Promoting Interactive Literacy Between Young Children and Their Parents, Caregivers, Librarians, and Teachers

Presented by: Sandy Sinclair, Mary Hefner, and Blair Perez

The purpose of this workshop is to present interactive literacy skills which will engage young children and the adults who care for them. Adults will develop confidence in their skills to teach and foster early literacy skills.

The information presented in this workshop is intended to inform, assist, and inspire:

Parents, Caregivers, Teachers, Librarians,

as well as

anyone who would like to become more knowledgeable about promoting early literacy skills in young children.

Overview of Program Objectives:

Raise awareness of current research on the development of early literacy skills for young children.

Facilitate interaction between preschool children and their parents, caregivers and teachers in order to promote early literacy skills.
Support parents as children's first teachers and increase awareness of the important impact of family involvement.

Create interactions with books that will increase children's motivation to learn to read
Make read-alouds and story hours more interactive and effective in developing pre-reading and reading skills. Explore other opportunities to foster early literacy skills through activities. Develop resource materials from sources shared during this workshop

What is Interactive Literacy?

Adult and child Relying on the give and take of conversation with each other and on a shared context to obtain clues for understanding the message and the meaning of any new words and cognitive skills. Interspersing conversation with the reading of a book, not just reading straight through the book.
Lea M. McGee and Donald J. Richgels. Designing Early Literacy Programs: Strategies for At-Risk Preschool and Kindergarten Children. The Guilford Press. N.Y. 2003. p.84

What is Early Literacy?

Every thing a child knows about reading and writing before being able to read or write.

In 2002, the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) was assembled conduct scientific research on the development of early literacy skills in children from birth to age five.

Their objective was to identify practices that would benefit the development of early literacy skills.
The panels extensive report entitled Developing Early Literacy was released in 2009 Excerpted from National Early Literacy Panel. (2009).
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, Executive Summary. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy

This report provides research-based information useful to anyone concerned with fostering emerging literacy skills in young children.

One of the questions the NELP considered was:

What are the skills and abilities of young children (age birth through five years or kindergarten) that predict later reading, writing, or spelling outcomes?
NELP research showed that six variables consistently served as precursors to literacy skills, even when other variables such as IQ or socioeconomic status were taken into account.

The six predictive skills found to predict later literacy success:

Alphabet knowledge Phonological awareness Rapid automatic naming of letters or numbers Rapid automatic naming of objects or colors Writing Phonological Memory

What is the Significance of the Six Predictive Skills?

Nationally, 38% of fourth Graders cannot read at the basic level.
National Early Literacy Panel. (2009). Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, Executive Summary. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy

The percentage of children who are considered poor readers in first grade and remain poor readers in fourth grade can often be as high as 88%.
Jalongo, Mary Renck. Early Childhood Language Arts. 4th ed.,. Boston: Pearson, 2007. p.156. Print.

There are an additional five early literacy skills moderately predictive with later literacy achievement:

Concepts about print Print knowledge Reading readiness Oral language Visual processing

These five skills are usually more predictive of literacy achievement at the end of Kindergarten or beginning of 1st grade than of later literacy growth.

Another questions the NELP considered was:

Which programs, interventions, and other instructional approaches or procedures have contributed to or inhibited gains in children's skills and abilities that are linked to later outcomes in reading, writing, or spelling?

Approaches which improved oral language skills:

1. Code-focused interventions 2. Shared reading that encouraged reader-child interactions. 3. Language enhancement instruction 4. Preschool and Kindergarten programs 5. Parent and home instruction focused on stimulating cognitive and linguistic development

Code-oriented interventions Improved childrens knowledge of phonology and print conventions Shared-book interventions Enhanced childrens language development

The NELP research clearly suggests:

There are many ways that parents, caregivers and teachers can influence and benefit the emerging literacy of young children. Awareness of these six predictive and five early literacy skills will foster emerging literacy. Different approaches may serve to focus on different types of essential skills.

See you in 10 minutes

Normal Growth and Development of Children

Early Talkers: Birth to Two-Year Olds

Talkers: Two- and Three-Year Olds

Pre-Readers: Four- and Five- Year Olds
Terms from Every Child Ready to Read@your library materials.

Matching normal growth and development with early literacy skills

Promoting Early Literacy Behavior

Burns, M. S., Griffin, P., & Snow, C. E. 1999. Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success. Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, National Academy Press: Washington, DC. (Ordering information can be found at: http://www.nap.edu or 1-800-624-6242)

Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children. 1998. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. National Academy Press: Washington, DC.

