The Literate Environment
- Print-rich environments-which include the
presence of such items as magnetic refrigerator letters, posters, writing
materials,
newspapers and books in the home,
have been linked to children's language acquisition or an awareness of
print (Goodman,
1986).
- Attention to children's language and literacy environment during the
preschool years constitutes a crucial prevention effort for young children at
risk (Snow, Burns, & Griffin,
1998).
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- Finding a variety of
literacy materials for
the home (All)
- Creating a literacy-rich
home environment
(All)
- Promoting home
culture and language
(All)
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- Discuss a variety of ways to create a print-rich environment in the
home
(All)
- Provide parents opportunities to work with a variety of literacy
materials such as menus,
bus schedules, and ads
(All)
- Share literacy materials
from parents' native
country or in their native
language (All)
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Language Development
- Optimal oral language development occurs when
children have numerous opportunities to use language in interactions
with adults and each other (Neuman, Coppel, & Bredekamp 2000).
- The amount of language
children hear and interact with during the formative infant, toddler, and
preschool years has a significant
impact on the quality of their
language skills (Hart & Risley,
1995).
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- Having extended,
meaningful
conversations with
children (All)
- Incorporating meaningful conversations into everyday activities
(All)
- Encouraging children to use words to talk about wants and needs (3-5,
K-3)
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- Discuss the features of extended conversation and the benefits of
extended conversations at
home (3-5, K-3)
- Provide opportunities for parents to role play various interactions
(3-5,
K-3)
- Share ideas about how to
encourage children to talk
about their day (All)
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Building Knowledge and Comprehension
- Through conversations about books, adults may induce higherlevel
thinking by moving experiences in stories from what children may see
in front of them
to what they can imagine (Snow, 1991).
- Talk that surrounds reading helps children bridge ideas and information
from the book to their own
lives (Dickinson & Smith, 1994).
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- Having "book talks" with children (All)
- Planning learning experiences,
and
following up on family
outings to build
children's background
knowledge (All)
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- Take turns reading aloud
during parent education
sessions (3-5, K-3)
- Take turns telling a story; reflect on different stories
and storytelling
styles (3-5, K-3)
- Plan a family experience after reading a book on the topic
(All)
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