarter~ “Sight words should only be added to the word wall during specific literacy or word wall lessons with the students present and actively participating in the placement of the words. Each sight word that is introduced to the class should be added to the word wall as it is introduced. Sight words should not be placed on the wall by the teacher while the students are not present, they should only be placed on the wall during specific literacy lessons with the students actively participating in the placement of the words on the wall.”

Activities:

1. Read and Write Around the Room: I introduce this activity in January after our winter vacation. Several clipboards, copy paper, cool pens, and pointers are placed in a dish tub for the students to use during center time. I explain the purpose of the activity, to find as many words or letters of one type as possible and I give several examples. I model for the entire class how to use the items in the tub daily during the first week. Pointing out print sources all around the classroom, I write on my clipboard and refer to the word wall often. When the students are done with a sheet of paper they may place it in a special Read and Write Around the Room “in-box”. Some of the ideas I use when introducing this activity are:

2. Show the children how to look for words that begin with the first letter of their names using a pointer, for example; if their name is Leo then they might write the words; lights, left, and Lindsey on their paper using the environmental print around the room in addition to the Word Wall. Show them how to put their paper in the in-box when they are finished. This is usually a good starting point and will keep them going for several days.

3. After a few days or a week of having Read and Write Around the Room as a center you may want to introduce some new ideas to keep the activity fresh and the children interested. Sometimes you may not even have to introduce any ideas, they may come up with them on their own naturally. Another idea my class had great fun with is this one: Model how to draw a line vertically down the middle of the paper on the clipboard. Next, brainstorm a yes or no question with the class such as “Do you like Pizza?” or “Do you have a dog?”. Point out the words “yes” and “no” on the word wall and so the children can write them on the top of their surveys. Next, the student goes around the room and asks each student a “yes/no” question and records their answers in his “poll” referring to the word wall for help spelling classmates names. When they are finished the students place their polls in the in-box. This activity is always a favorite in my class.”

4. referenced during Writer’s Workshop; “Using the word wall is a big part of writing workshop time. I encourage the children to refer to the word wall often when they are writing in their notebooks. For instance; if a child asks me how to spell the word “blue” I might say, “Oh, that’s a word wall word, where should you go to look for that word? Listen to the first sound if you need help.” I try to encourage using the word wall during writing workshop time as often as possible.”

It is never too late to work as a team to plan how to best incorporate word walls into your lesson plans. Please let me know if I can support you in any way to plan where and when to incorporate word wall activities.

http://fun-a-day.com/word-walls-preschool-kindergarten/

5 Steps to Building a Better Word Wall

Age Equivalency

Grade Equivalency Data