The Joy and Power of True PRE-Literacy
I’m thrilled to introduce Heather Shumaker as today’s guest writer. I have really loved connecting with her and I can’t wait to let you know what we’ve been working on for all of you! For now I’ll tell you this: You do not want to miss out on tomorrow’s post! Today, however, I just want you to enjoy what Heather’s put together for you!
The Importance of a Good Foundation
I’m sharing some favorite posts from the past as I spend some extra time with my family after our new addition.
Imagine yourself as a home builder. You’ve acquired new clients who are excited to be building their dream home. You’re excited too. You love watching your hard work create a beautiful, lasting structure. Your clients bring in a file of all the things they want to see in their new home. paint chips, magazine clippings, and carpet samples come pouring out. You start building right away, paying attention to every last detail they spelled out for you. the home is magnificent. Simply beautiful. There’s only one problem. Your clients never mentioned anything about the foundation, so you never put one in. They wanted a house they could see, not yards of concrete buried by dirt.
First Friday Q&A: My 4 Year-Old Wants to Read NOW – What Do I Do?
What do you do when your 4 year-old wants to know how to read TODAY? Here are some developmentally appropriate ways to build your preschooler’s literacy foundation, while also giving them ways they can read today. (This video can also be viewed on YouTube here.)
Research is Only as Good as the Sense You Use to Apply It
You know the old saying, “If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it….” Well, similarly, we have to wonder, “If something is good for children but can’t be measured, is it still good for children?”
This is a G…and so is this! Building Alphabet Awareness in Young Readers
Think about how many fonts you have access to on your computer. Between books, magazines, posters, and signs, how many more fonts do you see in one day? While these types all look different, there is enough of a similarity between them to make it possible to recognize one letter across multiple fonts (at least until you get to Wingdings — does anyone really use those?).
In order to be capable readers in the world around them, children eventually need to be able to recognize letters across a variety of fonts as well. While I would always recommend first introducing letters in a simple font, as a child becomes familiar she can examine a variety of fonts to find what salient qualities makes a “T” a “T” and a “B” a “B”, no matter how many extra curls are attached. [Read more…]
Book Activity: Max's Words
It’s no secret: I love to discover a great new children’s book. While Max’s Words by Katie Banks is not actually a “new” book (it was published in 2006), it is “new to me” and I’m so glad I found it!
Book Activity: Max’s Words
It’s no secret: I love to discover a great new children’s book. While Max’s Words by Katie Banks is not actually a “new” book (it was published in 2006), it is “new to me” and I’m so glad I found it!
The Write Way to Read
Often, when we think of writing, we think of penmanship. We give children handwriting guides and workbooks and think we’re teaching writing. But truly writing in the context of developmental literacy is so much more. In my view, writing is a display of a composite of skills: [Read more…]
Say What? How a Preschooler's Verbal Ability Influences Literacy.
Just over a month ago, I wrote Why We Should Use Big Words with Little Kids. I would strongly recommend reading that if you haven’t already. Today is simply an extension of that post, connecting the concepts I wrote about there, with early literacy .