https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5 *not in any particular order - for new parents/caregivers en-us 2019-09-25 00:51:13 UTC 2023-05-19 18:49:37 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.pics/1/image.webp?t=g_auto&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpadlet.net%2Ficons%2Fpng%2F1f34e.png cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389187267 Early literacy should be full of fun and laughter. By incorporating puppets, it can not only boost your child’s imagination, but it can also boost their confidence in speaking and reading. “In play, children try out new ways of combining thought and language” (Pelletier, 2011, page 1). Puppets are a creative and fun way to encourage play as it helps model proper pronunciation and helps young learners retell stories. The main reason why I love puppets is simply because it allows young learners to hide behind a puppet and make mistakes without feeling hurt. The puppet allows children to engage in safe practice of their language and not worry about the stress of pronouncing or sounding words wrong. Mistakes will happen as a young learner, so using the puppet as a shield of our knowledge, shall block all negative thoughts from speaking and reading. In addition, puppets support young learners on an emotional level too. The puppet becomes one of their friends to talk to without having it be a real person. This is even more important for children that are an only child. “Since dramatic play is symbolic in nature it can provide a ‘bridge’ to printed language” (Pelletier, 2011, page 1). Using puppets through dramatic play is a great way to expose your child to language without them even realizing it. One of the best ways to learn is when it is done organically through play. ]]> 2019-09-25 00:57:02 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389187267 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389188008 Magnetic alphabet letters are great manipulatives that give your child a unique way to interact with the alphabet through play. Alphabet manipulatives are great tool for your child to see and feel the differences between letters as they interact with them. “Play is natural context for children’s language development” (Pelletier, 2011, page 1). Through play, letter recognition can be acquired with these manipulatives as they learn to read and write. This approach is most effective for a young learner who is not able to write yet because using this tool will allow them to start learning and familiarizing themselves with the letters. Usually “mom”, “dad”, and their own name are the first words that your child will be most familiar with. Using visuals of the alphabet in front of them lets “children try to map meaning onto printed forms, looking for the physical similarities between what is spoken and what is written” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). It is important as a parent to model the alphabet and words in a fun method, focusing on letter orientation groups to help them start to notice similarities and differences throughout the alphabet. I emphasized a metal tray because it creates boundaries for your child to work in. If you feel that it is too restrictive and/or do not have a metal tray, using everyday items like your refrigerator, dishwasher, or even your car can be a space they use to play and explore. ]]> 2019-09-25 00:59:59 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389188008 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389192939 Melissa & Doug learning mats are an amazing tool that incorporates learning into anytime of the day, including mealtime. Melissa and Doug have been together for thirty years, raising a family of six kids. Their passion for learning and early literacy does not go unrecognized as their learning mats are one of the many different things they offer for young learners. I love how these mats help scaffold a better understanding of the world around us by labeling and engaging a young learner with an environmental print. “Children’s interactions with environmental print are instrumental in forming understandings about the purposes of print in daily life” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). Environmental print is part of our everyday life. Looking at products, buildings, or cars, and understanding how the print is connected to them helps a young learner unconsciously read the associated signs, labels and logos. By exposing your child to these mats, it will “Capitalize on environmental print for early literacy development” (Pelletier, 2011, page 3). Curiosity of certain environmental prints can also help your child become more involved within the kitchen. Instead of your child just sitting down for a meal, they become an active participant while they wait for food. Or better, yet, they help in the kitchen by setting the table using visual cues they are learning. ]]> 2019-09-25 01:16:48 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389192939 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389192940 Making learning fun should be something you keep in mind when teaching your kid about literacy. This game teaches your child about memory, sorting, and early math skills. Exposure to this game helps “Promote recognition of alphabet letters and sounds” (Pelletier, 2011, page 3). Understanding how the alphabet works with lower- and upper-case letters by incorporating a picture of an animal with its spelling, can help your child gain knowledge of visual discrimination. Being able to match the cards together allows your child to “Create opportunities to actively engage with print” (Pelletier, 2011, page 3). The cards also give early exposure to number sense and numeration as your kid counts pairs at end of game. Unconsciously, this game scaffolds many different facets of literacy knowledge, giving a more holistic approach to learning. We are able to connect many different early literacy practices all in one game. Go Fish is a fun and interactive game that the whole family could enjoy. Go Fish also gives your child a sense of sportsmanship as they look to engage in fair play by respecting others around them. This can be easily modeled by you, the parent/caregiver. ]]> 2019-09-25 01:16:49 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389192940 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389195200 Your child will soon enough go to school and realize that everyone is different and everyone learns differently. Giving early exposure to sign language will help your child acquire a diverse, well rounded approach to learning. These basic signing vocabulary cards are fun for all ages but especially young learners as they focus on the top 100 most used words in the English language. Many studies have shown that there are strong benefits of learning sign language at an early age because it helps the young learner create positive long-term cognitive capabilities with reading and vocabulary. “With repeated exposure to text and opportunities to decode, all children become more fluent word readers” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). Your child will think of sign language as fun and not realize that they are gaining exposure to words by converting the words they see into visual cues. Giving your child different ways to communicate their understanding will help them develop new strategies to help their own self navigation of learning.]]