1. Be a model of literate behavior for your children. How can you show your child that you use writing each day to help you? Pre-talker Talker Pre-Reader

2. Discuss printed text, words and sounds as objects that can be thought about, manipulated, altered, and explored Pre-talker Talker Pre-Reader

3. Help children build and use their evergrowing vocabulary. Pre-talker Talker Pre-Reader

4. Provide children with the tools of literate behavior Pre-talker Talker Pre-Reader

The following slides are several hands-on interactive activities to promote early literacy skills

Finger Plays
Who: beginning with pre-talkers Why: to develop language and memory through song and rhyme Materials: None Directions: Teach your child simple songs and actions to: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star The Eensy Weensy Spider ABC song Im a Little Teapot Old MacDonald Had a Farm Being able to say or sing simple nursery songs improves future reading skills

Blowing Bubbles
Who: beginning with Talkers Why: strengthening facial muscles Materials: bubbles and wand Directions: Dip wand into homemade or store-bought bubbles and have your child blow gently into the wand. Experiment with different types of wands: pipecleaners in various shapes, sieve, cheesecloth, etc. Using facial muscles helps develop the muscles used in forming words properly

Play Dough
Who: Talkers and older Why: Strengthen hand and finger muscles Materials: Play dough-homemade (recipe to follow) or store bought Directions: allow your child to poke, pull, and knead at the play dough. Encourage Pre-k children to make letters with dough. Developing fine motor skills and coordination will help your child with writing skills

Play Dough Recipe

1 cup flour 1 cup water 2 teaspoons cream of tartar cup salt 1 Tablespoon cooking oil or baby oil (smells nicer) Combine ingredients, transfer to frying pan on medium heat. Mix until formed into a ball. Using a spatula, place onto a heat resistant surface. Knead to doughlike consistency. When cooled, create letters and forms with your child. Will keep in air-tight container for at least a month.

Color Search
Who: Talkers and older Why: to identify colors Materials: cards or objects that have specific colors Directions: Hold up an object that shows one color. Ask your child what else he/she sees that is the same color as the one you are holding. Allow time for the child to search the area. Suggestion: Let the child carry the object around the room to look for a match. Tell your child the name of the color of the object and encourage your child to say the name of the color. Being able to differentiate colors is an early step toward the future when he/she will recognize differing shapes and letters.

Grab It Name It
Who: Talkers and older Why: Vocabulary development Materials: a small bag, items that your child can name, such as a doll, pencil, toothbrush, key, ball, spoon, etc. Directions: Model for the child how to take an item from the bag and then name it using a complete sentence- I have a toothbrush. Now it is your childs turn. Encourage your child to use a complete sentence. Children with good early literacy skills tend to have larger vocabularies. Studies show this is one of the best indicators of future reading success in elementary school. Consider adding: Trace the objects onto a piece of paper. Have your child match objects pulled from the bag. This is enhance your childs ability to match shapes a pre-literacy skill of understanding the shapes of the 26 letters of the alphabet.

Milk Bottle Tops

Who: Talkers and older Why: help your child learn about letters in his/her name Materials: bottle tops, markers Directions: Count out bottle tops to equal the number of letters in your childs name. Put one letter on each bottle top. Begin by having the bottle tops in order and state the names of each letter as you put them in order. Take away a letter and tell your child the name of the letter. Have him/her put it back and say the letter. As the child becomes more familiar with the letter names. Scramble the letters and have your child put them in correct order.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Who: All ages Why: Develop fine and gross motor skills learn to discriminate loud/soft and big/small develop listening skills to hear rhyming words Materials: Consider reading the picture book before playing this game, especially if this is not a familiar rhyme. Directions: Begin the itsy, bitsy spider in a normal voice and using the normal hand gestures. Then ask your child what would the rhyme sound like if the spider was a very tiny spider, a baby spider. Whisper the itsy, bitsy spider and make your fingers form a pincher motion, mimicking the larger hand motions done previously. Then ask your child what a giant spider would sound like. Shout the verse and stomp using exaggerated hand motions. For older preschoolers, make up your own versesask your child, What else can the spider climb?

Simon Says
Who: Talkers and older Why: develop listening skills and following directions and learn body parts Materials: none Directions: Begin your directions by saying, Simon Says. You choose an action and a body part as follows, Simon says, touch your nose. For younger children, make the commands simple. As the child gets older, you can add left or right as well as other directional prompts and more difficult body parts (ankle, elbow, earlobe, etc.). Your child is to follow your commands as long as you have prefaced your command with Simon Says. If you say, Touch your nose, but leave out Simon Says, then your child should not follow your directions. For children under 5, this game is played without having children sit out until there is a winner. Take turns, have your child be Simon, and see if he/she can stump you. Children with good listening skills are usually more ready for Kindergarten than children with poor listening skills.

