Archive for early literacy
August 6, 2009 at 4:10 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time, toddlers ·Tagged animals, early literacy, early literacy skills, fish, Fish Wish, ocean, phonological awareness, story time, storytime, Ten Little Fish, toddlers
We visited our friends in the ocean today at storytime. Our early literacy skill of the day was phonological awareness.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them, the fish in the sea, chomp chomp oh no!, head shoulders knees and toes, 5 little fishes swimming in the sea, alphabet song, Simon Says
Activities:
shark goes chomp!
Books:
Fish Wish
Ten Little Fish
Literacy info to adults:
aside #1: The early literacy skill we’ll look at today is Phonological Awareness. This means being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words—like hearing rhyming words, and being able to clap syllables or parts of words. Researchers know this is an important skill for later when your child begins to sound out words.
aside #2: linger over words when you read out loud, and have your child repeat words with fun sounds with you after you read them. And be sure to choose picture books that you can have fun reading out loud and sharing spoken language with your child.
aside #3: Books with rhyming text will help your child hear the sounds in words, which will build their phonological awareness skills. So when you choose books to read to your child, try to find some with rhyming text.
Lane Library book information:
Fish Wish
Ten Little Fish
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July 14, 2009 at 5:42 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time, toddlers ·Tagged bunnies, Bunny Fun, early literacy, early literacy skills, Overboard!, print awareness, rabbits, story time, storytime, toddler time, toddlers
We hip hopped our way through storytime today, as we read and sang about rabbits. Our early literacy skill of the day was print awareness.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them, my ears are starting to wiggle, do your ears hang low, eency weency spider (songboard), alphabet song, Simon Says
Activities:
rhyming activity with -unny, little bunny little bunny
Books:
Bunny Fun
Overboard
Literacy info to adults:
aside #1: We talked about the early literacy skill print awareness, which is an awareness of how books work. I explained that print awareness is how we know that we read the words on the page, not the pictures, and we read from front and back, top and bottom, left to right
aside #2: Choosing books that have interesting or larger type helps develop your child’s print awareness.
aside #3: I explained that I pointed to some of the words in the book, the ones with larger type, as I read them. This helps children understand that it is the words we are reading, which develops print awareness.
Lane Library book information
Bunny Fun
Overboard!
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June 24, 2009 at 3:46 pm
· Filed under early literacy, toddler time, toddlers ·Tagged bugs, early literacy, early literacy skills, I Love Bugs, Spider on the Floor, story time, storytime, vocabulary
Eek! We got buggy with it today at storytime, as we read and sang about bugs. Our early literacy skill of the day was vocabulary.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them, a hunting we will go, creepy crawly caterpillar, spider on the floor, here is the beehive, alphabet song, Simon Says
Activities:
butterfly butterfly
Books:
I Love Bugs
Spider on the Floor
Literacy info to adults:
aside #1: We talked about the early literacy skill vocabulary, which is knowing the specific names for objects and concepts
aside #2: Having a large vocabulary, knowing the names of things, is one of the skills children need when they later learn to sound out words. Books give us different words that those we use in conversation or that are on television, so choose a wide variety of books to read to your child.
aside #3: Prompting children to act out the meaning of words provides them with a fun and active way to learn new words and to practice their vocabulary skills (like pointing out objects and body parts during the reading and singing of Spider on the Floor)
Lane Library book information
I Love Bugs
Spider on the Floor
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June 16, 2009 at 7:09 pm
· Filed under early literacy, fun with..., music reviews, parent stuff, preschoolers, school age kids, toddlers ·Tagged early literacy, phonological awareness, music, Ralph Covert, kids music, kids cd's, cd's, Barenaked Ladies, Peter Paul and Mary, Dan Zanes, Zak Morgan, They Might Be Giants, Elizabeth Mitchell, Jim Gill, phonological awareness and singing
Kids love music. And often they love to sing, move and dance to the music they hear (or even sometimes make themselves!)
Research has proven that listening to and participating with music is beneficial to kids in many ways, especially in the development of language and literacy skills. For example, how did most people likely learn their ABC’s? Almost certainly, we learned them by singing that oh so familiar song. Combining music with information stimulates the brain and makes that information easier to remember.
