Early Years Bulletin Fall 2016

Early Years Bulletin

Fall 2016 vol 4 no 1

Focus on Pre-K and K

editors: Jennifer Baumgartner & Cynthia DiCarlo

Theme-Based Learning for Literate Language

By Ashley Bourque-Meaux, Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders College of Health & Human Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University

T

he preschool years are a time for children to explore and develop a foundation for language and literacy.

On the journey to reading, they begin to recognize that the things they say can be manipulated and represented in a visual way. During this time, children are beginning their journey to literate language—the overlapping area between language and literacy. These early experiences with print can be an exciting time of exploration as children begin making connections between the words they hear and the visuals and print they see around them.

Prior to this, the development of literate language relies on rich oral language experiences. This foundation is then extended to more complex language structures to support reading. Teachers can use storybooks as thematic units to support and promote this literate language journey.

Contents

p. 5 - Children’s Books p. 7 - Culturally Relevant Infant-Toddler Field Experience p. 11 - Books for Infants and Toddlers p. 12 - Activities in the Classroom

Early Language for Reading Success Young children who excel academically in elementary school show evidence of solid foundational skills necessary for learning to read. They enter school with rich language experiences, evident in: • Well-developed and diverse vocabulary • Complex sentence structure • The ability to attend to and follow along with storybooks • Participation in rhymes and songs • Attention to and/or reading print.

Such language skills help students be successful on their reading journey.

Phonological awareness (PA), or the “ability to detect and manipulate the sound structure of words independent of their meaning” (Phillips, Clancy-Manchetti, & Lonigan, 2008, p. 3), is another necessary skill and predicting factor for reading success. PA skills tend to develop sequentially, starting with awareness of larger units (e.g., words within compound words), progressing toward acknowledging syllables, and then moving into identifying smaller units (e.g., rhyming units) and phonemic awareness skills.

Phonemic awareness is the specific ability to focus on and manipulate phonemes (e.g., individual sounds) in words (Ehri et al., 2001). Phonemic awareness is one of the best predictors of children’s ability to read (Ehri et al., 2001). Preschool children are not able to acquire these fundamental skills intuitively or naturally, and thus may continued on page 2

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Fall 2016 teacher can promote oral language participation through supported storybook reading in several ways, including: repeated exposure to the book, cloze procedure, gesturing, expansion, and binary choice. These strategies can be used in storytime with all students, in small-group reading, or through individual reading sessions with students.

Initially, the book should be read in its entirety, focusing on the rhythm or natural patterns created when simply reading the print, to create familiarity with the book. For example, the teacher can focus on Pete’s cool attitude and his shoe color by emphasizing, “Did Pete cry?

Goodness no!” each time the phrase appears in the book.

The more times the students experience the patterns and rhythms of the book, the more likely they are to give their full attention and follow along with this familiar story. The repetition not only enhances vocabulary, it also makes the oral components of PA and visual exploration of print more readily available. Once the story is familiar to the class, the teacher may choose to employ languagelearning support strategies.

Supported storybook reading has several strategies teachers can employ to expand vocabulary and reinforce verbal production of larger units of language for PA development. Cloze procedure, or fill-in-the-blank, at natural pauses during reading gives students a chance to demonstrate their understanding by filling in the missing information. Cloze procedure can be used with single words, multiple words, or whole phrases. When used with single words, students’ vocabulary grows; when used with multiple words or phrases, students have a chance to try out new vocabulary and/or expand their verbal repertoire through practice with larger units of language.

For example, with single-word cloze procedure, children become familiar with several phrases in Pete’s story: “I love my red shoes, I love my red ____.” After an excited pause by the teacher, most children will respond, “Shoes!” The repetition of the second phrase in this example could be omitted when reading, to give students a chance to provide a larger unit of language. Thus, they are expanding their oral language experiences from words to phrases.

Using language to reinforce the “food” theme, gesturing in conjunction with the illustrations can be used to support the cloze procedure. While pointing to the strawberries Pete stepped in, the teacher can read, “Oh no! Pete stepped in some _____!” Again, new vocabulary

require “deliberate teaching and practice opportunities” (Phillips et al., 2008, p. 4).

The way children are exposed to language in school comes in different forms. One way to systematically approach reinforcing literate language is through supported storybook reading and creating thematic units for the chosen storybook. Both students who have limited oral language practice and those who have rich language experiences will benefit from familiarity and repetition with a good book.

Theme-Based Storybooks: KISS (Keep It Simple . . . and the Same) Strickland (2006) presented 10 properties that make a good book. Six standout properties, with regard to facilitating literate language, are that a book should: have universal appeal, have interesting language, educate as it entertains, evoke discussion, be worth reading over and over again, and make you laugh. These recommendations can be reinforced further to facilitate literate language when phrases in the book are catchy and repeated often.

