Importance of Implementing Early Literacy Influences

From the time I could to remember till the time I was reading chapter books on my own, my mother would read one to two books to me each night before bed. Although, I didn’t understand the words she was reading, yet, I understood the scenarios, pictures, helped with my oral speaking by learning the sounds of words. This is one of the reasons that I realized how lucky I was to be enriched with such a family that wanted to familiarize me with the magic of reading and the knowledge one can gain from a book. “Learning to read is based on a child’s life experiences at home or those created in school” (page 13). Children are impression upon at a young age. Chapter 1 also focuses on the importance that children should want to read for the pleasure of reading. Those memories of bedtime stories is one of the reasons why I have always found reading to be a pleasure. By giving the child to want to read freely, they will have a better chance of making it to their grade level of reading. It is unfortunate, but according to Chapter 1, “90% of the children who are below grade level in reading at the beginning of fourth grade, although they can improve, will never reach grade level. Therefore the early childhood teacher has a tremendous responsibility” (page 4). It will be our duty as educators to make sure that no child is at this risk. We also need to encourage the families to work on strengthening the continual learning growth of the student, outside the classroom. My first question is, what ways can we encourage families that might not have the time or resources to help encourage their children’s growth?

Using the senses to encourage learning is a main part of the Montessori method. Maria Montessori, who developed the method, “believed that children needed early, orderly, systematic training in order to master skills” (page 8). This took me back to the time where I attended two different Montessori schools in the course of two years. This text in Chapter 1 took me back to that time where I picked up skills I learned there. My experiences also helped show me the different types of sensorial learning that they implemented upon us.  Sensorial is the second area of learning in the Montessori method. It focuses on “the five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sigh, children learn about size, color, and shape by manipulating materials designed to teach these skills” (page 8). Similar to John Dewey’s idea, how a classroom should be full of hands on materials that are of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Dewey would use the interests of the child to build around the curriculum, helping them become more comfortable in the classroom environment. The classroom would focus more on the individual development then using formal instruction such as writing and reading. What challenges might a teacher face if a student continues to not become comfortable in this environment? 

Here is an article for the newsletter sent to the families that would be useful to parents of all ages: http://learningtogive.org/parents/helping/1_what_you_can_do.asp?idioma

This article helps explains what a parent/guardian should do for their child to do well and give them structure to succeed at school. Make sure to let the parents know that it’s never to soon to implement a routine at home to get their work done. The article also encourages students to visit sites around the community; either it be visiting a museum or doing community service.

The responsibility of a teacher is tremendous, but it should not be seen as something tedious though rather a pleasurable opportunity. We should encourage students to become influenced with books beginning at an early age. What were some ways that convinced you to read for pleasure?

What Will Determine Your Child's Literacy?

    I've always known the importance of literacy, but it wasn't until I changed my major to Elementary Education did I know exactly how important it actually is. Reading is something that's always come naturally to me. By the age of 5, I was reading and understanding Junie B. Jones. I was always ahead on my "Reading Counts" points in middle school, and my reading score was my highest on my SAT. It is information to me the effect of literacy versus illiteracy has on children later on in life. "...those who are functionally illiterate are likely to drop out of high school, have behavior and social problems that result in being incarcerated, be chronically ill, live in poverty, and have children who will be illiterate." (p. 4). On the other side of that, the children who learn to read "graduate from high school and possibly college, have strong social skills, enjoy a healthier life, earn a living to support themselves and a family, and have children who are literate." (p. 4). It is crucial to make sure as a teacher that your students are working toward the correct level of literacy.
   That being said, it's not always easy, especially if you have parents that aren't as involved in their child's education as they should be. I have a professor who told a group of students that "the number one predictor of academic success is the amount of family involvement." (Donna Williams). Education for young children is not new. Dating back to the 1700's, philosophers have determined that not only the education itself, but also the process of it should be natural. From Rousseau to Pestalozzi, all the way to Froebel, ideas and beliefs of education have been that natural learning is the most effective.
    One of the differences between earlier philosophers and Jean Piaget is that Piaget has a theory that cognitive development happens in different stages of a child's life. The Sensorimotor Period lasts from when a child is born until they're two, and this is based on sensory skills. The period between two and seven is the Preoperational Period, which is when language develops and organization begins. The Concrete Operational Period is between ages seven and eleven, and it focuses on abstract ideas and a concrete thought process. The final process is for ages 11 through adulthood and it's the Formal Operations Period. This period focuses on higher levels of thinking and appropriate language usage. (p. 9). It is important to never let these process fail or fall through, because missing one step of it could be crucial to a student's learning process. How will your child become literate? Will it be because of you as a teacher, the parent, or a happy combination of both? Answering this question could be the difference between an illiterate, embarrassed adult and a confident, reading, writing member of society.

"Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift." — Kate DiCamillo

"Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift." — Kate DiCamillo

Ever since I was younger I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. This being said,  I have always had a passion for learning and school. I was fortunate enough to come from a family that could constantly promote books and education in my home environment. In chapter one it talks about the importance of family involvement when teaching young children to read. After reading this chapter it helped me think about how not all families are as lucky as I was growing up.

