LISTENING AND SPEAKING



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May 2008

Building Early Literacy: Early Writing

Many may view the scribbles of a young child as meaningless play. What they don't know is that these random doodles play a major role in a child's literacy development. Very young children begin the journey to writing by scribbling. They are emulating what they observe throughout the day by their parents and caregivers. They see adults write notes, grocery lists and checks. Writing is a way we communicate. Humans are innately social -- we feel the need to share thoughts and ideas. Early literacy is the key to fulfilling this need. Children want to be a part of the world in which people express themselves and communicate with others. And they see that this communication takes the form of language, reading and writing.

Children's first writing experiences consist of randomly scribbled marks. Later on, their writing takes on a more structured-looking form. Letters that children are familiar with will start showing up. As children are exposed to the alphabet, their writing becomes even more formed, with obvious letters strewn together in random order. As young children gain more experience with letters, sounds and print, they begin to form simple words that are familiar to them. It is very likely that children at this stage will fill papers with their name, the names of loved ones, and simple words found in a beloved text. Through more exposure to print, reading and language, children are able to make the connections between graphemes (letters) and phonemes (sounds). They now understand that graphemes are symbols that represent phonemes. Early writing development is not about learning by rote or through drills. To develop early writing skills, children need to have concrete experiences in language. Talking with your children, listening to them and reading to them as well as giving them opportunities to play with written language are all keys to their developing a strong foundation in literacy development. The following activities will help you make exploring language part of your daily routine!

Social and Emotional

Toddlers (18 months–36 months): When young children draw, ask them to tell you about their drawing. Take the time to listen while asking them to further describe their masterpiece. Write their words (word for word) on the paper. Taking the time to listen helps nurture the bond between child and caregiver. Reread with your child what they have described. This not only builds good feelings about their own writing, but also will reinforce that print represents sound.

Preschoolers (3–5): Expose children to as much language as possible. Through this exposure children will deepen their understanding of communication. Lessons learned will filter into a child's writing development. Even at a very young age, children are capable of having group discussions. Take advantage of snack time, mealtime and other times when a group of children are sitting together. Encourage children to express themselves and share ideas. Conversations build relationships!

Physical Development

Toddlers (18 months–36 months): To help young children build strength in their hands to hold crayons and pencils, give them Play-Doh® or clay to exercise their fine motor skills. This activity can be extended into math and science by helping children make the homemade version of Play-Doh.

Preschoolers (3–5): Give children a lot of tools to explore writing with. Supply them with plenty of paper, crayons, paint and pencils. Allow the children freedom and space to create and have them use writing in their play. Encourage them to create signs, fake checkbooks and other things they have seen in which writing is inherent. Have paper and writing utensils available in the dramatic play area.

Cognitive Development

Toddlers (18 months–36 months): Young children love to explore! Magnetic letters offer a variety of activities for youngsters. Allow children to simply explore with the letters. Say the ABCs while pointing to individual letters. Have children dip letters in paint and make prints.

Preschoolers (3–5): While reading stories with your child, slide your finger over the words to show that print reads from left to right. Point out where the cover is and who the author is. Have children help turn the page when possible. Learning how print works will help them develop the necessary skills for early writing development.

Language Development

Toddlers (18 months–36 months): Children love to sing! During everyday activities, sing the ABCs with your child. Play in the sandbox with children and say letters out loud while tracing them in the sand (this activity also works well with shaving cream on a table).

Preschoolers (3–5): Explore written language with young children by having them dictate a story to you. Use their own artwork, stickers or pictures to illustrate the stories. Write the words down just as they say them. Read the story back to them. Have them try to read it also. Add the story to the classroom or home library. Children enjoy sharing with others what they have created. As children develop in their writing, they will want to begin to write their own stories.

*All ages and developmental stages are approximate and should be used as a guide. Use your best judgment to create developmentally appropriate activities for your children.

KQED SERIES THAT SUPPORT EARLY LITERACY AND WRITING:

WordWorld

Thursday, May 1, 2008, 7 a.m.

"The Mystery of the Disappearing Pie"/"Duck's Family Reunion" (#104)

"The Mystery of the Disappearing Pie": When Pig's pie for Bear goes missing, it's up to Detective Sheep to follow the letter clues and solve the mystery of the disappearing pie!