Additionally, the storybook should have a character (or characters) that participates in a recurring, predictable situation. The storybook should also have a sense of rhythm or clear rhyme that moves the story along. Lastly, the book’s illustrations should be able to support and “translate” the text for the early reader.

A few examples of books that support these criteria are: · Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (Litwin, 2011) · If You Give a Mouse a Cooke (Numeroff, 1985) · There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Taback, 1997) Examples of thematic units include: animals, colors, foods, cooking, sequencing, etc. For this article, let’s explore “food” in Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (Litwin, 2011) to enrich oral language, develop PA skills, and explore print.

Supported Storybook Reading and Crafts The way a storybook is introduced and read each day will reinforce the development and enhancement of specific vocabulary and complex language structures. A

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is being learned, and sentence length also can be addressed. For children who do not yet demonstrate complex sentence structure use, requiring a phrase to be filled in gives them a chance to expand their oral language after becoming familiar with the modeled language through multiple reading and supported reading strategies. This familiarity with the rhythm of the book and use of supported reading strategies solidifies awareness of the larger chunks of language. This direct production of language structures sets up the child to explore smaller units.

To support language in theme-based activities, binary choice can be employed during storybook reading or a craft. Using binary choice means presenting students with two choices, one is correct and one is not correct, to illicit a verbal response. The students cannot simply say “yes” or “no”; if they understand the conventions of conversations, then they will undoubtedly know they are expected to provide a response. A fun craft to associate the color of Pete’s shoes with the food can be found at http://www.prekinders.com/pete-the-cat-bookconnection-activity/.

color his shoes red?” The students are given the choice between “strawberries” or “peas,” and are required to respond with a one-word answer. If the students are ready to practice longer language units, then binary choice using phrases also can be used.

Providing students with opportunities to practice and expand their oral language at the word and phrase level using supported reading and craft time is the first step in PA, awareness of larger units. These same supporting strategies can be used to continue along the PA hierarchy.

Through repeated storybook reading, the students will become familiar with the rhymes already present in the book. The teacher can, again, use cloze procedure to have the child provide the rhyming word during storybook reading. To progress toward acknowledging syllables and moving into rhyming units, several activities for craft time are available for the Pete the Cat series at http://www. petethecatbooks.com/activities/.

The teacher can still employ the aforementioned supporting strategies when using Pete the Cat activity sheets. For students who are not yet able to decode print, the teacher could put a picture representing the word

When using this type of activity to reinforce a theme during table crafts, the teacher can use binary choice to “trick” the students into providing an oral response. For example, the teacher could present the red shoe to the table and ask, “Did Pete step in strawberries or peas to

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continued from page 3 next to the word on the page. Then, give the students pictures of words that rhyme to glue next to the printed word. Having the printed word remain on the page increases students’ exposure to the story’s print.

The last stage in PA is phonological awareness, which is evident when the child is able to focus on and manipulate sounds (i.e., phonemes) in words (Ehri et al., 2001). Many activities explore letter name and letter sound learning.

Using the Pete the Cat theme, the teacher can create a “Learning Letter Sounds” Pete the Cat letter sound muncher (http://www.pre-kpages.com/learning-lettersounds-with-pete-the-cat/). Either during storybook reading or group activity, students can identify the letter name or sound in the story to drop into their letter muncher. For example, if the letter sound is “k,” then the teacher can point out that Pete says, “Everything is cool.”

When the students hear the “k” sound, they can drop the C card in their letter muncher. To increase the students’ awareness of this letter sound during the day, the student can find other objects that start with the “k” sound to put into their letter muncher as well.

Conclusion Under the direction of teachers, young children can explore oral and written language in all facets of the school day. Through thematic units using “good” storybooks, teachers are able to provide students with

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opportunities to expand their oral language through supported storybook strategies. Various PA activities associated with the storybook will increase familiarity with the story while reinforcing the language explored in the storybook. The more repetition and practice students get while exploring new storybooks, the better they will become at producing complex language structures and manipulating sounds in words. These skills are all essential in predicting future reading success.

References Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Willows, D. M., Schuster, B., YaghoubZadeh, Z., & Shanahan, T. (2001). Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s meta-analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 36, 250-287.

Litwin, E. (2011). Pete the cat: I love my white shoes. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Numeroff, L. (1985). If you give a mouse a cookie. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Phillips, B., M., Clancy-Manchetti, J., & Lonigan, C. J. (2008).

Successful phonological awareness instructions with preschool children. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 28(1), 3-17.

Strickland, D. S. (2006, April). What makes a good book! Paper presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

Taback, S. (1997). There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. New York, NY: Viking Books for Young Readers.

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Early Years Bulletin

Children’s Books

By Susan Catapano, University of North Carolina-Wilmington

This review contains books connected by the familiar theme of animals. Pets, farm animals, and fantasy animals dominate the selections in this column.

ends up bald. This would be a good book to illustrate use and management of resources. The print is large and each page includes only a few lines. Many extended activities are possible and the story can be limitless as children contribute ideas about what could be made from the wool.