A child’s instinctive ability to listen and decode a song extends to reading. Just as they have sung along with a familiar song, so they will read along in a familiar book. The sense of rhythm obtained from listening to music will also help young readers to identify patterns, like rhyming words, which will help them learn to read. Because songs automatically break down words into smaller sounds through tones, singing particularly helps to develop the early literacy skill phonological awareness.
While the traditional songs of Raffi and Pete Seeger are almost always a popular choice with kids, there are many wonderful cd’s at Lane that will entertain the whole family. Be sure to check them out!
You Are My Little Bird — Elizabeth Mitchell Lane Library info
Ralph’s Word: Happy Lemons — Ralph Covert Lane Library info
Bloom — Zak Morgan Lane Library info
Jim Gill Makes It Noisy in Boise, Idaho — Jim Gill Lane Library info
No! — They Might Be Giants Lane Library info
Peter, Paul and Mommy — Peter, Paul and Mary Lane Library info
Family Dance — Dan Zanes Lane Library info
Snacktime! — Barenaked Ladies Lane Library info
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June 16, 2009 at 6:35 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time, toddlers ·Tagged storytime, story time, early literacy, toddlers, phonological awareness, early literacy skills, Ralph Covert, I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean, One Day in the Jungle, big and little
Who’s big? Who’s little? We found out today in storytime! Our early literacy skill of the day was phonological awareness.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them, itsy bitsy/great big hairy/teency weency spider, little fish/big fish in the water, songboard, alphabet song, Simon Says
Activities:
look at big and little animal pictures and discuss, big and little names, dance with scarves (dance big to Choo Choo Train, dance small to Take a Little Nap from the cd Ralph’s World, see cd info below)
Books:
One Day in the Jungle
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
Literacy info to adults:
#1: We talked about the early literacy skill phonological awareness, which is the ability to hear and manipulate the smaller sounds in words
#2: Make up silly words by changing the first sound in a word: milk, nilk, pilk, rilk, filk. It’s OK if the words are nonsense words, you just want to demonstrate how sounds can be manipulated
#3: Play with and help your child hear the syllables in words. For example, say words with a pause between the syllables (rab it) and have your child guess what word you are saying.
Lane Library book and cd information
One Day in the Jungle
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
Ralph’s World
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May 27, 2009 at 7:28 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time ·Tagged Baby Danced the Polka, bells, dancing, early literacy, feathers, Hilda Must Be Dancing, music, phonological awareness
We got to show off our fancy moves today, because storytime was all about dancing! Our early literacy skill of the day was phonological awareness.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them, if you like to dance clap your hands, stretch/head shoulders knees and toes, hokey pokey, Tommy thumb, dance your fingers, Simon Says
Activities:
dance our body parts to music (Twist on All Time Favorite Dances), feather dance to music (Shake Your Body on Sugar Beats Greatest Dance Hits), ring bells to the syllables in kids’ names
Books:
Baby Danced the Polka
Hilda Must Be Dancing (we clapped on and repeated the fun dancing words in this book)
Asides:
#1: We talked about the early literacy skill phonological awareness, which is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words
#2: hearing words that rhyme will help your child break down words into smaller parts, so books with lots of rhymes are a great choice to help develop this skill
#3: Anything with a great rhythm is good for developing phonological awareness, and clapping on each syllable helps kids break up words into their smaller sounds
We had a good time dancing!
Lane Library book information
Baby Danced the Polka
Hilda Must Be Dancing
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May 27, 2009 at 6:38 pm
· Filed under early literacy, early literacy at home, preschoolers, school age kids, toddlers ·Tagged crafts, early literacy, picture books, puppets
Adding puppet play to the reading of your child’s favorite books will increase their enjoyment of the books and help your child make connections to the stories. You don’t even have to purchase the puppets–puppet making can be a fun and easy activity to do with your child at home.
You can make puppets out of small paper lunch bags. Use whatever materials you have on hand to decorate the paper bags. You can attach stickers and glue on feathers, paper scraps, fabric, buttons, googly eyes, sequins, gift wrap–whatever your imagination and craft drawers yield. Just be sure to keep safety in mind as you make your choices. Remember too that the bottom flap of the bag will the head and mouth of the paper bag puppet so decorate accordingly. Once your puppets are decorated, show your child how to stick the bag on their hand and how to make the puppet talk (by moving the bottom flap with your hand inside the bag).