A 2-year-old child is riding in the car with their mother. On this drive they pass a fast food restaurant. While this child can not read they have associated the big M symbol outside the building with food. The child begins to scream and cry because they know and understand the connection between the two. I stated this example to help prove a point brought up in chapter one of the book, "Babies begin to acquire information about literacy from the moment they are born. They continue to build their knowledge of oral language, reading, and writing as the grow" (2). It is clear that at a young age children are able to make clear connections between an object and it's meaning. This is a stage in literacy that a child must understand to be able to learn to make later connections. Many people might agree that reading to children and talking to infants are important examples that are part of development, even when the children don't understand what you are saying. No parent would say that educating his or her children is not important. The issue is because these parents might not have access to resources or money to help their children grow. My first question is, As a teacher what would you do to help the children that come from families that may not be as privileged to access books and other early literacy aids from home? What effect do these environments have on literacy for young children? I know a big way that I would try to help would be sending books home with the children. This would help parents and children practicing reading in the home environment. I would also make sure i communicated with the parents to figure out the best way to help their child learn.

From reading this chapter and considering all the ways that an environment changes literacy at an early age, it is also good to consider How should teachers work with a child in his or her classroom that may be struggling with literacy? I think it is important to consider the emotions that a child could be feeling if they are struggling I will want to make them feel comfortable and open to trying. Getting books that appeal to the child can also help them dive into reading and enjoy it! If a new reader does not like what they are reading it can make the process harder. 

In this chapter it brings up No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This act states that every child should be a fluent reader by third grade. "The education community is concerned that using one test as the measure for success could have a negative effect on the curriculum. Moreover, using a single, designated test puts pressure on children and teachers and is not the true manner in which to judge success" (23). The real question is, Is federal research challenging schools and students in a negative way? I personally believe that every student learns and develops at their own rate. This act puts pressure on all people in education and challenges the way we think in terms of students in special education. 

In chapter one is brought up many points that influence literacy in early education. It is important to explore a child's environment and the effects that we as educators can have on them positive or negative. We should always remember that education should always be exciting, fun, and engaging for students. 

Reading and Environment Go Hand-In-Hand

Chapter 1 focuses heavily on the importance of early childhood literacy, and the positive effects children receive from being exposed to literature/literacy early on. Before reading this, If someone would have asked me why I thought reading came so easily for me upon starting grade school, I would have solely said “because my parents read to me a lot.” What I did not realize until now is how much my day-to-day living environment and way of life affected my literacy development. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household with a stay at home mom, who not only engaged in various activities with me such as reading, but also took me everywhere she went. In the text there was a story about a little girl named Natalie who was out shopping with her mother and said, “Look, Mommy, I can read those letters: T-A-R-G-E-T. Those letters spell Marshalls.” (page 2) Natalie was correlating literacy with different environments she had been in. This is a perfect example of why I feel so lucky to have had a mom who took me all sorts of different places throughout the days. I can remember strolling through the mall or the grocery store, and sitting in a cart and seeing all the different labels and signs, and then hearing my mom and other people say them out loud. I was visiting these various places so often that I began recognizing pictures, letters, and words, and therefore my mom was furthering my literacy development without even realizing it. I think literacy development in children is so greatly affected by one’s daily environments, not just how often they are read to. From this realization I now wonder, how can a child’s early literacy development reach its full potential if they come from a struggling home?

I have to stop and wonder the type of literacy development opportunities that children receive who come from financially struggling homes, where the parents, or parent are working 2-3 jobs everyday  to support their families. Though I am sure many of those parents wish they had more time to invest in their child, some just don’t have the opportunity. Children too young to begin school may often get sent to a babysitter or care center, and therefore stricken to the same environment all day everyday. Though some development could take place during that time, does the consistency in environment put a slight hold on literacy development? This is why I so highly admire teachers who think more out of the box with their teaching styles. In grade school whenever we read in our science text books, we would often go outside and sit in different areas, correlating the nature surrounding us to the text we were reading. This made me have a deeper and more memorable understanding of the context. I believe my literacy growth as a child was deeply impacted by my daily environments, and I have to wonder the type of growth young children receive that only go to one or two different places every week. Though of course being introduced to books early on is very crucial for early literacy development, I think daily environmental change along with daily reading is just as crucial.

An outside source that speaks about "Literacy-rich Environments" is http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=684

This article expresses different ways to use the environment to promote literacy skills. It states, "A literacy-rich environment does more than provide visual exposure to print. It also provides opportunities for meaningful interaction with it."

Children cannot have "meaningful interactions" in their environments if nothing ever changes within them.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know." - Dr. Seuss

Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman was my favorite book as a child. My mom actually started reading and singing to me while she was still pregnant with me and she later did the same with my sister.  When we were children, my sister and I had a small couch in our room with a bookcase next to it. While my mom was at work I would spend most of my time sitting on that couch with a book in my hands. As a child I would always judge a book by its cover, so whenever I saw a book I would beg my mom to get it for me (even thought I would always go back to Are You My Mother?). I think that because my mom encouraged my sister and me to read from an early age, we live for reading for pleasure.