Ages 3-7.

Newman, Leslea & Bates, Amy June KETZEL, THE CAT WHO COMPOSED. ISBN 978-0-76366555-5. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. 40 pp. $16.99. Ketzel is the true story of a composer’s cat and her contribution to classical music. Moshe Cotel, a composer who lived in New York City, found Ketzel as a tiny stray.

Moshe was struggling to create the right piece for The Paris Music Review’s one-minute competition until Ketzel walked down the piano keyboard. The music the little cat made walking on the keys would become the basis for a full piano piece: “Piece for Piano: Four Paws by Ketzel.” Ketzel became famous and even earned royalties for her creation.

The illustrations are beautiful and children will quickly fall in love with Ketzel. Ages 5-8.

Peot, Margaret CROW MADE A FRIEND. ISBN 978-0-8234-3297-4. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2015. 24 pp. $14.95. This is the first of three, “I Like to Read” books highlighted in this column.

The crow at the heart of this story is alone and wants a friend. He is very colorful, so combining this book with an informational text would develop a true picture of what a crow looks like and their habits. By using his voice, he meets a friend and they build a nest together. Soon, there are baby birds in the nest and the crow is no longer alone.

Ages 5-8.

Schories, Pat PIE FOR CHUCK. 978-0-8234-3392-6. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2015. 24 pp. $14.95. Another “I Like to Read” early reader shares the story of a woodchuck that loves pie. Again, combining the reading of this story with an informational text about woodchucks would provide children with an authentic context for the book. Chuck asks his friends, the rabbit, the chipmunk, and the raccoon, to help him. Finally, three field mice climb onto Chuck’s head and knock the cooling pie from the windowsill to the ground. There is pie for everyone! This is a good book to illustrate friendship and cooperation. Ages 5-8.

Kennedy, Anne Vittur RAGWEED’S FARM DOG HANDBOOK. ISBN 978-0-74175. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. 32 pp. $15.99.

Ragweed is a small, white, farm dog that takes you on a tour of the farm from his perspective. This is a good book to illustrate perspective taking. Ragweed’s comments indicate that he must get in trouble a lot, because he warns the reader about what will happen if he or she does something. Throughout his mischief, Ragweed’s focus seems to be on getting as many biscuits as possible. This is also a good book for illustrating prediction. Ages 3-7.

Cabrera, Jane BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP. ISBN 978-0-8234-3388-9. New York, NY: Holiday House Books, 2015. 24 pp. $16.95. This is a new take on a familiar nursery rhyme. The uses for the wool vary from the original rhyme and include wool for birds’ nests, beards, hats, vests, and a blanket. The little girl who is knitting asks for wool so many times, the sheep

Garland, Michael LOST DOG. ISBN 978-0-8234-3429-9. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2015. 24 pp. $14.95. Pete has an adventure on his way to see his grandmother. Taking a short cut, he gets lost in the woods and seeks help from a bear, a bird, a big cat, a continued on page 6

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Fall 2016 Mack, Jeff WHO NEEDS A BATH? ISBN 978-0-06-222028-8. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2015. 40 pp. $16.95. This is a funny story in which Skunk’s friends try to get him to take a bath. This book could be paired with an informational text about skunks so children understand why a skunk would need a bath. Skunk resists all attempts Bear makes to give him a bath until Bear turns the bath into a pool party. Skunk sees all of his friends having a good time and he decides to join in, learning that baths can be fun. Ages 4-8.

continued from page 5 walrus, penguins, and a whale before he finally arrives at his grandmother’s. This story illustrates seeking help from various members of a community and would be a good addition to a community helper’s unit of study. There are limited words per page and the illustrations are colorful.

Ages 5-8.

PEPPA PIG AND THE DAY AT THE MUSEUM. ISBN 978-0-7636-8060-2 and PEPPA PIG AND THE GREAT VACATION. ISBN 978-0-7636-6986-7. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. 32 pp. $12.99. Peppa Pig is the star of a United Kingdom cartoon series. She, her brother George, her mother, and her father have a variety of adventures. The illustrations are simple and colorful. The print on each page is minimal and the topics are good for all ages. Both books depict common experiences for young children and could be used as predictive texts.

Ages 2-5.

Ljungkvist, Laura SEARCH AND SPOT ANIMALS. ISBN 978-0-544-54005-7.

Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 40 pp. $16.99.

This is one of several animal search books published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book engages readers in looking at line drawings of animals to find specific numbers and types of animals. Readers will learn spatial discrimination awareness and mathematic skills. After a group read aloud, children will return to use this book individually. Ages 3-8.

