Early Literacy Tips
Supporting Early Childhood Programs, Issue 16
Help Spread the Word... Early Literacy Campaign, 0-5
Read early. Read often, your child's success depends on it, is a countywide effort to encourage parents, siblings, grandparents, caregivers, and community members to read to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Reading every day, everything, and everywhere will lead to success in school and in life. The vision is that all children will be ready to succeed in the area of literacy at the time of school entry and are reading proficiently by the end of third grade. This campaign is supported by the Genesee Great Start Collaborative. Feel free to click on the logo and download it to insert it in your email signature.
Pre-K Classrooms
IRA
Interactive Read Aloud
- Higher-order discussion before, during, and after reading
- Child-friendly explanations of words within the text
- Revisiting of words after reading
- Using the words at other points in the day
PA
- Listening to & creating variations on books, rhymes, songs
- Sorting pictures & objects by a sound
- Games and transitions that feature play with sounds
- “Robot talk” or the like
PK
Print Knowledge
- A high-quality alphabet chart
- Cards with children’s names
- Other keywords to associate with letter-sounds
- Alphabet books with appropriate keywords
How Does Literacy Fit In 0-3 Classrooms?
Receptive Language
Receptive Language – Talk to Them
- Brain research shows that the first three years are a window of opportunity for language development
- By talking with infants and toddlers during daily routines and activities, caregivers expose them to new vocabulary and help “wire” their brain for language
- Singing nursery rhymes and simple songs teaches children how language is constructed and assists with the acquisition of language
Book Handling
Book Handling – From Mouthing to Page Turning
- Infants use all of their senses to explore books and make sense of what they can do with them
- Caregivers model book handling by reading out loud to infants and toddlers and letting them help to turn pages
- Older infants and toddlers will start to handle books in more conventional ways by turning pages back and forth as they look at pictures
Reading Books
Reading Books- A New Language
- When caregivers read stories or say nursery rhymes, infants begin to hear a difference between conversational speech and “book speech”
- When older infants and toddlers turn the pages of a book and babble/label pictures/tell a story, they are beginning to understand the function of books
Family Tips to Share
Print out of share electronically literacy tips each month with your families.
Michelle McQueen
Genesee Intermediate School District
Email: mmcqueen@geneseeisd.org
Website: https://www.literacyessentials0-5.org/
Location: Genesee Intermediate School District
Phone: (810) 922-1707