EXECUTIVE DIPLOMA IN CHILDCARE & PRE-SCHOOL

EDUCATION

LITERACY &
LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT

LEELA DEVI A/P SUBRAGASAM

9TH & 10TH FEBRUARY 2010

Early Literacy:
Policy and Practice in the Preschool
Years
As early childhood education moves front and centre in the public policy debate, more
attention is being paid to early literacy. Early childhood professionals have long recognized
the importance of language and literacy in preparing children to succeed in school. Early
literacy plays a key role in enabling the kind of early learning experiences that research shows
are linked with academic achievement, reduced grade retention, higher graduation rates and
enhanced productivity in adult life. This report synthesizes the body of professional
knowledge about early literacy and offers research-based recommendations.
Literacy development starts early in life and is highly correlated with school
achievement.
All of the domains of a childs development: physical, social-emotional, cognitive,
language and literacy are interrelated and interdependent.
The more limited a childs experiences with language and literacy the more likely he
or she will have difficulty learning to read.
Key early literacy predictors of reading and school success include oral language,
Alphabetic Code and print knowledge.
Well-conceived standards for child outcomes, curriculum content, and teacher
preparation help establish clarity of purpose and a shared vision for early literacy
education.
Increased demands for program accountability are often heavily focused
On assessments of childrens early literacy development.

 Highly capable teachers are required to implement todays more challenging early
literacy curriculum.
Teacher knowledge, respect and support for the diversity of childrens families,
cultures, and linguistic backgrounds are important in early literacy development.
Policy Recommendations:
All children should have access to early childhood programs with strong literacy
Components that include clear adaptations for children with special needs.
Early literacy curricula and teaching practices should be evidence-based,
Integrated with all domains of learning, and understandable to staff members.
Early literacy standards should be established that articulate with K-12
Programs and reflect consistency and continuity with overall program goals.
Early literacy assessment should use multiple methods and use the information
To improve both teaching and the total preschool program.
Standards for early childhood professionals should require staff to meet early literacy
instructional standards.
Parent involvement programs should have a strong early literacy component that
guides parents and caregivers in providing early literacy experiences at home.
Support for English Language Learners should be specified and provided in both the
home language and English where feasible.

National Institute for

Early Education Research
Contact Us:
120 Albany Street
Suite 500
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Tel 732 932-4350

Fax 732 932-4360

Question 1
Implement an ongoing assessment system that documents each child's progress and
changing characteristics in a portfolio that includes screening and ongoing assessment
results, samples of the child's work, completed checklists, ongoing observation notes,
family-provided information, photographs, and other data demonstrating the child's
progress for FIVE days.
E
I have been in the teaching line for almost 5 years. The youngest that I have thought is a
group of 5 year olds. Among these children, there is one particular child who had difficulties
in reading and writing.
I took the opportunity to meet her parents and spoke to them about her condition. They
agreed that she is rather slow compared to her brother and sister. Through this meeting, I also
found out that this child was sent to a babysitter as her parents are busy working. At the
babysitters place, she spoke very little English and did not practise any writing. Her parents
werent much help as they often come home late night.
I informed her parents that I would assess their daughter for a five period with some activities
which would show some progress in her writing and reading skills.

DAY 1
I gave her some dotted line papers to trace. She could trace straight lines and curved lines
with some help (refer to attachment A). After this activity, I read to her some simple words
from a picture dictionary. I asked her some questions about these pictures and she could
answer. I understand that she knows basic words and their meanings.

After her break time, I gave her more activities on tracing. She still needed my help. I also
gave her colouring activity. It was a picture of a bunch of grapes. When I asked her if she
knew what it was, she told me yes, but she didnt know the word. I told her they were
grapes. As she was colouring, she repeated the word grapes a few times. Before she headed
home, I read the picture dictionary to her once more.

DAY 2
I prepared for her a new set of tracing lines. My aim today was to get her to write them
without my assistance. She could do the straight one, but had difficulties with curved lines. I
helped her out. I also introduced capital letter A. She could trace the letter with little help
(see attachment B)
During reading time, I used the same picture dictionary that I used on day 1. I read the words
to her. She repeated after me. She had a little difficulty pronouncing certain words. With a
few repetitions, she was saying correctly.

DAY 3
She came with a lot of excitement today. I found out later that it was because her mother sent
her and will pick her later. To my surprise, she traced capital letter A on her own without
any help (see attachment C). Even though, it was not perfect, she knew the correct sequence
in writing the letter.
After her break time, I asked her if she wanted to read or colour. She would normally choose
to colour but today, she told me she wanted to read. She picked out a story book from the
reading corner. It was about letter A. I asked why she choose this book, her reply was, I
like A . She now has the interest because she understands what she is writing. I promised to
read her the book after reading the picture dictionary. She agreed. While reading the picture

dictionary, I pointed at simple pictures (market, vegetables, and prawns) and asked her to
name them. Although she could name only a few, it was improvement compared to the first
day.
When her mother came to pick her, I spoke to her. I found out that her mother is coming
home early after work and is coaching her at home. I told her mother to take her around the
house and show her things in the house and tell their names. It would really help her. Her
mother also told me that they are speaking more of English at home now.

DAY 4
Today, she is still writing letter A. Her writing has improved. I gave her some papers on
curved lines as she is still not good at it. She managed to write the curved lines with minimal
help. Her pencil grip and alignment has also improved.
At the reading corner, I tested her on her memory and understanding. I used the picture
dictionary and told her that she was going to read for me today. She hesitated, but after giving
her encouragement, she did. I pointed at the pictures and she told me the words. Out of 20
words that I had thought over these 4 days, she could tell 15 words (see table 1). I was very
impressed with her. I also read her the story book about letter A. I told her that she could
bring the picture dictionary and the story book home. I told her to read the words to her
mother. She was very happy.