Ryan, Candace & Pamintuan, Macky ZOO ZOOM. ISBN 978-1-61963-357-5. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA Children’s, 2015. 32 pp. $16.99. In this animal adventure, monkey, condor, puffin, cockatoo, buffalo, pronghorn, crocodile, yak, flamingo, hippo, rhino, and toucan take off into space. After getting lost, they head back to the space center. The print per page is minimum and the lines rhyme, with a predictable line, Zoo _____, on every page. This book would be effective for a review prior to a trip to the zoo because of the unusual list of animals included. Ages 3-6.

Taylor, Sean & Jullien, Jean HOOT OWL, MASTER OF DISGUISE. ISBN 978-0-76367578-3. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. 48 pp. $15.99. With simple illustrations, this book follows a hoot owl as he hunts for food. Pairing this book with an informational text about hoot owls would give children factual information to compare to the story. The owl’s descriptions of the animals he plans to eat, including a juicy lamb and a trembling pigeon, might be distressing for a young child. Ultimately, the hoot owl decides to eat a pizza and leaves the animals alone. Ages 3-7.

Dean, James PETE THE CAT AND THE BEDTIME BLUES. ISBN 978-0-06230430-8. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2015. 40 pp. $17.99.

A set of animal-based books would not be complete without an entry from Dean and Pete the Cat. This latest one of Pete’s adventures focuses on his reluctance to end a day of play with his friends. The solution: a sleepover!

Pete gets tired, but his friends are still up clapping and munching on pizza. Pete solves his problem by reading aloud to his friends until they start to get sleepy. Finally, everyone is asleep. This would be a great book to include if children in the classroom experience sleepovers. Ages 4-8.

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Cousins, Luch MAISY GOES ON A PLANE. ISBN 978-0-7636-7825-8.

Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. 32 pp. $12.99.

Cousins’ beloved character, Maisy, the white mouse, is off on a new adventure. As part of a first experiences book series, Maisy takes to the skies to visit a friend. (Take note: A pigeon is piloting the plane!) As the story unfolds, Maisy goes through the airport, checks in, boards the plane, and ends with collecting her luggage. This would be a good book to read if a child is going on a trip. The colorful, simple illustrations and limited print on each page makes it appropriate for all ages. Ages 3-7.

Fall 2016

Early Years Bulletin

Focus on Infants and Toddlers editors: Nur Tanyel and Laura Hooks

Infant-Toddler Field Experience Design: A Developmentally and Culturally Relevant Approach in Restrictive Reality

By Lena Lee, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, College of Education, Health & Society, Miami University

After receiving their infant-toddler classroom field placement and requirement guide at the beginning of the semester, several of my students looked puzzled.

When I asked what was going on, some of them relayed their uncomfortable feelings about it: “We do not plan to be teachers of child care, so we are not really sure why we need this clinical experience requirement”; “I would rather have elementary classroom experience because I want to be a 1st-grade teacher”; “I have had so much experience in babysitting since I was 16. Do I still need this requirement?”

I consider infant-toddler education to be one important color in the spectrum of early childhood education. As the only faculty member in my PreK-3 teaching licensure program who has experience with infants and toddlers, I always reflect on how to connect my students’ knowledge and ideas to meaningful infant-toddler learning opportunities. I am also very confident that my students will be best prepared in teaching when they have “a continuous interplay of theory, research and practice” with “supervised, reflective field experiences” (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 2009, p. 6).

In particular, I was interested in sharing critical perspectives with my students from their field experiences and knowledge of early learning within low-income and diverse child care. I am very mindful that children who spend their early years in poverty can experience negative effects in regard to development, learning, academic performance, and social risk-taking, but also on their later income and education level (e.g., Blair & Raver, 2016; Burchinal, Nabors, & Bryant, 2008; Caughy, O’Campo, & Muntaner, 2004; Duncan, Brooks-Gunn, & Klebanov, 1994; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network, 2005; National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010; Mann, Steward, Eggbeer, & Norton, 2007; Reardon & Galindo, 2009).

For example, early deficits are already apparent in significant ways before kindergarten: a child from a lowincome family is likely to have an 18-month delay

M

y semester-long journey with students to explore children’s early learning and lives usually starts as I described above. For more than a decade, I have been working in early childhood teacher education programs in American institutions of higher education. In all these years of experience, I still encounter many students who do not consider working with infants and toddlers to be very valuable; several studies have found the same perceptions among pre-service teachers (e.g., Norris, 2010; Recchia & Shin, 2010; Rouse & Rahimi, 2012).

Even though the first three years of life are extremely influential in various ways (e.g., Hart & Risley, 1995; Nelson, 2000; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000), many students think becoming a teacher of infants and toddlers is a less professional job than that of a preschool or elementary school teacher (de Leon-Carillo, 2007). Essentially, teachers in infant-toddler classrooms are not considered “real” teachers because they provide care, not education (Garvis & Pendergast, 2015; Recchia & Shin, 2010).

