Storytime&Early Literacy

Early Literacy and School Readiness LIBR529 Presentation Tina Sherlock November 6 th , 2007

We once believed learning how to read was a natural process like learning how to walk. Nabeel H

We now know that learning to read is a social process that begins right from birth. Chiceaux

Young children will not simply “figure out” literacy if left to their own devices. Xylum Tube

Adults play a critical role by providing rich literacy experiences and by interacting with them in those experiences. gisarah

The foundations of literacy are learned in the families. vessenes

What are some things we can do as parents?

1. Find time to read with your child.

make sure you are both in a good mood

create a cozy space for reading

read often- not just at bedtime!

The warm and safe feeling that children get from sharing books with adults at an early age will likely follow them throughout their lives.

2. Children who enjoy books will want to learn how to read.

2. Talk with your child Chaoss

Have regular conversations, talk about your feelings and your child’s feelings and ask exploratory questions.

Oral language is the foundation of reading!

3. Provide opportunities for storytelling

Act out stories with stuffies,

dolls or puppets

Tell family stories

Encourage your child to re-tell

favourite stories

Playing with stories and storytelling helps children understand the structure of stories.

4. Help foster an awareness of print

point out signs/ print in the

environment

allow your child to help with:

grocery lists

labels on coat racks/toy

boxes

recipes while cooking

An awareness of print helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful

5. Encourage letter and word recognition cybertoad

point to the words with your fingers while you read with your child

encourage your child to recognize his/her name

Understanding that print follows certain conventions helps with school readiness

6. Rhyme and sing with your child often Voxphoto

rhymes draw attention to language and sounds

songs break language down beautifully in a way that engages children

Children learn best by doing things, and they love singing and rhyming with you!

(no matter what you sound like) Marc G Smith

The ability to distinguish the different sounds that make up words is a strong predictor of how well children will learn to read.

Does this sound like a lot of work?

Take comfort that these are things that we already do naturally as parents

Want to see some of this in action?

Participate in your library’s storytime! Joe Thorn

During storytime, librarians model interactive storytelling…

… favourite stories and rhymes are repeated weekly…

… puppets and props are used to make stories and language fun…

… and all this is done in a rich environment that fosters early literacy.

Remember… the earlier a child is exposed to language and literacy activities, the greater the child’s chances for future literacy and academic success.

What are you waiting for?

Works Consulted

Balancing Act Productions. “Blackbird Acoustic Test.” Retrieved via Creative Commons. http:// search.creativecommons.org /

“ Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library.” American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/ECRR/ECRRHomePage.htm

“ First Five Years.” Brooklyn Public Library. http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/first5years/

“ How Parents Foster Early Learning.” Lessons in Learning February 1, 2006. http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LiL-1Feb2006.htm

Teale, William H. “Libraries Promote Early Literacy Learning: Ideas from Current Research and Early Childhood Programs.” Journal of Youth Services in Libraries 12: no 3, 1999 .