"Duck's Family Reunion": Because they have similar-sounding names, Duck mistakes Truck for a long-lost relative! Frog is a bit ruffled at the epidemic of silliness going around, but ends up saving the day for Duck and his word "family."

WordWorld

Friday, May 16, 2008, 7 a.m.

"Pig's Present"/"Tick Tock Space Clock" (#115)

"Pig's Present": It's Pig's birthday, and his nephews, the Three Little Pigs, are making him a secret present. Although Pig promises not to peek, his curiosity about his present gets the better of him and wreaks havoc all over WordWorld. Will Pig ever learn to be patient?

"Tick Tock Space Clock": When a mysterious rocket lands in WordWorld, Duck pledges to help a robot track down a very important clock. He searches all over WordWorld, listening for the special sound that will lead the robot to the clock that will save his home planet.

Reading Rainbow

Friday, May 16, 2008, 10 a.m.

"Silent Lotus" (#910)

LeVar Burton talks with his deaf friend Terry Lean about what being deaf is like and the different ways deaf people communicate. Terry also teaches LeVar a few phrases in American Sign Language. Lea Salonga narrates "Silent Lotus," a book about a girl born deaf who learns how to express herself through dance. Brothers Brian and Justin talk about their close relationship despite Brian's deafness. Justin, who knows sign language, speaks about how deaf kids are just like hearing kids. Hearing and deaf kids who participate in a special dance class discuss the experience and how they learned to communicate and become friends. Kids review "The Handmade Alphabet," "Hand Rhymes" and "Amy: The Story of a Deaf Child."

Reading Rainbow

Sunday, May 18, 2008, 10 a.m.

"The Furry New: How to Make a Newspaper" (#907)

This episode gives kids a behind-the-scenes look at newspapers. LeVar Burton shows kids the wide variety of newspapers available and asks kids to talk about their favorite parts of a newspaper. The cast of Forbidden Broadway and Lee Murphy narrate "The Furry News," a children's book that explains how a newspaper is created. Cartoonist Ray Billingsley describes his comic strip Curtis, how he creates it and why creating a strip about an African American boy is important to him. Janine Lean, a student at Bergenfield High School, talks about her role as editor-in-chief of The Bear Facts, her school newspaper, and shows what is involved in producing a typical issue. Kids review newspapers, "What's It Like to Be a Newspaper Reporter?" and "Great Newspaper Crafts."

Super Why!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 9 a.m.

"Sleeping Beauty" (#128)

Ahoy, matey! Yo, ho, ho and ... a cup of tea? Uh-oh, Princess Pea wants to play Tea Party, but Pig and his brothers would like her to play Pirates! The Super Readers travel into the famous story of Sleeping Beauty to speak with a princess who loves sleeping just as much as Princess Pea loves tea parties! The Super Readers apply their literacy powers to wake Sleeping Beauty ... and wake her ... and wake her again! Can they convince their new friend that there's more to life than snoozing or will she always consider other activities to be a big snore? Educational objectives: to learn to have an open mind! Plus, the alphabet is uncovered, young viewers rhyme with "ell" words, they practice the magic of spelling and they use the power to read to change the story.

Super Why!

Friday May 30, 2008, 9 a.m.

"Rumpelstiltskin" (#126)

Princess Pea's father is busy, busy, busy, with no time to help her tie up her skates. What's a princess to do? The Super Readers use their literacy powers to visit another princess whose helper, funny little Rumpelstiltskin, is far too busy to help her spin straw into gold. The Super Readers may be able to guess Rumpelstiltskin's name, but they won't be able to guess what will happen in this story! Educational objectives: to learn about the importance of doing things yourself. Plus, young viewers build the alphabet, identify the letters "S," "P," "I" and "N," make rhymes with "at" words, and use the power to read to change the story and save the day!

KQED Kids TV schedule

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|KQED |800.723.ELMO |Contributing Writer |

|2601 Mariposa Street | |Kari Meidlinger (The editor regrets that Kari  Meidlinger's|

|San Francisco, CA 94110 |ednet | name was omitted in the November and December 2008  issues|

| | |as writer for KidsWatch |

|Editor |Copy Editor | |

|Sheila Butcher Smith |Joan Saunders | |

© 2008 KQED is a service of Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc.

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