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Fall 2016 Furthermore, because my institution is located in a small college town, there were not enough child care centers to place all ECE students. Many students did not have their own transportation, either.

in learning by his/her fourth year of life, which will not have decreased by the time the child reaches 5th grade (Barnett et al., 2005). Moreover, poverty is often intertwined with minority status in the United States (Duncan, Brooks-Gunn, & Klebanov, 1994).

This article will briefly share my work to design an infant-toddler field placement reflecting developmental and cultural sensitivity in a milieu fraught with practical challenges. My program is a Pre-K to 3 teaching licensure program located in a small city in the Midwest United States. Most students are typically white females from middle- to upper-class backgrounds with high academic performance records. The program has a cohort block system, and each block has 60 to 90 students, depending on semesters.

Infant-Toddler Field Experience Design Within a Restrictive Circumstance Background Keeping the importance of the first three years of life and the inequities in early learning in mind, I designed infant-toddler field experiences to be embedded in a Child Development in Early Childhood Education course.

My students usually take this course in their first of three early childhood education (ECE) major cohort semesters; therefore, the field experiences of this course were their first experiences in ECE settings. This was a new approach for the program; the students had had the 10-hour field assignments before entering their second cohort semester to fulfill an accreditation requirement. They selected a placement, such as a home-based center or a child care center, by themselves. Therefore, there was no specific supervision or reflection with faculty and peers. My belief is that students learn best to become excellent teacher candidates only when close guidance and critical reflections are facilitated by early childhood experts. This was one of several strong motivations to include the mandated infant-toddler field experience in my course.

However, I encountered various challenges. First, the students had full two-week field experiences in preschool settings, including Head Start programs and public elementary preschool classrooms, during the same semester they took my course. As a result, it was challenging to add significant hours of infant-toddler field experience.

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Settings In order to resolve issues associated with restrictive circumstances, I planned to provide four to six full days throughout the semester, with a minimum of 15 hours of experience, during which the pre-service students would be placed in child care centers in different nearby towns. Although the hours were not long enough to fully understand infant-toddler care, the flexibility was helpful for the students; they were able to arrange transportation with their peers according to their work/course schedules and where they live. I communicated with my students about the challenges and the importance of infant-toddler field placement for their professional understanding.

The quality of all participating centers was evaluated as fair or above, based on the State Department of Job and Family Services; it was extremely difficult to find enough infant-toddler care centers with excellent quality to handle approximately 60 students. The first consideration of placement selection was the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity of children and families. The pre-service students were to observe children, teachers, and families, enriching the data with anecdotal recordings and documentation, and assessment of their learning. Although the 15 hours are required, many students voluntarily went to the field placements for additional hours to learn and participate more.

To maximize the benefits of this field placement, I created several seminars to enhance students’ knowledge, reflections, and discussions of infant-toddler development and the socio-cultural impact on very young children’s development.

Framework I designed the infant-toddler field experiences in alignment with the NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs (2009). The students’ assignment was evolving and ongoing, because its completion required obtaining a variety of data through continuous interaction and participation in the field. I continued on page 9

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continued from page 8 provided all needed materials and guides.

• Promoting Child Development and Learning. The infant-toddler field experiences helped the students understand the significance of early development and learning. Their classroom learning and knowledge about child development was tested and applied in the field.

Then, they were able to reflect upon and deepen this knowledge in the college classroom by discussing their practical experiences and observations in the field.

Reflective and critical learning incorporated relevant information and content concerning the general development of infants or toddlers, as well as specific developmental characteristics of one child they chose to observe as a mini case study.

• Building Family and Community Relationships. A child’s learning and life cannot be completely understood without a comprehensive view of his/her family and community. This is particularly true for very young children. The students were asked to understand how teachers, children, and families interact by observing children’s drop-off/pick-up times, the physical classroom environment, and any types of indirect communication methods used, including website, newsletter, letters, or handouts. Each student was asked to describe clearly how the center’s children, families, and teachers built a positive relationship, collecting supporting materials.

• Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families. As mentioned above, the assignment was based on active observation and documentation. Students also examined the center’s quality, using NAEYC’s 10 criteria for high-quality programs (2008) to evaluate the whole picture of the care center.

• Using Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect With Children and Families. One of the primary objectives of this infant-toddler field experience was to understand how we can connect developmentally and culturally with every child and his/her family. Each child brings his/her own “funds of knowledge” (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 2001) into the classroom that has been developed, historically and culturally, for a family’s “household or individual functioning and well-being” (p. 133). There is no doubt that these funds of knowledge influence all young children’s development. As I stated earlier,

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certain socioeconomic and ethnic groups are often at a disadvantage. Therefore, the pre-service teachers pondered how to use developmentally and culturally responsive approaches with children and families from within the framework of “skilled dialogue,” which has six strategies—welcoming, sense-making, joining, allowing, appreciating, and harmonizing (Barrera & Kramer, 2009).

They used this framework with the child they chose for more keen observations.