The Whispering Game

Who: Talkers and older Why: improve listening skills/memory Materials: none Directions: Whisper fun directions for your child to follow. These can be the same as ones used in Simon Says or more active ones. Help your child to listen by putting your finger to your lips. Have your child stand facing you while you whisper the directions. Begin with one direction, such as Pat your tummy. As your child becomes more skilled at listening increase the number of steps in the directions, Pat your tummy, jump three times, and touch your nose. Keep steps to about three for better success for your child.

Interactive Reading Activities

Reading Age-Appropriate Books Incorporating Interactive Activities that Broaden the Literacy Experience for the Child.

Interactive Literacy Activities for Early Talkers

I Love You like Crazy Cakes
by Rose Lewis All About Me Theme: Family

Interactive Literacy Activities for Early Talkers (continued)

I Love You like Crazy Cakes Activity

This book can be read and enjoyed by older children and adopted children but it is a great story to share with your baby as a new mother!

Interactive Literacy Activities for Early Talkers (continued)

After sharing the book, write a journal story about your own experiences with your new baby. Include your feelings about seeing your baby for the first time, relatives that have visited your baby, preparing your childs room or furnishings, and favorite times with him/her that you have shared.

Interactive Literacy Activities for Early Talkers (another example)

You Are Special, Little One
by Nancy Tafuri Seasons---Theme Spring

Activity
Babies are curious about the world they live in! Share new experiences with your child. Remember to talk, talk, talk to your baby about everything. Some fun activities to do in the good weather outdoors may be: Blow bubbles with your baby. Fly a kite. Babies, children, and adults all like this activity! Feed the ducks at a park. Go to a Festival and listen to music. Put out a bird feeder and enjoy the birds. Do at least one of these activities with your baby and write about it.

Interactive Literacy Activities for Talkers

David Gets in Trouble
by David Shannon All About Me Theme- Family

Interactive Literacy Activities for Talkers (continued)

David Gets in Trouble Activity

David acts bad sometimes, but he is not bad! Do not ever call your child bad. He/she may do something that you consider bad but you call what he did bad not him! During the toddler years, children will test you. The best thing to do at this age is to distract them or change their environment. Hitting your child only teaches him to hit.

Interactive Literacy Activities for Talkers (continued)

David Gets in Trouble This book will help you talk about discipline with your toddler and relate negative behaviors with David, the character in the book. What happens when your child misbehaves? Compare Davids actions to your childs. Where does he go for time-out? Can he say he is sorry? Discuss how it feels to be David/ and his mom! Role-play this book with your child. Have your child point to different things that you ask for in the book. Repeat his words in a sentence. Talk about if David is a girl or boy. Ask him questions about what he is and you are, etc./ girl or boy?

Interactive Literacy Activities for Talkers (another example)

You Are Special, Little One
by Nancy Tafuri Seasons---Theme Spring

Activity
Babies are curious about the world they live in! Share new experiences with your child. Remember to talk, talk, talk to your baby about everything. Some fun activities to do in the good weather outdoors may be: Blow bubbles with your baby. Fly a kite. Babies, children, and adults all like this activity! Feed the ducks at a park. Go to a Festival and listen to music. Put out a bird feeder and enjoy the birds. Do at least one of these activities with your baby and write about it.

Interactive Literacy Activities for Pre-Readers

The Wednesday Surprise
by Eve Bunting All About Me

Tell Me a Story, MaMa

by Angela Johnson

Theme: Family

Interactive Literacy Activities for Pre-Readers

Activity Visit an older person like a grandmother and share a book with them. Have the senior citizen tell a favorite story to your child. Discuss with your child the problems Annas grandmother faced because she couldnt read. How does she make a shopping list? What kind of job could she have? How does she know which bus to get on? Talk to your child about an older person that was important to you when growing up.

Interactive Literacy Activities for Pre-Readers (another example)

Leaf Season
by Quinlan B. Lee Seasons

Best Times Ever a Book about Seasons and Holidays

by Richard Scarry

Theme: Autumn

Interactive Literacy Activities for Pre-Readers

Activity To be able to talk, your child must be able to hear well and listen. Listening exercises can be fun for him! Have your child listen for: Birds and insects Cars, airplanes, and trains Animals Leaves rustling in the wind Water Talk about how these things sound. Write about what you and your child heard. Fall is also a good time to share new foods with your child. Bring him to a farm/fruit stand and pick out apples, or foods that you both would like to try. In the grocery store, point out different foods to you toddler. Write down new foods that interested your child.

