Second Language Learners

Many times we focus on providing different accommodations and experiences to different types of students. We draw them in with hands on activities, read aloud books, dramatic play, etc. but we forget the second language learner that may be sitting right in our classroom.These types of learners may be students whose home language is not the same language that is spoken at school and therefore, they may struggle to keep up with the classrooms activities.

In a simulated activity, our classroom was put through the experience that many students may go through. We were not told that the language in the classroom would be switched to something other than English. A book was read in Spanish and then instructions to complete an activity were also given in Spanish. We were then given slips of paper that told us what our roles as "students" would be. Some were still able to speak in English, but "it would be frowned upon" while others could only speak, write, and communicate in Spanish. Several people quickly became frustrated as they do not know nor are familiar with Spanish. Given that Spanish was the first language I learned, I was able to understand everything and even be a resource for other people During our activity, I saw how several people became frustrated, angry, annoyed and this let to them feeling incompetent, dumb, like learning was out of their control. Because I was able to help both students who could speak English AND Spanish, I took on sort of a teacher role.

However, I felt that just one person helping everyone out was a bit overwhelming. As a future teacher who is bilingual I felt what it must be like to have students who speak both English and Spanish and how to best help each set of students. I was also able to be in a situation where I could understand each person's frustration with the language barrier so that I'm even more sensitive to students in my classroom who speak a language that I don't. While I don't need to necessarily know ALL languages I DO need to be sensitive to each students' needs. I need to provide opportunities for them to be just as engaged in classroom activities. As a future teacher I need to be sensitive in understanding that being in a classroom with people who don't speak the same language may be difficult, however, this does not mean that a child is any less capable or different than other students.

Authentic Communication

When talking about "authentic" communication we're talking about communication that serves a purpose. The purpose may be to understand what we are reading, saying, or writing or it may be that our purpose is to be able to have an experience or moment. In her book, "Children's Language: Connecting reading, writing, and talk", Judith Wells Lindfors talks about how important it is for parents and teachers to introduce children to authentic experiences through text.  When children are exposed to these types of texts then authentic responses are evoked.  When children are able to identify with a book or story then they get so much more out of the learning process. Lindfors states that children are able to relate prior knowledge when being read to and they in turn apply this knowledge to the text, this may be done so by sharing how they also have a pet dog if the book being read is about a dog. Children are also able to relate to characters and project beyond what is in the text. When authentic texts are used children make logical connections and use their inquiry skills to go beyond the story. Authentic texts also help children who are not yet readers to be able to "read" the story by the illustrations that are on the pages. This creates an experience for each individual child and allows for them to live through that reading experience.

It's also important to note that these authentic literary experiences do not only refer to reading or story telling. Children are also having authentic experiences with text. Lindfors states that if a child's writing (whether it be early stages, incorrectly spelling words, etc.) is communicating some sort of message then it is authentic. Children are learning that words are social tools and that text is another way that we can communicate with the world and those around us. At times we may think that children who are just copying down words or repeating words are not really engaging in an authentic experience; however, if that child's purpose is to communicate by repeating or copying then they are trully experiencing authenticity through writing an reading. Lindfors also points that there are three guiding principles to the authenticy process:
1. ownership - child writes when they want, how they want, and for the purposes that they want.
2. community - child has support from parents, teachers, peers when learning and sharing
3. guidance - teachers and parents help child write and read more effectively and diversely

Communication cannot be classified solely as written or spoken language, therefore, it's important to keep in mind the that both of these things come together when children are engaged in literacy. Authentic communication becomes a tool that brings these two things together.

#KinderChat Archives 6.1.14 - Documenting Learning Using Photographs

Technology and social media sites have enhanced the way in which teachers can connect and collaborate with others. Kinderchat is an example of that! Their goal is to be able to connect early childhood educators, professionals, parents, and policy makers and create a space in which collaboration, learning, discussion, and a sense of community are valued. Each Monday night, at 9:00 PM (EST), Kinderchat meets on twitter and addresses specific topics related to the Early Childhood field( for a list of upcoming topics click here).

