Literacy Practices for 4K

It has been said that literacy floats on a sea of talk. From their earliest years, our children learn words and how those words go together in order to organize their thinking, to interact with others, and to begin learning to read and write. This workshop will look at ways that stories, songs and play support oral language development, building both literacy foundations and a love of books. We’ll talk about the importance of learning through play, both independent and teacher-guided. And we’ll share practical tools that 4K educators can use to build vocabulary, letter knowledge and print concepts through reading and writing experiences. The day will include:

• The power of play: Using play-based learning to support literacy and language as well as content knowledge

• Oral language development: Ideas for building vocabulary, phonological awareness and general communication

• Making the most of the 4K read-aloud: Stories and nonfiction to introduce reading strategies, support language development and build background knowledge

• Shared Reading: Introducing reading with a five-day cycle for poems and nursery rhymes

• Alphabet Knowledge: Learning letter names and sounds from the most important words in your children’s vocabulary – their names!

• Inquiry-based learning: Using children’s questions and curiosity to guide instruction about their world

Learning Outcome:

1.  Participants will understand the importance of structured play based leteracy learning.

2.  Participants will develop an understanding of how various leteracy strategies are accomplished within a 4K setting through read aloud and shared reading.

3.  Participants will understand the importance of inquiry based learning.