Individual Learning Activities Interactive Projects

Phonological awareness is the understanding that oral language can be broken up into individual words, words into syllables, and syllables into individual sounds, or phonemes (Bradley & Bryant, 1983; Snow, Burns, & Griffin,1998). With adequate preschool instruction and exposure to literate environments, however, ELLs can readily learn phonemic awareness skills (Barnett et al., 2007). ELLs with strong phonological awareness skills in English demonstrate a higher potential for reading achievement in later years (e.g., Genesee, et al., 2005; Klingner, et al., 2004).

ILA- Interactive Projects (continued)

Because of these findings and the teacher observing a lack of nursery rhyme awareness, ILA activities were built around this concept. As a group during ILA, the children and moms gather around a large poster book and say together three simple nursery rhymes. The children have been exposed to them at circle time, during transitions, and in many book sharing times. The moms have been exposed to them at parenting class and have copies in their newsletters and in a mom-made Nursery Rhyme book. The ones that the staff and parents chose were Humpty Dumpty, Jack Be Nimble, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Interactive Literacy Project Humpty Dumpty

The parents have been told that there are different projects around the class for the children to pick if they are interested or able to do because of their age. ILA Humpty, Dumpty will involve making a paper cup puppet to use to dramatize the rhyme as the child and mom say it together. The child can make the oval shape with face features and arms and legs while mom talks about body parts and details. If cutting is an appropriate skill then the child can cut Humpty out. After attaching a straw to the egg, then the child can draw lines on a red piece of construction paper to make it look like a wall. Have mom tape the wall to the cup and enjoy making Humpty go up and down in the cup as the family recites the rhyme.

Interactive Literacy Project Jack Be Nimble

Jack Be Nimble will have been started the day before by the children painting empty toilet paper rolls their favorite color so they could dry.
The flames can be cut from yellow construction paper and attached to the candlesticks.

Moms and children will say the nursery rhyme and jump over the homemade candlesticks as they change the name of Jack to their own!

Interactive Literacy Project Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star will consist of decorating a cardboard star shape
(glitter for older children, stickers and dippy dots for younger)

Then rolling up construction paper into a wand to wave.

Moms and children can practice singing or saying the rhyme.

Interactive Literacy Project Nursery Rhyme Contest

Nursery Rhyme Contest
Mothers learn nursery rhymes for a contest to be held by the teacher The students are also learning the nursery rhymes

The mother who knows the most nursery rhymes wins the contest
Parent and child recite the rhymes together during a Parent and Child Activity

As a follow-up, parents are instructed to have the child pick out a nursery rhyme book and they practice reading the book to their child using the instructions given in a prior ILA, i.e., the handout from the Family Literacy Foundation called Read Aloud Techniques

Bon apptit! See you in one hour

Adults Role in Interactive Read-Alouds has 5 purposes:

1. To prompt childrens active involvement in constructing a books
meaning; 2. To clarify and extend childrens understanding about the meaning of the book; 3. To expand and extend the language of childrens responses; 4. To explain the meanings of some vocabulary included in the book; and 5. To prompt children to use new vocabulary in their responses.
Lea M. McGee and Donald J. Richgels. Designing Early Literacy Programs: Strategies for At-Risk Preschool and Kindergarten Children. The Guilford Press. N.Y. 2003. p.85

Interactive Read-Alouds:
Getting Children Engaged in Listening

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Pick a book Preview the book Introduce the book Read the book interactively Involve students in after-reading activities

Gail E. Tompkins. Language Arts Essentials. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, N.J. 2006. p. 49

Interactive Read-Alouds:
Getting Children Engaged in Listening

Researchers who have studied reading aloud, have concluded that students are better listeners when they are involved while the teacher is reading, not afterward.
Gail E. Tompkins. Language Arts Essentials. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, N.J. 2006. p. 49

Interactive Read-Alouds:
Getting Children Engaged in Listening
More effective to pause reading: 1. At points where child can make predictions and suggest connections; 2. After reading episodes that child might find confusing; and 3. Just before it becomes clear how the story will end.
Gail E. Tompkins. Language Arts Essentials. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, N.J. 2006. p. 49