According to the text, "ninety percent of the children who are below grade level in reading at the beginning of fourth grade, although they can improve, will never reach grade level." (4) That places a very large amount of responsibility on early education teachers. The International Reading Association "suggests that no single method or single combination of methods can successfully teach all children to read. Teachers must know the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual status of the children they teach." (15) The text goes on to say, "They [teachers] must also be well versed in the various reading instruction. Only then can educators develop a comprehensive plan for teaching reading to meet individual needs." (15-16) There are many factors that go into teaching children how to read. The amazing thing is that at every age children have literacy skills, although they may not be fully developed.

Family involvement is also very important to the education of children. I am fully aware that many, many parents work their tails off for their children but if their child wants to read to them then spending a few minutes of their time with together would be immensely wonderful. Keeping the parents informed and involved is a great method to help students succeed. Sending home shortened worksheets for the parents to do with their children at home and bulletin of what we are all working on in the classroom is very beneficial as well.

Here are some links I found that would be helpful to send to parents in a newsletter: All Students Can Shine, Fun in First, Resources for Teachers. My favorite source is Fun in First. It includes questions parents can ask their child after they have read together and it also gives advice to parents on how to help their child succeed in school.

Do you know of any other resources that could be helpful for keeping parents involved and informed? Since the text mentioned that the educator should know some background information about their students before they can really teach the children to read and meet their needs, what is your background with reading and do you enjoy it? Why? Why not?

Reading Is Fun!

Reading is Fun!

“Good job, Amanda! You’re such a good little reader!” my mom told me as I read my favorite book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Reading was one of my preferred pastimes as a child. My parents had always encouraged my younger brother and I to engage in literacy activities at a very young age. Because of this, we both developed a positive view of reading and writing as we went through elementary school. I viewed reading as a fun activity where you could unfold new stories and tales and use your imagination to represent and tell these stories in your mind. I loved getting my hands on a new book and reading it for the first time, as it provided an opportunity for me to be creative and apply previously learned literacy skills.

I’d like to think that my brother and I were raised in a loving and supportive family when it comes to literacy development. We were read to often, encouraged to write and practice handwriting abilities, given many children’s books to read and were involved in mini-lessons about letters, letter sounds and words that occurred when the situation presented itself. We were extremely lucky in that regard.

But what about those children who didn’t have involved parents or family members? 

There are many families in today’s society that don’t support a child’s growth in literacy. As stated in the chapter, “children must understand that reading is a source of information that is valuable for them to learn to succeed in life.” (page 4). Those young minds that weren’t taught that reading is vital and can also be fun may be at a disadvantage. In cases where a child has a troubled home life, lives in poverty or has a chronic illness or disease, there’s a high chance that they will become illiterate and not perform to the best of their abilities.

Reading and other literacy actions must be supported and encouraged at a very young age. Beginning stages of literacy don’t begin when a child reaches elementary school. In fact, early literacy begins in infancy. As future teachers and parents, it’s important for us to provide literacy experiences and activities both at school and at home to help foster literacy learning and development.

Tips to Provide A Literacy-Rich Environment

1. Teachers should have a specific time in their daily schedules set for reading and writing. This includes literacy centers, independent reading/writing, group reading/writing activities, journaling, interactive read alouds, etc.
2. Go beyond reading books! Have a selection of different reading materials both at home or schools. This includes items like picture books, magazines, brochures, newspapers, chapter books, nonfiction, dictionaries, classroom written books, plays/scripts, poetry, comic books, etc.
3. In connection with tip #2, provide books for children that are of that child’s interest. If a student really loves horses, make sure you have a variety of reading materials involving that.
4. Encourage children to go in depth with their reading and writing. Give them opportunities to think, make predictions and ask questions during their reading. A teacher should also ask questions to his/her students to test for comprehension or to further their thinking.
5. Worksheets to test literacy skills can be useful, but children learn best when they are actively engaged in hands-on activities! Create a variety of literacy games/activities for children to engage in. Some examples include a word wall, journal writing, readers theatre, book reports, group discussions, matching games, letter recognition activities, reading/writing centers, interactive videos and things of that nature.
6. Have plenty of paper, pencils and writing tools on hand to foster positive writing activities.
7. Teachers should be models for his or her students. While reading in front of the class, be sure to demonstrate correct reading procedures. This includes speaking loudly and clearly, reading left to right, turning the pages when necessary, reading with expression, keeping your eyes on your book, etc.
8. Incorporate literacy in all subject areas like math, play, science, history and the arts.
9. Posters and decorations in the classroom should be rich with print. When designing a classroom, include reading and literacy in the posters and bulletin boards you create.
10. Get children motivated to read! If you, the adult, show that you love reading and view it as an exciting activity, children will commonly view it in a positive way as well.