> 2019-09-25 01:25:03 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389195200 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389210251 Play-Doh, a famous modelling compound, has been around for just over half a century. Using Play-Doh, young learners are able to explore different fine motor skills and gain muscle strength that they will use when they start to write. You can even make your own Play-Doh by mixing water, flour, salt, vegetable oil, borax, and food colouring. “Children’s language is enhanced when adults and older children scaffold their play” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2).  Having the alphabet cutter set alongside the Play-Doh would allow your child to play with purpose. Showing your child how to cut, shape, and trace alphabet letters will help reinforce their understanding of the alphabet while helping develop a stronger hand-eye coordination. Looking beyond the alphabet, there are many other cutting sets available which can help your child develop social skills as they create and describe to you what they have formed. There are endless opportunities for play as Play-Doh lets your child uses a range of senses and skills to further their understanding of early literacy. ]]> 2019-09-25 02:20:53 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389210251 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389215097 Every neighbourhood has a library and everyone is invited. The library may be the most cost-effective method (free) towards successful literacy as it contains a variety of different books and other resources meant for all ages. As I got older, a big part of my childhood included weekly trips to the library and my parents reading books to me before bed. “Engaging children in conversation facilitates learning different forms of language, expands vocabulary and can help children learn to read” (Pelletier, 2011, page 1). Read aloud books resulted in curious thoughts before, during, and after the reading, such as thoughts on how the book would end. Your child’s critical thinking and problem-solving strategies are exercised during a read aloud as the young learner’s brain begins to wander and imagine what would happen next.  Reading and talking with your child can help not only develop their understanding for literacy, but can also help discover rich ideas and messages the book is trying to uncover. One book that has resonated with me last year was a book called “I am Henry Finch”. I enjoy reading this book because it explains how being different and thinking outside the norm can be good for all of us. Instead of settling for what is, try to question and brainstorm what ought to be. Be your own Henry Finch! The idea of building a community is best understood by understanding that everyone is different through oral language (art) and their own unique experiences. ]]> 2019-09-25 02:43:25 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389215097 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389221355 Giving your child freedom to express their feelings and thoughts on the easel is a great way for them to communicate their feelings, especially if their verbal skills are not very strong. Using dry erase markers or chalk helps your child become more familiar with classroom tools and helps them develop strong penmanship skills. “Drawing promotes the first writing, and this writing becomes the first reading material that children themselves author” (Baghban, 2007, page 22). Drawing lets your child to use self expression and provides them with the opportunity to be more creative. Asking your child to explain what they have drawn allows them to become a narrator of their own learning through visual analysis. “Oral language development should be an explicit focus” (Pelletier, 2011, page 3). Even though your child is organizing their ideas through drawing and writing on the easel, you should always focus on their oral capabilities to help reinforce their understanding. Building your child’s confidence and talking to them about their experiences on paper allows the young learner to self-regulate their learning, known as metacognition. ]]> 2019-09-25 03:18:16 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389221355 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389222241 Most families have salt and pepper in their kitchen. Using salt, a plate/tray, and a few pieces of paper with words on it, you can ask your child to write the words they see on the paper with salt. Another great alternative to salt can be sand if you have access to it. “Creating phonological awareness through hearing and thinking about language helps children learn to read” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). As a parent/caregiver, you should be present when your child tries to write the words in salt so you could help them sound out the words as they spell it, creating phonemic awareness. An effective strategy would be blending words into individual sounds and syllables so it helps your child understand phonic blending. Moving forward beyond written words, you can substitute words with images of print. “Concepts of print reflect experience with print” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). Providing an image and having your child decode it into a word is essential to them being familiar with print around them. ]]> 2019-09-25 03:23:11 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389222241 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389223257 The most important resource your child can ever have is you, the parent/caregiver. As a teacher, what sets apart one student from another is the funds of knowledge that the student brings to the classroom. What the young learner knows is largely influenced by what they learn at home. You as the parent/caregiver should devote as much time as possible engaging in rich conversations with your child because “the quality of the interactions between adults and children is key to enhancing children’s motivation to read and their literacy knowledge” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). Making sure that you slow down your speaking and emphasize different sounds when you speak is crucial to your child’s early literacy development. Another strategy to use with your child is shared readings. “Engage in shared reading to promote motivation and literacy development” (Pelletier, 2011, page 4). When you model how words are pronounced during readings, it gives your child the positive influence needed to take their literacy to the next step. As your child learns while you read to them, try to make it fun by talking in character or engaging with them. “While oral comprehension may develop ‘naturally,’ reading requires instruction” (Pelletier, 2011, page 2). Your child will imitate your reading, so make sure that you read clear and concise, even when incorporating emotion into your readings. Everyday, you should read to/with your child because early literacy is best understood with a narrative; what makes us unique is the stories we experience and share.]]> 2019-09-25 03:28:34 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/389223257 cgomes358 https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/392829124 - Pelletier, Janette (2011). What Whats? Research into Practice. Ontario Student Achievement Division. Research Monograph 37.
- Baghban, Marcia (2007). Scribbles, Labels, and Stories, The Role of Drawing in the Development of Writing. National Association for the Education of Young Children. 20-26.]]> 2019-10-03 04:30:42 UTC https://padlet.com/cgomes358/1jplfrb3p3p5/wish/392829124