I have been thinking about so many different topics that I would like to focus on for my research paper. I think I have finally decided on Literacy in the Early Childhood Education setting. I have always loved to read and books were one of the first things that I shared with my children when they were old enough to sit on my lap and read with me. In the past few years we have had several children come to our program that are just not familiar with books. I know that literacy is not all about books, but it makes me so sad to think of children that do not have the opportunity to become readers. I would like to look at literacy from three different angles. I would like to see what advocacy programs there are in my area and how can we make them available to the families that need them. What is the affect of parent/family involvement on literacy development, and finally I live in an area that is seeing more and more ELL children in our schools. I would like to be able to see what programs are available to help them and what we as professionals can do to help them to be successful.
I spoke to a Pre-K teacher, an Assistant Director and a parent that is also a special education teacher. They feel that literacy is a crucial part of any early childhood curriculum. Their main concerns were the lack of parental involvement. The Pre-teacher felt that for the most part a lot of her student's families felt that it is her responsibility to teach them how to read, etc. The Assistant Director and the Special Education teacher felt that although there as been some improvement in regards to literacy programs, there is still a lack of funding and programs out there to help their families that struggle financially. The Special Education teacher also expressed concerns that with the influx of ELL students, there is a shortage of certified and qualified teachers to teach them. She feels that it is important to have a teacher in the room that can speak their native language. She feels that this helps the students not only learn more easily but also helps them to feel more secure in their surroundings.
So, I guess the couple of questions, I have for my classmates are:
What types of programs are available in your area and have you had any experiences with them?
What type of family involvement activities have you done that helps promote literacy? (We have a literacy night each year where families can come and read, do activities and of course have a snack all based on a specific theme or author. We also have a lending library for both students and parents.) Any other ideas?
Have any of you worked in or are currently working in a setting that has ELL students? If so, what types of things do you do to promote their literacy development?
I have to admit, I am a little nervous about this paper. Hopefully this blog will help me and also all of you!
I can't wait to hear from all of you, I'm sure you all have some wonderful ideas to share!!
I too am using the issue of early literacy! Reading, writing, thinking and communicating are all part of early literacy. I am an avid reader and books are so wonderful and feel every child has the right to experience books. For some children, they have no books at home or are not allowed to use pens, pencils, etc. When I took the course Early Literacy here at Kendall, I gained so many insights! Have you taken the course already? During one of the fieldwork experiences, I gathered different writing materials: various types of paper and writing instruments and with a small group of children let them explore. I found almost all of the children enjoyed “writing” on index cards with colored pencils and pens. Schools give children the opportunity to explore writing and expressing their ideas. Teachers need to reach out and bridge the home-school connection with literacy skills. These skills are life skills for children.
ReplyDeleteFrom your post, I see we have some of the same interests with early literacy. ELL students and how early literacy skills are taught is an area I am eager to research. At my center, a majority of the children are Spanish speaking and the children are learning English. We also have one child with the primary language of Norwegian, who is learning English as well. There is one teacher that is fluent in Spanish and translates for the families. I know a little Spanish, but only the basics.
Good Luck with your research! I understand the paper seems overwhelming, but we are working in steps, so it is a bit easier than trying to do it in larger chunks.
Thanks for your encourage and good luck in your research!
ReplyDeleteSo often I think parents forget what their role is in their child's life. I understand that they work hard to make a living to give their children the things they need but they don't always need things they need their parents to spend time with them and sit down and read a book, have a conversation and just be a parent. I too have chose this topic for my research paper and feel that these areas are the most important in my community and in the school I am going to be working with.
ReplyDeleteThere is a program that I only know a little about in the school that is called the rap room and everyday the classes go to the rap room and work on reading development on top of what they are already doing in their classrooms. I have not yet been able to observe this area and learn more about it but I hope in the next few weeks that is something I can be involved in.
Good luck with your research and observations!
There are some easy steps to encourage early literacy such as carrying conversations with the children, reading to the child, dramatic play, and talking to the children in complete sentences. I think it is important to advocate to the parents of the importance and benefits children gain if early literacy is introduced at an early age. I really like your topic.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to be picky, but I had a very hard time reading your blog because of the font. It is very small and crammed together. But the content was great! I have had experience with a few literacy programs. I participated in a few programs as a child in my community. BookIt! was (and still is) offered by Pizza Hut. Children read books and recieve points towards free pizza. When I was a child you read 5 books and got a free personal pan pizza. I have also used this program in my pre-k class. They do it differently for these young children but the principle is the same. The children read book with their parents and earn free pizza cupons from the teacher. I also participated in Accelerated Reader. This program was through my school. Books from the library were given points based on their difficulty level. After reading a book, you took a short quiz on the computer and earned points. My school redeemed them for things like folders, pencils, prizes. One year, my pronciple vowed to shave his head if the school could reach a particular number of points. We did and he shaved his head at the end of the year. It was weird because he was an older man so the look didn't suit him. My own children recieve books in the mail, one a month, from the Dolly Parton Reading Express, sponsored by United Way. They recieve them from the month they are born until their fifth birthday. They are free. I have used Reading is Fundamental in my classroom. They give books to each child in the class three times a year. We get the parents involved for each distribution. We also use scholastic book clubs. The books are so cheap and the shipping is free. Even my low-income families buy from them.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for your advocacy in literacy. Literacy is very important for children development, parents should be aware the importance of literacy, they should start to read to their babies since they are in the womb. Reading helps children to develop the ability to identify sounds in words. ELL children need more help because they are learning in different languages. In my work center they are implementing the dual language program, and are helping children to learn additional language without losing their home language.
DeleteWe also have literacy family nights, and also each weekend we use to give a book to parents to take home and read to their children, then on Monday we read the same book to the children and make questions about it. For ELL students in our center we use to read books in their language, and then when they see the same book in English they make connections.
You are not alone about this class, I am very nervous too; I am so bad in technology.