Section 6 - Cengage



Section 5

This One’s for You!—Factors in Emerging Literacy

The following six factors affect readiness for reading: physical, perceptual, cognitive, linguistic, affective, and environment/experiential conditions.

Physical Readiness

A child who is in poor general health, whose needs for proper nutrition and rest have not been met, may have difficulty learning to read. Children who have hearing or visual impairments, or those with delayed speech or other physical problem, may require special attention before tackling the process of reading.

Perceptual Readiness

In order to read, perceptual readiness is necessary for children to associate printed language with spoken language. That association requires the child to discriminate among letters and sounds. Though children may be able to see and hear without difficulty, they may have problems in distinguishing similarities and differences in sounds and words. Some children may need practice focusing their attention, attending to details, and developing observation skills.

Cognitive Readiness

Reading is a cognitive or intellectual process, and such components as comprehension, problem solving, and reasoning require intellectual capacities. Together, these abilities comprise a child’s cognitive readiness. However, a high IQ is not a prerequisite for the process. The type of instruction is more important than a specific mental age.

Linguistic Readiness

Preschoolers are usually skillful users of oral language. This linguistic readiness is important, as it serves as the basis of the child’s understanding of the printed word. Some children may have less advanced language fluency since they may not have had the opportunities for speaking and listening that other children have had. Before these children become involved in the reading process, they may need more opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills.

Affective Readiness

Just as a child’s physical well-being and cognitive development must be considered, one must not overlook the child’s affective (or emotional) readiness. Children may be linguistically capable, intellectually ready, and physically capable, but still have difficulty adjusting to the task of reading. How children feel about themselves, school, and others can have an effect on their ability to read.

Environmental/Experiential Readiness

In order to give meaning to what they are reading, children need experiences relating to those concepts. Experience is the foundation of reading comprehension; therefore, it is crucially important for the teacher to provide children with many experiences, either real or vicarious, as literacy emerges. Many children come to an early childhood program with a rich background of experiences that have enhanced their environmental/ experiential readiness—parents have read to them a great deal, taken them on trips to the zoo and to visit relatives, and so on. Parents have interacted with and related to their children as they walked around the house, explaining what they are doing and why. Children from homes like these already have many clear concepts based on their experiences.

Other children may enter a program with limited experiences. Experiences designed to extend their concepts through trips to the community, books, films, pictures, cooking, play and special art, music, science, or social studies projects will be necessary. Teachers can provide valuable experiences through such simple activities as walking around the school building and its grounds. Talking about what is seen is important. Encourage children to look at things carefully, to touch them, smell them, and when appropriate, to taste them.

How would you plan activities for each area of readiness listed above? How can you incorporate each of these into your program? Would any of these areas of readiness apply to older children? How would you adapt the suggested activities for older children?

This One’s for You!—Observation Sheet—Classroom Literacy Environment Survey

The following observation sheet is designed to help guide you in your ability to observe signs of literacy evident in the classroom. Fill in all the areas you observed.

Classroom observed:

Age of children:

Number in group:

Length of Observation:

Use the following rating scale for each item in the survey. Circle any bulleted items you observed.

A—Available and acceptable

I—Available, improvements needed

P—Priority; do it NOW

___ Desk/table arrangements encourage interaction.

• desks in groups or clusters

• tables accommodating 4 to 6 children

___ Alternate work areas are available

• desks.

• mats

• tables

• corners

• floor

• cubby-hole spaces

• chalk/marker boards

• counters/shelves

___ Areas are available for

• large group

• small group

• individual work

___ An author’s chair is available for formal and impromptu sharing

• child appropriate

• child safe

• audience oriented

___ Environmental print is plentiful.

• signs

• messages

• labels

• directions

• culturally appropriate and relevant

___ A variety of work is displayed.

• two- and three-dimensional

• scrapbooks

• bulletin boards

• portable displays

• child-chosen work

• eye level

• representative

___ Literacy materials are abundant and readily available

• books

• listening tapes

• office supplies

• writing/drawing implements

• paper

• construction materials

___ Books represent a variety of genres, ability levels, and topics.

• fiction

• nonfiction

• newspapers

• reference

• magazines

• wordless

• directories

• telephone books

____ A writing center is always available

• materials reinforcing the purpose of writing

• writing implements

• office supplies

• references

• bookmaking materials and instructions

____Reference materials reflect the interest of the children.

• by theme

• by topic

• by special event

• to support instruction

• by personal request

____Multiple forms of literacy expression are accepted.

• storytelling

• creative dramatics

• picture reading

• discussion

• writing/rebus

• conversation

• temporary (invented) spelling

____ Daily routines encourage literacy behaviors.

• sign in

• sign up

• daily responsibilities

• activity directions

• calendar routine

• read aloud

• shared reading

• guided reading

• personal reading

• shared writing

• guided writing

• personal writing

____Print is represented in a variety of forms.

• manuscript

• book print

• cursive

• child writing

• typed

____Children engage daily in self-initiated reading and writing.

• journals

• textbooks

• letters

• trade books

• messages

• reference materials

• child-made books

____There is a daily balance of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

____Reading and writing instruction is built upon the child’s existing knowledge of oral and written language as well as personal interests.

____Positive language/literacy behaviors are modeled. The teacher participates as an active member of the literacy community.

This One’s for You!—Mathematics Observation Sheet

The following form is designed to assist you in observing the quality of math instruction in the classroom. Fill in all of the information requested.

Name:

Date:

School:

Teacher:

Age of children observed:

Length of time observed:

1. Rate the math interactions between children you observed

____Easily observed

____Difficult to observe

____Not present

2. Rate the math interactions between child(ren) and teacher you observed

____ Easily observed

____Difficult to observe

____Not present

3. Check off the areas of the room/centers where math dialogue among children was heard.

____Manipulative ____Art ____Large Motor

____Sand ____Home Center ____Small Motor

____Water ____Discovery Center ____Reading

____ Other (explain)

4. Rate the math materials observed:

1 2 3 4 5

Poor Below Average Very Good Excellent

Average

5. Describe one interaction between a teacher and a child that involved a mathematical concept.

6. Describe one interaction between children that involved a mathematical concept.

7. If you could change one thing in this classroom to improve the math experiences for the children what would it be and why?

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