Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Not Just Cute

Whole Child Development

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here.

Five Ways to Make Literacy Learning Meaningful

January 21, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Uncategorized 11 Comments

I was just re-reading this old article  from a 2005 issue NAEYC’s Young Child magazine, written by Susan Neuman and Kathleen Roskos, leading researchers in the field of early literacy.  The emphasis of the article was on the importance of creating meaningful experiences through which children can truly engage in the process of acquiring early literacy skills.  In reference to the 1998 joint position statement created by NAEYC and the International Reading Association outlining developmentally appropriate practice in literacy instruction, the authors write: 

“The research-based statement stresses that for children to become skilled readers, they need to develop a rich language and conceptual knowledge base, a broad and deep vocabulary, and verbal reasoning abilities to understand messages conveyed through print.  At the same time, it recognizes that children also must develop code-related skills” (phonological awareness, the alphabetic principle, etc.).  “But to attain a high level of skill, young children need many opportunities to develop these strands interactively, not in isolation.  Meaning, not sounds or letters, drives children’s earliest experiences with print. Therefore, the position statement points out that although specific skills like alphabet knowledge are important to literacy development, children must acquire these skills in coordination and interaction with meaningful experiences (Neuman, Bredekamp, & Copple 2000).”

How do you promote a culture of literacy, ensuring that children are learning elements of literacy within the context of meaningful experiences?  Here are some ideas I had.  I’d like to hear about yours in the comments as well.

  • Read, read, read.  Read books together, taking time to talk about what the words mean, how the characters feel, and what might happen next.  Point out words or letters that are particularly meaningful.  (“Can you find a ‘W’ like the one at the beginning of your name?”  “It says ‘stop’ four times on this page!  Here’s one.  Can you find another?”)
  • Play with words.  Incorporate words — spoken and written — into play.  Have print-rich props (menus, phone books, signs) and encourage writing with paper, pencils, typewriters, chalk boards, and clipboards.  In addition to incorporating literacy into your dramatic play, try playing games with the sounds in the words you use as well.  For example, stretch out the sounds in words (phonemes) and see if your children can put the words back together to discover the mystery word.  (“Put your hand on your h-ea-d.”)
  • Find it all around.  Find letters on your cereal boxes, words on signs, and rhymes that fall into place in a a book or in your regular conversations.  Involve children in the many ways we interact with words each day.  Cut words or letters from packaging and create a word wall or letter file.
  • Write it down.  Let children see you writing words.  Dictate their stories, label your room, send them notes, create lists, write out recipes, and post the words to songs.  Even if you think your children don’t read, they are building connections between what they see, hear, and experience.
  • Talk, talk, talk.  A child’s vocabulary is the key to finding meaning in their experiences with words.  Invite genuine conversations with your children.  Use new words and talk about their meanings or illustrate their meanings within your conversation by using synonyms.  Talk with children instead of at them.  Develop ideas and explore new possibilities.  Quality conversations mean you speak up instead of talking down to kids.

How do you create meaningful experiences while building literacy in the children you love and teach?

You may also enjoy reading the series: Why Don’t You Teach Reading: A Look at Emergent Literacy

Top photo by Aline Dassel.

Add to DeliciousAdd to FaceBookAdd to Google BookmarkAdd to Twitter

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Comments

  1. 1

    Suzita @ playfightrepeat.com says

    January 21, 2011 at 9:16 am

    I just read a chapter in Nurture Shock by Bronson and Merryman which reminded me of this post. It’s titled: Why Hannah Talks and Alyssa Doesn’t: Despite scientists’ admonitions, parents still spend billions every year on gimmicks and videos, hoping to jump-start infants’ language skills. What’s the right way to accomplish this goal? Long title, but it talked about how to support a rich vocabulary in young children, which often later leads to strong literacy. Worth reading.

    It was yet another reminder of how much parents themselves have to offer their babies and young children. It’s simply not necessary to go out and buy the latest gimmick.

    Reply
    • 2

      notjustcute says

      January 21, 2011 at 10:16 am

      So true, Suzita. I’ve talked with parents who think they have little to offer their child’s literacy development just because they aren’t trained teachers. If I were to write an even shorter post on this topic it would be this: To encourage literacy development in your child, talk with them, read with them, and talk some more about what you read. It doesn’t take a teaching degree (or any shipping and handling fees) to do that!

      Reply
  2. 3

    Melissa Taylor says

    January 21, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    I’m totally loving your posts. Amen, my friend!!

    Reply
  3. 4

    pam says

    January 21, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    very true! Loving language, playing with language and words and realizing the power and enjoyment behind stories is so important! We don’t just want children who can blindly tell you all the letters of the alphabet, but have no true love or understanding of the language behind it! Parents sometimes just need someone to validate how important their job really is! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  4. 5

    Christie-Childhood 101 says

    January 22, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    “To encourage literacy development in your child, talk with them, read with them, and talk some more about what you read. It doesn’t take a teaching degree (or any shipping and handling fees) to do that!”

    -Which is exactly why we need great bloggers like you to keep reinforcing this message 🙂 I used to see educating parents about these themes as half my work as an Early Childhood Teacher!

    Reply
  5. 6

    Christina S. says

    January 25, 2011 at 7:07 am

    Thanks for sharing your ideas! I think incorporating literacy and reading games into everyday life is essential.

    I’m also a huge proponent of spending time at the library. When I was a child, I spent so much time at the library, myself. I still love walking in to the library, seeing the stacks of books and feel like I can learn anything I want to learn.

    When my own children were younger, they loved the idea of being able to borrow any book they wanted. We checked out a ton of books. Some were duds and others we loved so much that we bought them to add to our own home library.

    -Christina S.
    Kabongo.com Team Member

    Reply
    • 7

      notjustcute says

      January 25, 2011 at 10:25 pm

      Great addition, Christina. I still feel the same way when I walk into a library myself!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Five ways to make literacy meaningful » Mrs. Barrett's Classroom says:
    January 24, 2011 at 10:49 am

    […] Here is a link for you parents that talks about the importance of reading at home and gives you some ideas on what you can do together while reading. https://notjustcute.com/2011/01/21/five-ways-to-make-literacy-learning-meaningful/ […]

    Reply
  2. Scrambled Eggs: A fun twist on spelling | Not Just Cute says:
    July 6, 2011 at 1:18 am

    […] animal and what we knew about it (this reinforces the concepts we had been discussing and also builds meaning for the print we will be working with).  Next, I brought out the printed words for each picture. […]

    Reply
  3. Scrambled Eggs: A Fun Twist on Spelling | Not Just Cute says:
    June 14, 2012 at 2:04 am

    […] each animal and what we knew about it (this reinforces the concepts we had been discussing and also builds meaning for the print we will be working with).  Next, I brought out the printed words for each picture.  […]

    Reply
  4. Five Ways to Make Literacy Learning Meaningful | TPS Lower School Parents Blog says:
    November 1, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    […] contains some valuable suggestions for bringing meaning to literacy for young children.  Click here to read the […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

search this site

Privacy & Cookies: This site may use cookies to customize your experience. Learn more by reading our Privacy Policy.

I’m Amanda Morgan. Here’s what I’m about…

In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

Content Copyrighted (2008-2022), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved

Get Our Newsletter & Developmental Guide

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Swank WordPress Theme By, PDCD

 

Loading Comments...