Craft sticks (also known as popsicle sticks or tongue depressors) can also be used, along with paper plate or construction paper shapes. Just decorate the shape with crayons or markers, or design and color a puppet on the paper plate. You can cut the plate in half to make it easier for your child to handle. You can even glue on yarn for hair, and wiggly eyes. Then use strong tape to attach the shape to the craft stick. Voila, a puppet!
Have fun acting out your favorite books with puppets!
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May 11, 2009 at 6:09 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time ·Tagged bells, Black Cat White Cat, cats, Cookie's Week, Feathers For Lunch, puppets, vocabulary
We got our meows on at story time this week, as we read stories and sang songs about cats. Our early literacy skill of the day was vocabulary.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them,wheels on the bus, have you ever seen a cat go this way and that, I’ve got a cat on my knee, 5 little kittens, there’s a cat in my little red wagon, big A little A, where is big (little) cat, Simon Says
Activities:
pet, look at, and describe cat puppets, ring bells when they saw a picture of a cat in Feathers For Lunch (after discussing the word c-a-t)
Books:
Cookie’s Week
Feathers For Lunch
Black Cat White Cat
Asides:
#1: I told the adults about the early skill vocabulary, which means knowing the names of things, having words to describe things, and knowing that there are various words for the same object
#2: adding activities or songs that mesh well with a book will increase your child’s enjoyment and retention of the new vocabulary
#3: learning about concepts such as opposites can be a great way to help children develop vocabulary about things that are real but can’t be seen (includes concepts such as opposites)
We had a good time snoring at the library!
Lane Library book information
Cookie’s Week
Feathers For Lunch
Black Cat White Cat
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May 1, 2009 at 7:44 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time ·Tagged asides, bedtime, early literacy, print awareness, sleep, teddy bears, toddlers
We snored at storytime today–not out of boredom but because storytime was all about that most unpopular of times, bedtime! Our early literacy skill of the day was print awareness.
Songs and fingerplays: (see song page for more information)
storytime song, open shut them, twinkle twinkle little star, this is the way we _____ before we go to bed, if you’re a big dinosaur, 3 little monkeys jumping on the bed, head shoulders knees and toes, teddy bear teddy bear, 7 in the bed, Simon Says
Activities:
teddy bear hunt
Books:
Dinosaur vs Bedtime (used a sign that said “ROAR”, which I occasionally held up while reading the book, when they saw the sign the kids were to roar)
Where’s My Teddy (big book)
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late (used a sign that said “NO”, which I occasionally held up while reading the book, when they saw the sign the kids were to say no)
Asides:
#1: I told the adults about print awareness, and how that means that their child notices print, knows how to handle a book and can follow the written word on a page.
#2: When you read aloud with your children, they gradually become aware that the squiggles on the page mean something. Children will also begin to notice print in the world around them. It helps to point out signs as you drive or shop, like stop signs.
#3 would have been: You may have noticed that I ran my finger under the word no each time we said that word. This helps develop your children’s print awareness, knowing that print has meaning and that it is the words we read and not the pictures. Choosing books that have large or varied fonts is also helpful in the development of print awareness
(the kids were ready for storytime to be over at this point, so we skipped the aside and went right to the end of storytime).
We had a good time snoring at the library!
Lane Library book information:
Dinosaur vs Bedtime
Where’s My Teddy
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
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February 15, 2009 at 7:49 pm
· Filed under early literacy, storytime, toddler time ·Tagged early literacy, Jan809, print motivation, snow, storytime, toddler time
Our storytime theme today was snow, and the early literacy spotlight was on print motivation. We read A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann, Snowballs by Lois Ehlert, and Bob’s Vacation by Dana Rau. We sang several songs, including One Little Two Little Snowflakes and the Snowkey Pokey, and we dressed Teddy for winter.
The adults discussed print motivation and ways to encourage the development of that skill at home. I explained to the adults how having their child say a repeated phrase with them as they read a book helps keep the child involved in the story, which is a great way to support print motivation. Also, this repetition helps make books more predictable, and young readers love knowing what comes next. I also reminded parents to talk with their child about the books that they read together, as this helps children link the stories they read to their everyday life, and helps them use what they know about the world to make sense out of stories.
Everyone got a pretty paper snowflake to take home as a reminder of our storytime fun.
Lane Library book information here:
Kitten Tale
Snowballs
Bob’s Vacation
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