• Becoming a Professional. The initial intention of the field experience adaptation was for my students to become well-prepared professionals. I wanted my students to be willing and able to respond to the needs of diverse children and their families by better understanding the significance of each child’s first three years. As a result, the students were supposed to demonstrate how these experiences helped them become better teacher candidates by contemplating what they learned about very young children’s development and educational settings. Based on their learning, they included their plans to create healthy and supportive learning environments and their professional responsibilities as future teachers in the assignment. They also shared their findings and experiences through a classroom presentation.

Conclusion “Now, I can see better how a child is growing developmentally and where my future students will come from far better than before”; “It was interesting to find there are cultural and economic influences so much even in the infant room. Those were merged and interacted with child developmental aspects. It was a real connection between theories and practices for me”; “We need seriously to consider better professional development and teacher education programs for the teachers for these young children.”

The statements above were made by my students during various discussions throughout the semester. Their outlooks are quite different from those they expressed at the beginning of the semester. Of course, not every student changed their perception. However, their general assumptions about and expectations for continued on page 10

Early Years Bulletin continued from page 9 early learning and care were significantly changed; most students learned to see how important the early years are for a child.

Furthermore, many students continued to consider social equity through the field placement because their own childhoods and typical experiences of child care environments were not similar to those of the children they observed in the field. Their classroom discussions and reflections became deeper through understanding that many young children from low-income or recent immigrant families are less likely to attend any care settings as a result of parents’ financial limitations or lack of information about how to enroll. As a result, the students’ critical inquiry about early childhood education in the United States moved from a personal level, like thinking of early care as “babysitting,” to considering the social, economic, and cultural implications, such as early childhood education policies, economics of early care, quality of child care, qualification and professional development of teachers, and child advocacy. These experiences were more effective and meaningful because students could note and compare patterns of children’s learning, development, and educational environment in low-income preschool field experiences. In this way, my students could take a holistic and integrated view of early childhood education in reality.

We have a long way to go toward fully supporting and advocating for very young children’s learning and development, as well as their families’ needs in the United States and many other countries. I am hopeful that this first step I took with my students, who showed sincere commitment to and incredible passion for young children, will prove beneficial. Fair education for very young children who are from low-income or recent immigrant families will not occur without our deeper understanding about children’s home cultures and continual effort to establish more systematic financial support.

References Barnett, S., Belfield, C., Montie, J., Nores, M., Scheweihart, L., & Xiang, Z. (2005). The High/Scope Perry preschool study through age forty. Retrieved from http:// www.highscope.org/file/Research/PerryProject/

Fall 2016 specialsummary_rev2011_02_2.pdf Barrera, I., & Kramer, L. (2012). Using skilled dialogue to transform challenging interactions: Honoring identity, voice, & connection. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.

Blair, C., & Raver, C. C. (2016). Poverty, stress, and brain development: New directions for prevention and intervention. Academic Pediatrics, 16(3), S30-S36.

Burchinal, R. J., Nabors, L. A., & Bryant, D. M. (1996).

Quality of center child care and infant cognitive and language development. Child Development, 67, 606-620.

Caughy, M., O’Campo, O., & Muntaner, C. (2004).

Experience of racism among African American parents and mental health of their preschool-aged children.

American Journal of Public Health, 94(12), 53-66. de Leon-Carillo, C. M. (2007). Prospective teacher’s preand post-practicum beliefs on teaching. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 4(1), 25-40.

Duncan, G. J., Brooks‐Gunn, J., & Klebanov, P. K. (1994).

Economic deprivation and early childhood development. Child Development, 65(2), 296-318.

Garvis, S., & Pendergast, D. (2015). What do early childhood teacher graduands say about working with infants and toddlers?: An exploratory investigation of perceptions. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 40(4), 104-111.

Hart, B., & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful differences in everyday experiences of young American children.

Baltimore, MD: Brookes.

Mann, T., Steward, M., Eggbeer, L., & Norton, D. (2007). ZERO TO THREE’s task force on culture and development: Learning to walk the talk. Zero to Three, 27(5), 7-15.

Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992).

Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132-141.

National Association for the Education of Young Children.

(2008). Overview of the NAEYC early childhood program standards. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/ academy/file/OverviewStandards.pdf National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). NAEYC standards for early childhood professional preparation: A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/ files/2009%20Professional%20Prep%20stdsRevised%20

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Early Years Bulletin

4_12.pdf National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network. (Ed.). (2005).

Child care and child development: Results from the NICHD study of early child care and youth development. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

(2010). Persistent fear and anxiety can affect young children’s learning and development (Working paper N. 9). Retrieved from www.developingchild.net Nelson, C. A. (2000). The neurological bases of early intervention. In J. P. Shonkoff & S. J. Meisels (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood intervention (2nd ed., pp.

204-227). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Norris, D. J. (2010). Raising the educational requirements for teachers in infant toddler classrooms: Implications for institutions of higher education. Journal of Early

Childhood Teacher Education, 31(2), 146-158.