Interactive Guided Reading for Readers overall mental picture of the text being read
Teacher carefully guides, directs, or coaches students through the silent reading of a meaningful chunk of text by asking them a question, giving prompts or helping them formulate a question that they then try to answer as they read the designated section of text. When students need a great deal of support in constructing meaning from the text because of the complexity of the text or their limited abilities. Teacher can adjust the support or scaffolding according to the students needs.
J. David Cooper. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 6th Ed. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston. 2006. pp. 35

Interactive Guided Reading for Readers overall mental picture of the text being read
Effective questions or prompts meet the following criteria: Questions or prompts given before reading should lead students to the important ideas in the text in expository text on the main idea in narrative text on the setting, major characters, story problem, action, resolution, and overall theme. Questions or prompts used during discussion between the reading of sections should pull together ideas brought out in reading and should help build relationships among ideas. Questions and prompts should follow the order of the text.
J. David Cooper. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 6th Ed. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston. 2006. pp. 37

Interactive Writing
The process in which the teacher takes down a childs dictation, verbally stretching each word so that the child can distinguish sounds and letters. Also known as shared writing.
Susan B. Newman, Carol Cripple, and Sue Bredekamp. Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. NAEYC. Washington, DC 2000. pp. 131

Dialogic Reading
http://www.walearning.com/language/#preview-videos Washington Learning Systems, LLC.

Dialogic reading is a bridge between a child and new words

Make a comment and wait -make a comment about what your child is looking at -count silently to 5 to give your child time to respond. Ask question and wait -questions can elicit a single word answer or sentences Respond by adding a little more -ask questions that encourage longer answers
C comment A Ask R - Respond

Dialogic Reading Tips for English Language Learners

Heritage language is a treasure we give our children Use the dialogic reading technique with the language with which you are most comfortable

Dialogic Reading Practice

Look through the books on the table and choose one book with lots of fun pictures that interest you. Buddy up with one partner Share this book with your partner using the three tips for dialogic reading: Comment, Ask, and Respond Change roles with your partner

Literacy at the Grocery Store

Many of your everyday activities can be literacy-learning occasions for your child.

Some suggestions: Make a grocery list give your child his or her own paper to write on Clip coupons keep old food labels for comparison Read labels have your younger child look for special letters Read a recipe make a rebus of ingredients for younger children
V. Susan Bennett-Armistead, Nell K. Duke,& Annie M. Moses. Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best Practices for Educators of Children form Birth to 5. Scholastic Teaching Resources. NY. 2005. p. 221

Interactive Strategies
for children with disabilities
Notice and interpret your childs behavior as attempts to initiate interactions Respond promptly and positively to your childs behavior Match the positive intensity of your childs behavior Respond to your childs behavior with comments, praise and/or adaptations that help your child continue the activity
Retrieved on 3/18/2010 from

http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/presentations.php

Interactive Strategies
for children with disabilities
Elaborate your childs attempts at interaction or participation in the activity Add new materials and encourage your child to do something different Provide physical assistance only when needed Encourage your childs developmentally appropriate use of behaviors
Retrieved on 3/18/2010 from http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/presentations.php

Early Literacy Outcomes

Answering the following questions will help you know whether your child is growing in the area of early literacy learning:

Early Literacy Outcome Questions

Is your child actively participating in the literacy activity? Does your child appear to enjoy the literacy activity? Is your child working hard at trying to do the literacy activity? Does your child request the literacy activity at other times? Does your child try to do something new as part of the literacy activity?

The Center for Early Literacy Learning website

Excellent resource for hundreds of interactive ideas for children with and without disabilities
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpractices_rev/CELLprac _Baby_1st_ABC_Bk.pdf

Do computers provide a tool for early childhood learning?

Studies have shown that Computer Assisted Instruction has been successful in:
Teaching children the difference between left and right Promoting phonological awareness of letter sounds Acquiring early spelling, pre- reading and writing skills Teaching basic understanding of geometrical concepts
Vernadakis, Nicholas, Andreas Averginos, Efi Tsitakari, and Evridiki Zachopoulopu. "The Use of Computer Assisted Instruction in Preschool Education: Making Teaching Meaningful." Early Childhood Education Journal. 33.2 (2005): 99-104. Print.