While looking through the archives, I chose to browse through the chat on documenting children's learning through photographs. As technology becomes more advanced, documenting children's learning in photos makes it easier for teachers to create a classroom site where parents can log in and view what their child learned that day, what activities they were most interested in, and how the week has gone so far. One of the contributors mentioned how she "was surprised at how few teachers used photos" as a way of documenting learning. Other collaborators posted images of how they have photographically documented in their classroom; for example, the user @teachermeg took pictures of children's artwork, took photos of the children working on said artwork, typed up phrases children said during their work and took a photo of that. She then put the images together to create a collage that displayed the entire process from beginning to end. For her, incorporating the story of the artwork as well as the artwork itself was important. She also mentions that while this type of documenting may work for some others may find it too overwhelming so as "long as you are documenting...it's all good." The conversation also shifted into talking about the different types of resources available online for teachers who DO choose to document learning through photos. such as EverNote and 2Simple. These are sites that have certain free capabilities and can help with classroom organization.

What I found most interesting is that several people mentioned that documenting is a way for us to advocate for our students. The more and more I dwell on that I find this to be true. If we have documentation of a child's progress or lack of progress in certain areas this can be a useful tool in advocating for assistive technologies that may help that child or for funding for other materials that may be lacking in the classroom. 

Regardless of the means that we use, it is important to know that documentation is key for assessment, to help with being a reflective practitioner and as a way to see a child's progress. 

Literacy Centers

As teachers, when planning lessons or activities, we must always keep in mind ways in which we can extend learning and ways in which we can incorporate literacy. Literacy Centers are a great way to do both! In chapter ten of her book, Make Way for Literacy, Owocki talks about the importance of having literacy centers in the classroom and how teachers can implement them into different subject areas while giving children open ended choices.  She provides samples of how learning centers that are already present in most classrooms can be turned into literacy centers. 

Library Center - children are engaged in reading a book but are also

 getting the phonemic awareness as the book is also being read to them on the CD.

Most early childhood classes already contain centers such as art, dramatic play, music and library/reading. Owocki goes on to say that these centers can all benefit a child's literacy by using certain strategies or by adding materials that promote literacy. In her samples of these centers she writes how it is important to keep background knowledge in mind; what have the children done in previous guided activities that will extend the learning through each of these centers? It's also important to have the right kinds of materials and to be aware of what role the children will play and what role, if any, the teacher will play. 

In order to make any learning center work as a literacy center as well, we as teachers must also understand that literacy is not simply just writing or reading. Children can engage in literacy through different ways. The dramatic play area allows children to be engaged with books either in a shared reading format where as the teacher reads children  can act out the story or by allowing them to create their own alternate endings or interpret the story by the images that they see; this is as much a reading of a book as if a child were to sit down and just read it. An art center can also serve as a literacy center. Children become aware of their surroundings and create images/products according to what they see, hear or feel. Environmental print is a big part of literacy and is often times expressed through the art center.

Children learn literacy through different ways and by providing literacy related materials in each classroom center we are further extending their learning and encouraging their literacy skills. 

Dramatic Play & Written Stories

When reading children's stories, as educators and parents, we must keep in mind that the way that a child sees that story is one part their own imagination and one part how we present the story. Presenting the story in a shared reading experience is very important as it allows children to connect with the story as well as engage in dramatic play. A shared reading experience is when both story teller and audience are actively involved in reading the story together. This could mean that stories that have rhyming words or repeating phrases can be used as entry points for students to engage with the book. For example, Sadie and the Snowman by Allen Morgan is a great example of a book that can be used for shared reading. The story revolves around Sadie making a snowman and decorating it with different types of foods for the face. Every day the snowman melts but she's able to rebuild it again and put on new foods for his face, and the same animals come and take the food away. This story uses repetition as well as predictability to engage young children. As teachers we can use this predictability and repetition to further engage them by having objects from the story present in the classroom (like foods or snowy weather clothes) and pausing at times in which the story repeats itself so that the children can say the words all together. Those who can't read will feel confident in their early literacy skills and those who are starting to learn to read will be able to also follow along, not only with the repetitive sections but the rest of the story!

Dramatic play of a story should not only be available for the time that the story is read. Teachers can create various opportunities for students to engage with that particular story in a dramatic play setting. After a shared reading, students will most likely still be interested in the story, therefore, teachers provide the same kinds of materials to be available to all. Several child sized copies of the book can be made available for students in the dramatic play area so that children can use the objects from the story to re-tell the story to their peers. Students may also choose to "read" a different story from that same book, using the dramatic play area materials, and by looking at the images that they see. By allowing them to freely interact with the book we are providing them with opportunities to further develop their literacy skills. 