Reardon, S. F., & Galindo, C. (2009). The Hispanicwhite achievement gap in math and reading in the elementary grades. American Educational Research Journal, 46, 853-891.

Recchia, S. L., & Shin, M. (2010). “Baby teachers”: How pre‐service early childhood students transform their conceptions of teaching and learning through an infant practicum. Early Years, 30(2), 135-145.

Rouse, L., Morrissey, A. M., & Rahimi, M. (2012).

Problematic placement: Pathways pre-service teachers’ perspectives on their infant/toddler placement. Early Years, 32(1), 87-98.

Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Books for Infants & Toddlers

I See

By Helen Oxenbury

I Hear

By Helen Oxenbury

I Touch

By Helen Oxenbury

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

By Emily Winfield Martin

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Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

By Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury

I Can

By Helen Oxenbury

Early Years Bulletin

Fall 2016

Activities for the Classroom editors: Patricia A. Crawford and April A. Mattix Foster

Books for Babies and Beyond: Literature for the Youngest Learners The following “Activities for the Classroom” column was submitted by Tracy B. Driver, Doctoral Student at the University of Pittsburgh and Media Specialist for the Shaler Area School District and Patricia A. Crawford, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, at the University of Pittsburgh.

In the movie 3 Men and a Baby, Tom Selleck’s character, Peter, cradles baby Mary in his arms as he reads from Sports Illustrated. The article is about a boxing match and describes swollen eyes and bloody cuts. When asked, “What are you reading her?” Peter calmly responds, “It doesn’t matter what I read. It’s the tone you use. She doesn’t understand the words anyway.”

language-rich experience that children can enjoy with their parents, caregivers, and teachers. The character in 3 Men and a Baby was certainly right to spend time reading to Mary. However, book selection, read-aloud styles, and related response activities will all determine the level of benefit for young literacy learners.

A

lthough few early educators would advocate stories of blood and guts for young children, even presented in the most loving tone, this film catches our attention, makes us laugh, and provokes a number of important questions about literacy learning and sharing books with young children. What should we read? How often should we read? How should it be read?

The value of reading aloud to children beginning in infancy is well established. The first three years of life are a period of tremendous brain development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now advises parents about the social, emotional, and academic benefits of reading aloud with their young children. Spending time reading is an opportunity to develop language and early literacy skills, as well as expand vocabulary.

Can we then say that all time spent reading aloud to children is equally beneficial? Probably not. Rather, the research base indicates that children benefit the most from read-aloud experiences when they are conducted in warm, socially supportive environments; feature well-chosen, developmentally appropriate books; and include related shared reading activities. These activities offer exposure to text and pictures during an engaging,

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Infants and Toddlers Reading aloud is appropriate for even the youngest children. Although infants may not understand the meaning of particular words or the gist of a storyline, read alouds still offer myriad benefits. When parents and caregivers share books with little ones, they convey the importance of reading and tangibly demonstrate their belief that time sharing books is time well spent. Regular read alouds build a “habit of reading” and children learn to joyfully anticipate regular explorations of books with a caring adult.

Storytime is an opportunity for parents and caregivers to come together in a purposeful, enjoyable, and bonding activity. These early read alouds offer children an opportunity to be immersed in joyful language experiences, to become familiar with the rhythm and rhyme characteristics of early literature, and to develop a beginning understanding of how a book works. Early read alouds also set the stage for developing enhanced listening skills, provide a valuable introduction to vocabulary, and offer opportunities for early explorations of artwork by way of the book’s illustrations. continued on page 14

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Early Years Bulletin continued from page 12 In order to make the most of infant and toddler reading time, it is helpful to choose short books that have few or even no words. Babies respond well to books that have oversized, bold illustrations; books that feature faces of other babies; and books that focus on particular concepts or daily routines. The tear-resistant pages of board books hold up to lots of exploration. Story times should be kept short, with caregivers watching for cues from the child about when it is time to stop or move on to a different book.

Preschool (3-4 years old) As they move from toddlerhood to preschool age, children are increasingly able to understand books as well as conversational language. At this age, children learn not only from concrete occurrences, but also through abstract experiences. They are able to relate events in books to their own lives and demonstrate their understanding through asking questions and making comments.

Engaging children in language-rich interactions, such as read alouds and rich conversations throughout the day, allows them to improve vocabulary and language skills, and develop a growing understanding of advanced linguistic structures. These skills will continue to provide benefits as children progress through elementary school.

Access to a wide selection of quality picture books and high-interest informational books in their learning environment offers preschoolers opportunities to practice handling books and pretend reading. While this self-reading is a valuable experience, listening to an adult read continues to be absolutely essential.