DAY 5
Its still letter A today. Her writing is much better (see attachment D). I feel that she is ready
to move on to the next letter. I rewarded her with a sticker for such good improvement.
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During reading time, she could read all the 20 words that I thought her. I think her mother had
helped her at home. I taught her another 5 new words from the picture dictionary. While
reading the storybook, she could say a few simple words from the story.

SUMMARY
The link between supportive parental involvement and childrens early literacy development
is well established. Snow et. al. and others have shown that children from homes, where
parents model the uses of literacy and engage children in activities that promote basic
understandings about literacy and its uses, are better prepared for school. Several national
efforts have focused with some success on getting books into the hands of parents and
children and promoting regular parent-child book reading. Tabors, Snow, and Dickinson
report that efforts such as these have evidently worked to some extent, citing national surveys
showing an increase in parent-child literacy activities among families with
preschoolers. Unfortunately, the increases among families considered to be at greater risk
lagged behind that of other families. These researchers recommend that efforts to promote
shared reading with children go beyond giving books to families to include suggestions for
how parents might engage in these activities to promote conversation and dialogue. They go
further to suggest that it is not the frequency of book reading or even the quality of the talk
that accompanies book reading alone that is related to childrens language and literacy
abilities, but the broader pattern of parent-child activities and interactions that support
childrens language and literacy development. The challenge to get the message across to all
parents, particularly to low-income and low-education parents, that everyday activities of all
sorts, accompanied by interesting talk with lots of new vocabulary words, can play an
important part in their childrens language and literacy development.

Summary
Literacy development starts early in life and is highly correlated with school achievement.
All the domains of a childs development, including literacy, are interrelated and
interdependent. The more limited a childs experiences with language and literacy, the more
likely he or she will have difficulty learning to read. Well-conceived standards for child
outcomes, curriculum content, and teacher preparation help establish clarity of purpose and a
shared vision for early literacy education. Early literacy curricula and teaching practices
should be evidence-based, integrated with all domains of learning. States and districts should
establish standards for early literacy that reflect consistency
and continuity with overall program goals. At the same time, programs should be designed to
provide comprehensive support for all children, including English Language Learners. In
many instances, this may require major changes in policies involving standards and
accountability for children, programs and the professionals responsible for them. Competent
leadership in the policy arena is essential. As Roskos and Vukelich aptly state, What early
literacy policy accomplishes in the next decades depends not only on the structures placed on
and in settings and programs, but also on the people who act on those structures to create
patterns of activity that can either advance, resist or stall change

ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A

Attachment B

AttachmentC

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AttachmentD

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Pictures

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Table 1

DAY 1
Market
Vegetables
Prawns
Cucumber
Hammer
Trolley
Plastic bag
Drain
Grapes
Motorcycles
Styrofoam
Carton
Coconut
Hawker
Grocery
Mouse
Desserts
Squid
Crab
Taxi

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

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Question2
Writealessonplanonwritingorreading.Includetwoactivitiesinthelessonplan.
Explainhowyouwouldcarryoutthetwoactivitiesindetail.

"My Candle"
Materials required : pens/pencils, paper, tapered candles & holders, matches
Activity Time

: 45 minutes

Concepts Taught

: Composition using figurative language and vivid words

(similes, metaphors, personification, etc.)

This is probably my students' favourite writing assignment. They obviously tell their friends
about it, because every year my new students ask, "Are we going to do that candle thing?"
NOTE: Be sure to get permission from your principal before using fire in the classroom. I
have never had any accidents other than candle wax dripping onto the desks! I warn my
students that ANY horseplay with the candles will result in an immediate office referral.
1. Divide students into groups of three.
2. Give each group a candle (already firmly mounted in holder)
3. 10 minutes: Light the candles and tell the students to write everything they observe in
concrete detail. (i.e., my candle is red; the flame is yellow with a tiny speck of blue in the
centre; the wick curls as the flame burns, etc.)
4. 15 minutes: Now turn the lights off! Point out the new ambiance of the room. Notice the
shadows on the wall, the glow, the mood, etc. Now tell the students to give their candles
human characteristics and vividly describe what it is doing. Remind them to use similes,

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metaphors, adjectives and adverbs (Some of my students have written the flickering flame is
a ballerina dancing gracefully; she bows to the audience; she is crying tears of melted wax,
etc. One group compared the candle to a volcano erupting and lava running down the side of
the mountain as it devoured everything in its path.).
5. 10 minutes: Have your students write a brief paragraph describing the newly personified
candle. Tell them to let their imaginations run wild. Remind them to edit and explain why the
candle is crying, or what the ballerina feels emotionally as she dances.
6. 10 minutes: Allow each group to share paragraphs aloud, and be sure to praise each effort.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how much effort the kids will put into this fun little
project.
HINT: Keep the lights off during the writing and sharing times. I have found that the
students stay focused on the assignment better in the candlelight.

Follow-up Activity
Materials required : coloured papers, scissors, glue, colourful pictures, and decoration
items
Activity Time

: 45 minutes

1. Give each student some coloured papers and decoration materials.

2. Get them to write down their paragraph on the coloured papers.
3. Ask them to decorate their paragraph with suitable pictures and colours.
4. Bind each groups work into a scrapbook.
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5. Decorate the cover. Be sure to put the group members names on the cover.
6. Display the scrapbook in the reading corner of your classroom. You will be surprised
to see how eager the children will be to read their friends scrapbooks.
HINT: Share these ideas with other English teachers in your school. Exchange scrapbook
with other classes and display them in your classroom. It will definitely be a boost of
confidence to your pupils.

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