Along with developing their reading literacy skills, children will also be developing their writing literacy skills. In their article Let me tell you a secret: Kindergartners can write, Amanda R. VanNess, Timothy J. Murnen and Cynthia D. Bertelsen, talk about how even before children have formally been taught writing skills that they are able to express themselves or their stories through written works. The author talks about how when children in kindergarten are told that they can write, they are amazed and immediately embrace the fact that they are able to put shapes, lines, scribbles, etc. on paper and are able to convey what they are feeling. This early literacy skill can also be used with story telling. Teachers and parents can incorporate writing about a story or creating an alternate ending of that story into children's lives. Children start to incorporate elements of story telling into their own writing like creating a beginning, a middle, and an ending as well as incorporating their own experiences into their stories. The author uses the example of a young girl, Alaysia, who uses both elements she's seen in stories as well as her own made up words to tell a story about her tooth falling out. Encouraging children to take part in writing their own stories allows them to engage in literacy in a written way! As educators and parents we must provide our students with the opportunities to engage in shared reading experiences that allow them to take those stories one step further into their literacy journey. 

Environmental Print Awareness

As children develop their literacy skills, both inside and outside the classroom, they are doing so by becoming aware of their surroundings and environment, through print. Print not only refers to the written word, as many of us think of, but it also refers to images, signs, and/or logos.

We can think of a child developing print awareness as being a piece of the puzzle -the whole picture/puzzle being their literacy development - and that with this piece of the puzzle a child is able to get a better sense of literacy. As children begin to identify print around them they're developing a sense of understanding. Children begin to see how print is arranged and displayed, how it works, and that it carries meaning. In order to assign meaning to the images that a child sees, they look for the context clues within the signs. Context clues may be actual writing, familiar images, shape, color, size, etc. 

Children will also draw upon past experiences or familiar experiences in order to make meaning out of print. For example, children whose families consistently go to McDonald's will be able to recognize the golden arches anywhere and therefore know that that image means McDonald's. However, a child from another country who has never seen McDonald's , or its golden arches, will not be able to make meaning out of the image.  Each child's print awareness will vary according to the various types of environments that they're in. 

Parents and teachers can support growth in children's print awareness by providing environments that have rich AND meaningful print. Ideas for such environments can be: pretend stores with logos and facilitating make-believe restaurants with menus. Parents can also help children become print aware by: 

• Reading with your child every day!
• Playing “I Spy” games in the car or in the grocery story to “discover print”
• Modeling reading books, magazines, newspapers, the mail,
 messages, etc.

We must keep in mind that for young children developing literacy skills print awareness is an important piece  of the puzzle!

Read Alouds

When considering children's literature, we must not only keep  children's interests in mind but we must also be mindful of how we present the story.

Children may be attracted to story telling in different ways and as teachers we must provide them with different ways of interacting and entering the literacy world. A few ways in which read aloud stories can be enhanced are by incorporating puppetry into the stories. Puppets allow children to interact with them as they would with their peers. Puppets may also help introduce a story, characters or get discussions going about certain themes or topics. Another way in which we can present a read aloud story interactively is by choosing stories which have repetition of sounds, rhythm or style. Although some children may not be able to read the actual words on the pages they will be able to remember words that are repeated and/or sounds that the book emphasizes. The books style (white spaces, color, focus of picture on the pages, etc.) also allows children to interact with the books on their own, making up their own story. 

Acclaimed children's author and literacy advocate, Mem Fox also emphasizes how important the way in which we read children's books can be. On her website she provides a Read Aloud Lesson in which she emphasizes that our voices play a vital role in story telling. Our voice rhythm, the ups and downs, the loudness or softness as well as our rhythm, fast or slow, can influence how children experience a story. We must also be aware of what we are reading and which tone of voice to use. Stories about adventure ask for a fast paced, loud voice while stories about family may need a softer, loving voice. Fox also mentions that the first and last lines of a story are also crucial in how children will receive a story. It's important to capture the audience's attention, by using the different tricks of our voices as well as facial expressions and pauses. The last lines of a story can also be captivating. She explains that the last lines of a story are a farewell to the audience and that as  readers we must make sure that we emphasize words and provide closure for the audience. 

We must keep in mind that stories can be an emotional journey and that  as teachers we need to provide different ways for children to enter that journey.