I was working with some elementary aged children recently, helping them with their Mother’s Day/ Father’s Day writing assignments. They were all following the same skeleton for their poetry, using personal details to fill in the blank spaces.
Meaningful Literacy for Early Readers
“The first thing kids should learn about words is that they have meaning.”
That’s what I wrote in a guest post for The Imagination Tree recently. And it’s true! While there is plenty of practice that does — and needs to — go on with pieces and parts of words, rearranging letters, and practicing sounds and sight words, we must remember that with all of that, kids need a strong foundation in using words to receive and send meaning.
We’re really quite fixated on the importance of literacy in education, but if reading isn’t connected to meaning, all we’re teaching kids to do is string a bunch of sounds together. That’s not literacy.
In this old article from a 2005 issue NAEYC’s Young Child magazine, Susan Neuman and Kathleen Roskos, leading researchers in the field of early literacy, wrote about the importance of infusing meaning into the literacy experiences of early readers.
In reference to the joint position statement created by NAEYC and the International Reading Association outlining developmentally appropriate practice in literacy instruction, the authors wrote:
“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 create a culture of literacy that is rich in meaning? Here are a few key ideas. [Read more…]
Thank You, Mr. Blanchard.
It’s Teacher Appreciation Day! In the middle of putting together notes and treats for my kids’ teachers, I’ve also been invited by friend, Allison of No Time for Flash Cards to write a thank you note to one of my own teachers. What a treat to thank one of the many amazing teachers in my life!
Dear Mr. Blanchard,
Big Kids on the Playground
I typically write about the early childhood realm. That’s where my professional expertise is. But as my own kids grow, I’m beginning to make some interesting observations about the span of childhood.
While my youngest two boys are still in the early childhood years, my oldest two are solidly in the school age years. (My oldest, in fact, seems intent on flirting with becoming a “tween”, which is puzzling to me, since I recall birthing him just yesterday.)
I’m starting to notice some of the perspectives and attitudes about “big kids” from a new vantage point. Just yesterday, my husband and I were talking about observations we’ve made as we’ve watched interactions in public playspaces. Not always, but sometimes, there seems to be almost an air of irritation when the big kids show up.
March Madness and What Time Outs Should REALLY Look Like
Ah, March Madness! It’s a fun extended family tradition in our house, connecting siblings and cousins across generations and across the US as we share our best guesses (and a lot of random selections) in our personal brackets. All for bragging rights, and maybe some free ice cream.
We got our boys in on the action this year, with our ten year-old checking out the ranking system (coupled with some of his personal team loyalties), our eight year-old comparing team colors, our five year-old showing we may need to brush up on our Geographic awareness as he selected “Virgeorgia” as one of his teams, and our two year-old showing a clear penchant for the underdog, selecting a #10 team to take it all home. (I guess that’s what happens when you fill out the bracket with a series of “this or that” questions.)
Filling out the brackets as a family made for some questionable life lessons, such as my husband’s comment that, “You don’t have to make a good choice, you just have to make a choice.” But one of the lessons March Madness always brings to my mind is the importance of a good coach and what time outs should really look like.
Trust me. It really does have something to do with child development. (Incidentally, this basketball analogy may be the post most frequently referred from wives to husbands. Go figure.) [Read more…]
The Boy Who Spoke to The Earth — Dreamling Books
There is something about a good picture book that really gets me really excited. It makes me want to tell everyone about it immediately. (OK, honestly it makes me want to purchase it immediately, then it makes me want to tell everyone about it.) That’s what happened when I laid eyes on the first book presented by Dreamling Books, The Boy Who Spoke to the Earth.
Maybe it was the gorgeous pictures — amazing illustrations by Disney Interactive artist David McClellan, mimicking the stunning photography style of the author, adventure photographer Chris Burkard.
Maybe it was the message: to slow down, enjoy the journey, and breathe in the beauty all around you.
Whichever it was that hit first, it was the combination that reminded me of so many moments when I’ve suddenly realized that the grandeur of nature has enveloped me. You know, that moment where something stirs inside of you? [Read more…]
Positive Guidance Tools: Redirection
Challenging child behavior comes from a variety of causes (you can read more about how to get to the root of those causes here). Because the causes are so varied, we have to have a variety of tools at the ready to help us respond appropriately. Just as Bob Vila carries more than just a hammer in his tool belt for addressing the variety of challenges presented in a home, parents and teachers need more than one tool for responding to behavior.
In my ecourse, Parenting with Positive Guidance, I teach 10+ tools for building positive discipline — the type of discipline that encourages both positive behavior and healthy relationships. Here is an introduction to one of my favorite tools: Redirection. [Read more…]
A Love Letter for Early Childhood Teachers: You are SO Valuable
I shared a quote with some early childhood educators last week, and was somewhat surprised with how deeply it seemed to resonate with them.
“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” (Source Unknown)
We’re Not Perfect…But Why Should that Stop Us?
Each new year, as I think on new beginnings here on the blog, I feel this strange need to reassert that I am nothing special. I am a far from perfect parent, teacher, researcher, and writer.
I am generally and generously flawed as a human being.
I don’t know why I feel the urge to make that disclaimer so frequently. Why this need to make it absolutely clear that I am, so obviously, human? The urge has been particularly strong this year, as our family is in the middle of an adventure….or in the middle of chaos, depending upon your perspective!
I think it’s because I work in this professional sphere of ideal theory and best practice, meshed with the Pinterest-perfection of the blogosphere. I want to be able to share all the best that’s out there, without creating any false illusion that I am actually doing it all perfectly myself.
Then there are days when I not only feel the need to make the disclaimer, but to ask the ever-ready “Who am I?” question.
“Who am I to teach people how to be good parents?”
“Who am I to write about classroom practice?”
“Who am I to get up in front of an auditorium full of people and tell them how to be champions for childhood?”
“Who am I to do any of it, when I’m just me — perfectly imperfect me?”
I know I’m not alone in this. I think the pandemic of perfectionism makes a valiant attempt to stop many of us in our tracks.
I hear it all around me:
My friend who worries as a blogger, about matching up with the strengths of her peers.
My friend who’s a health coach, who feels weighed down by guilt because she struggles as much as her clients do with food demons and negative self-talk.
My fellow moms who say we’re aware of the fact that we’re in charge of these little people, but quite honestly aren’t sure we know what the heck we’re doing from moment to moment.
We aren’t perfect. Not one of us.
And that’s OK.
What’s not OK, is when we let our imperfections get in the way of our greatness. [Read more…]
It’s OK NOT to Share: The Wrap Up Video and Exciting News!
Once again, I loved having a chat with Heather Shumaker about her fantastic book, It’s OK Not to Share and Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids (*affiliate). As we wrap up the year’s read along, Heather talks about how to get started with the Renegade Rules, how to stay sane when you’re parenting in public, and shares some exciting news about her next book. (I can’t wait for it!)
If you’re new to the read along, check out the past posts starting here or here.
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