The appropriate software is key. things to consider:

Important

Is the software program developmentally appropriate and does it help to create a new opportunity for learning? Are the graphics, animation, and music helpful or distracting? Is the software free from stereotypes of differing abilities, gender, and culture? Are there any underlying negative messages? For example, if a drawing program has the option of erasing work by blowing it up, does this imply to young children that it is better to destroy a problem rather than find a way to resolve it? Teachers need to select software using the same careful and professional judgment as they do when selecting other instructional materials

It is also important to note that computer learning does not have to be a solitary task.
Research has shown a significantly higher achievement level for preschool students who interacted with adults while using the computer.
Vernadakis, Nicholas, Andreas Averginos, Efi Tsitakari, and Evridiki Zachopoulopu. "The Use of Computer Assisted Instruction in Preschool Education: Making Teaching Meaningful." Early Childhood Education Journal. 33.2 (2005): 99-104. Print.

It is also recommended that two children work together. Some quality early childhood software programs are specifically designed to elicit, encourage, and extend young childrens communication and collaboration.
Tsantis, Linda, Cynthia Bewick, and Suzanne Thouvenelle. "Examining Some Common Myths About Computer Ues in the Early Years." Beyond the Journal, Young Children on the Web (2003): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar 2010. <http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200311/CommonTechnoMyths.pdf>.

Research Indicates:
Kindergarten students quickly become comfortable when using the computer and show an eagerness to learn when at a computer. Kindergarten students also show an eagerness to help each other and an increase in self esteem when exposed to learning through computerbased activities. Kindergarten students involved in daily, structured computer activities have a more significant increase in concept age than those students in a more traditional setting (This research was based on an average computer usage of 30 minutes per day by children individually or with a partner)

Grubbs, Patricia W. A Comparison of Concept Age Gains of Kindergarten Children in Traditional and Twenty-first Century Classrooms. Diss. Johnson Bible College, 2000. Knoxville: Accessed 3/26/10. htp://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_nfpb=true&searchtype=keyword&_nfls=false&_pa geLabel=RecordDetails&accno=ED443523&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED443523

Computer interactions will never produce the same kind of learning as interactive reading, stacking blocks, finger painting, or pouring sand from one bucket into another. Still
Research has shown that there were noticeable positive differences in second graders who were appropriately exposed to computers during preschool. Children with early exposure exhibited increased comfort and facility in using computers and a greater understanding of how to use computers in a more purposeful way in their learning. Considering the ever increasing use of technology in elementary education this is important information to take note of when creating an early learning environment.

Tsantis, Linda, Cynthia Bewick, and Suzanne Thouvenelle. "Examining Some Common Myths About Computer Ues in the Early Years." Beyond the Journal, Young Children on the Web (2003): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar 2010.

Computer assisted instruction provides another way for parents, teachers and classmates to interact. Integrating appropriate use of computers may facilitate early learning and provide a way to:
Make learning more accessible to children who absorb information better visually and through sound. Allow children to learn at their own pace, achieving one level of knowledge before moving on to the next. Allow teachers another effective way to monitor learning and guide instruction. Provide another way to develop motor skills through the use of the keyboard and mouse. Provide an alternative method to exploring important concepts of literacy in preparation for elementary school.

Childrens unique interests, ways of knowing, and dispositions influence how and to what extent they participate in early literacy events, and in turn, the knowledge they construct
Gretchen Owocki, author and educator

Discussion Questions choose one

A parent in your class/library story time tells you that her three-year old hates to read books at home. Based on the information in this presentation what suggestions would you make. Your preschool received a donation of $1500 for interactive materials. How will you suggest it be spent? Practice reading a story based on the dialogic reading technique and report your findings.

Thank you for attending our workshop

Please look through our extensive list of resources for additional ideas

There are five handouts with our presentation: Handout 1-Children with Disabilities Handout 2-Dialogic Reading Workshop Handout 3-Annotated ILA-related Websites Handout 4-Sample from website of Preschool Ideas Handout 5-Planning and Preparation for an ILA Workshop

References
Adams, Marilyn Jager. Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print A of Illinois, 1990. p.148. Print. Bauer, Caroline Feller. Read for the Fun of It: Active Programming With Books for Summary. Urbana-Champaign: Center for the Study of Reading University

Children. New York: H. W. Wilson Company, 1992. p.372. Print.

Bennett-Armistead, Susan V., Nell K. Duke, and Annie M. Moses. Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best Practices for Educators of Children from Birth to 5. New York: Scholastic- Teaching Resources, 2005. p.240. Print. Bickart, Toni S., and Diane Trister Dodge. Reading Right from the Start: What Parents Can Do in the First Five Years. Washington, DC.: 2000. p.62. Print. Cooper, David J. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co,., 2006. p.564. Print.

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