Dialogic reading is an appropriate approach to reading aloud at this age. Rather than a traditional reading involving children passively listening to an adult reader, dialogic reading involves the students as active participants in constructing meaning from the book. This approach is best used with a text that is read multiple times over the course of several days. The first reading focuses on enjoying and understanding the basic narrative, while subsequent readings allow students to explore more deeply. The adult role becomes one of a facilitator, rather than a disseminator of knowledge. Facilitator responsibilities include asking questions, modeling responses, and encouraging more

Fall 2016 sophisticated answers. For younger children, the focus is on short segments of the text such as a single page.

When engaging in dialogic reading in group or school settings, teachers ask questions that invite children to recall something or explain what is happening. After considering student responses, the teacher may expand upon the answers. Expansions are an opportunity to model a more complete and detailed response.

Additionally, a student may pose the initial question or make a comment that is considered by the whole group. Illustrations also provide a valuable opportunity for students to describe what they see and share their understanding of the book. By engaging in conversations about the book with their teacher and peers, students improve vocabulary and literacy skills.

Kindergarten (5-6 years old) By the time most children begin kindergarten, they are able to think more abstractly and consider slightly longer pieces of text at a time. They are able to make connections to their own lives and other books that they have heard, as well as make reasonable predictions about what will occur in the book that is being read. Budding readers need opportunities to exercise and refine these skills and support in doing so. Again, dialogic reading will help students increase vocabulary, develop literacy skills, and improve comprehension. Both narrative and informational books can be selected to engage students in learning about important social and academic ideas.

Teachers can differentiate instruction by offering choices in books and activities related to the readings.

Teaching and learning are most effective when students are motivated and engaged as they build on an existing foundation of knowledge. For this reason, teachers may want to find books that explore high-interest topics or represent the cultural traditions of the children in the group. After reading, some children may be able to share their understanding in response to simple writing or drawing prompts. Others may use puppets or picture cards to retell the story or explain important parts of it.

Some students may even begin reading independently at this age, demonstrating their growing abilities to choose, read, and respond to a variety of books. It is important to remember that even when children are at

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continued on page 15

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this independent stage, they can still benefit in many ways from parents and teachers reading aloud to them.

Adults can read books that are written at a higher level than students can read themselves, which exposes them to more advanced vocabulary and text structures. Read alouds also provide an opportunity for adults to model ways to think through a text, navigate the concepts of print, and read aloud with fluency and expression. These experiences also offer opportunities for conversations around the books, which help students to develop communication skills.

Reading Aloud With Children of All Ages www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200303/ReadingAloud.pdf Provides a brief and helpful overview of the benefits of reading aloud with young children.

Hints on How to Read Aloud to a Group www.readingrockets.org/article/hints-how-read-aloudgroup Ideas for reading and extending related conversations in group settings.

Concluding Thoughts One of the most important things that teachers, parents, and caregivers can do for children is to foster a love of reading and learning. Bringing books into their lives, from their earliest days through the times in which they are becoming competent, independent readers, is a powerful move toward accomplishing this goal. Sharing literature in warm, purposeful, language-rich environments is a crucial element of starting reading right.

Electronic Resources for Sharing Literature 1000 Books Before Kindergarten http://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/ The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program promotes reading aloud to newborns, infants, and toddlers through an incentive program.

Early Years Bulletin is published quarterly by the Association for Childhood Education International, 1200 18th St., N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.

100 Best Read Aloud Books www.scholastic.com/100BestReadAloudBooks/ Suggested high-quality texts for reading aloud with children in the early childhood years and beyond.

Other Helpful Resources

Dollins, C. (2014). Expanding the power of read alouds. Young Children, 69(3), 8-13.

Fox, M. (2008). Reading magic: Why reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever. New York, NY: Mariner.

Lacina, J., Baumi, M., Taylor, E. R. (2016). Promoting resilience through read alouds. Young Children, 71(2), 16-21.

Laminack, L., & Wadsworth, R. M. (2012). Bullying hurts: Teaching kindness through read alouds and guided conversations.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Shedd, M. K., & Duke, N. (2008). The power of planning: Developing effective read alouds. Young Children, 63(6), 22-27.

Trelease, J. (2013). The read aloud handbook (7th ed.). New York, NY: Penguin.

Wanless, S. B., & Crawford, P. A. (2016). Reading your way to a culturally responsive classroom. Young Children, 71(2), 8-15.

ACEI HEADQUARTERS STAFF: Diane P. Whitehead, Executive Director Michelle Allen, Director of Operations Anne Watson Bauer, Editor/Director of Publications Dziko Crews, Communications Manager Adrienne Henck, Director of Global Schools First Yvette Murphy, Director of Global Advocacy Karin Rosenberg, Global Advocacy Coordinator Judy Singer, Director of Development

Articles published in Early Years Bulletin represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions taken by the Association for Childhood Education International.

Copyright Š 2016 by the Association for Childhood Education International. No permission is needed to reproduce materials for education purposes.

Bright Futures for Every Child, Every Nation

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