This book describes effective, engaging ways to build young children's print concepts and alphabetic knowledge, which are crucial for both reading and writing development. Presenting shared reading, shared writing, and targeted instructional activities, each chapter features helpful classroom vignettes, a section debunking myths about preschool literacy, and Ideas for Discussion, Reflection, and Action. Strategies are provided for creating print-rich classroom and home environments and differentiating instruction for diverse students, including English language learners. The book also discusses how to assess preschoolers' reading and writing progress. Reproducible checklists and parent handouts can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Based on the findings of recent studies, this book presents research-based, classroom-tested practices for bringing the magic and joy of reading to young children. The book explains how children's reading and writing develop in the preschool years and what adults can do to encourage these processes. It is full of timely tips, activity ideas, materials lists, photos, and classroom examples. Covering both the whys and hows of early literacy learning, this guide focuses on eight key dimensions of early literacy identified by professional organizations in the reading and early childhood fields.With this book in hand, teachers of young children will have the specifics they need to support children's emerging literacy.

From the very first chapter of this informative and inspiring book, a clear picture emerges of how even three- and four-year-olds' capacities for serious authorship can and should be supported. - Lillian G. Katz Coauthor of Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years By the time they reach preschool or kindergarten, young children are already writers. They don't have much experience, but they're filled with stories to tell and ideas to express - they want to show the world what they know and see. All they need is a nurturing teacher like you to recognize the writer at work within them. All you need to help them is Already Ready. Taking an exciting, new approach to working with our youngest students, Already Ready shows you how, by respecting children as writers, engaged in bookmaking, you can gently nudge them toward a lifetime of joyful writing. Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover guide you through fundamental concepts of early writing. Providing numerous, helpful examples of early writing - complete with transcriptions - they demonstrate how to: make sense of children's writing and interpret how they represent sounds, ideas, and images see important developmental signs in writers that you can use to help them grow further recognize the thinking young children engage in and discover that it's the same thinking more experienced writers use to craft purposeful, thoughtful pieces. Then Ray and Glover show you how little ones can develop powerful understandings about: texts and their characteristics the writing process what it means to be a writer. You'll learn how to support your writers' quest to make meaning, as they grow their abilities and refine their thinking about writing through teaching strategies such as: reading aloud working side by side with writers sharing children's writing. Writing is just one part of a busy early childhood classroom, but even in little doses, a nurturing approach can work wonders and help children connect the natural writer inside them to a life of expressing themselves on paper. Find that approach, share it with your students, and you'll discover that you don't have to get students ready to write - they're Already Ready.

This book describes effective, engaging ways to build young children's print concepts and alphabetic knowledge, which are crucial for both reading and writing development. Presenting shared reading, shared writing, and targeted instructional activities, each chapter features helpful classroom vignettes, a section debunking myths about preschool literacy, and Ideas for Discussion, Reflection, and Action. Strategies are provided for creating print-rich classroom and home environments and differentiating instruction for diverse students, including English language learners. The book also discusses how to assess preschoolers' reading and writing progress. Reproducible checklists and parent handouts can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

The Creative Curriculum comes alive! This videotape-winner of the 1989 Silver Apple Award at the National Educational Film and Video Festival-demonstrates how teachers set the stage for learning by creating a dynamic well-organized environment. It shows children involved in seven of the interest areas in the The Creative Curriculum and explains how they learn in each area. Everyone conducts in-service training workshops for staff and parents or who teaches early childhood education courses will find the video an indispensable tool for explainin appropriate practice.

Whether they're putting on a puppet show, acting out a fairy tale, or running an imaginary restaurant, preschoolers love to play. This book shows how to harness play's power so children not only have fun, but also learn essential reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills that prepare them for conventional literacy instruction.

How do early childhood educators foster young children’s understanding of reading and writing during this emergent literacy period? Moreover, how can they nurture a love of reading and writing? With these two questions at its core, the revised edition of this bestselling resource provides: A comprehensive and updated overview of what literacy development looks like for children from birth through age 5; Instructional approaches that support robust early language, literacy, and content knowledge learning; Considerations for choosing and sharing materials and for designing the physical environment in ways that support language and literacy learning; Recommendations for developmentally appropriate books that engage children’s minds and imaginations; Authentic writing samples that showcase young children’s thinking around and explorations with mark making. Grounded in new research and drawn from the authors’ extensive experience, this book gives educators the tools they need to create and build on learning opportunities that will lead to thriving, motivated readers and writers.

Parallel Learning of Reading and Writing in Early Childhood explores why it’s important to provide a balanced language learning environment for young children and offers approaches for children to practice and explore language. Writing – a different but parallel process – can open the door to reading, and an effective writing approach in the home and early childhood classrooms leads to the development of phonemic awareness, understanding of phonetic principles, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Effective early childhood teachers are those that extend the knowledge children have amassed at home and use the knowledge of how children learn naturally in the world to inform their practice. This book offers the purpose, context, and outcomes of including writing right from the start in young children’s literacy learning. Through analysis of writing samples, research, and principles of best practices, Shea outlines the essential ingredients for early language learning and provides a developmentally appropriate approach to language learning. Throughout the chapters, Shea integrates discussion of assessment, classroom environment, instructional/teacher scaffolding, and differentiating instruction across developmental levels along with the supporting theory. Special features: vignettes and descriptions of Pre-K, K, and Grade 1 classrooms that incorporate writing across the day artifacts of children’s writing that demonstrate an evolution of knowledge related to both message and word construction concept labeling words and topic specific terms defined throughout the book to support the reader’s understanding of professional terminology discussion of seminal and current research as well as best practices Companion Website with lesson ideas and abundant writing samples from a wide range of demographic, cultural, and language contexts for readers to view, analyze, and discuss. This text offers pre- and in-service early childhood education teachers the content and resources to develop a deeper understanding of language learning, to prompt an examination of current practice, and to stimulate curricular re-designs that foster meaningful, joyful, and motivated learning.

Offers preschool educators and administrators information on the challenges surrounding early literacy and strategies for incorporating it into the classroom setting.