Teach Preschool » Reading and Writing Readiness

Paint and write boards for preschoolers

Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:00:03 +0000

For a little more fun practicing our writing skills, I introduced “paint and write” boards to my class…

We are using Styrofoam boards that I have collected or purchased through our local United Arts and Education store. Each child had their own board to work with..

We started by adding paint to the boards then each child used a sponge brush, but a regular paint brush works well too, to spread the paint all over their board. The children chose which color they wanted to use…

Then the children used a clean end of a cotton swab to write on the board…

Once the clean end of the cotton swab gets too much paint on it, it works best to then use the other end or get a new cotton swab…

When the children wanted to change their designs, they simply painted back over their designs with a paint brush and started all over again…

I suggest having a paper plate or tray out for the children to put their painting tools on – I did not have one and so we did get paint all over the table when they had to switch tools. But this process was well worth the clean-up!

For those who wanted to keep their designs, we supplied paper for them to lay on top of their designs to make a print…

We found that if the children rubbed their paper (or if there was too much paint on the tray), they would rub away the design underneath so it was best just to simply place the paper on the paint and tap it gently down. Then lift the paper up to see the design…

Here are some of our prints that we put on the wall…

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Mini-plexiglass easels for the preschool classroom

Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:17:28 +0000

Window markers and dry-erase crayons are a new addition to my classroom this year. I purchased them in part to use on my large plexiglass easel thoughout the school year but I also wanted to provide some unique opportunities for individual writing and drawing…

I often use sign holders for displaying my Teach Preschool posters when I go to conferences or community events. I had several clear Plexiglass sign holders stashed away so I figured I might as well put them to good use…

Normally, you stand the sign holders up on the base but for drawing on them, I tipped the Plexiglass signs back which made a nice easel-like surface…

When I put out crayons for Wy to use, he usually gives a quick scribble then is ready to move on to something else. The combination of new writing tools and a new writing surface has peeked Wy’s interest in the drawing process a little more effectively…

The window crayon does wipe off of the Plexiglass easel with a paper towel but I found that if the paper towel is slightly damp, it wipes off much easier. I am going to play around with different materials to see if any of them work better than another for wiping off the markings without having to get them damp…

For the beginning of the school year, I will set the easels out on the table as an alternative way to explore the drawing process. Eventually, I will add other dimensions of play and exploration using these little Plexiglass easels but for now, I want the children to just explore the easels, the markers, and the process…

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And if you have a minute – I would love it if you would take the time to vote for Teach Preschool over at Parent’s Magazine!

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Writing the letter of the week

Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:45:43 +0000

Each week, when a new letter is introduced, the teacher invites each child to come up and try to print the letter on the dry erase board. The teacher begins by printing a capital and lower case letter on the board first – she identifies each letter as she is writing them for the children to see.

Then each child comes up and takes a turn to print the letter. The children in this class really look forward to their turn to try and make the letter. This week they were writing the letter “O”.

The teacher doesn’t really use this time as an instruction on letter writing – she simply invites the children to explore the letter and the writing process freely without any correction or concern for whether it actually turns out looking like the letter or not.

It always gets more challenging to find a place to write the letter once the board gets all filled up but the children actually like the challenge of finding a space to print the letter. It makes it more of a game and takes away the worry of making perfect letter formations.

Once all the children have had a turn printing the letter, then the teacher sets the board up so they can see it throughout the day. Then she extends the learning experience by reading a book that also has the letter “O”.

Reading aloud to young children is an important part of building their interest in writing as well as expanding their knowledge in language and literacy.

Who knew that the letter O could be so fun to explore!

See what else we do for the letter of the week!

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Parent involvement in early literacy is the key to academic success

Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:00:17 +0000

Parent involvement in early literacy is the key to academic success by Dr. Erika Burton of Stepping Stones Together

Early childhood education sets the stage for future academic achievement.

Whether you choose a pre-school setting, home school your child, or a combination of both exposure and parent modeling of literacy skills before, during and after the preschool years is essential.

Research

A study conducted last spring in over 27 countries and over 20 years confirmed that having over 500 books in ones’ home is more important to a child’s projected academic success than a parent’s education. There are few studies to date on parent involvement in early literacy skills and development when reading with them. Yet, educators know that the number one predictor of lifelong academic achievement is parental involvement.

What are some best practices to help your child learn beginning literacy skills?

Where do you start if your child does not know their letters or sounds?

Expose your child to literacy in natural occurring situations- Point out stop, speed, and washroom signs
Label your house- Make a project out of writing and taping the words for things around your house that your child can see, touch, and repeat every day.
Alphabet fun- Play with the alphabet out of order through developing letter of the day, week, or month and try to incorporate meals, toys, pictures on the internet, books. Have your child help you. Take pictures and/or develop a book for each. Develop opportunities for your child to make each letter cutting them from sponges, or forming them using play dough or even dye in snow!
4. Sound fun- Make up songs, games, or dances using the sounds of each letter in the alphabet. Buy a puzzle or game that says the sound of each letter as a review.

Where do you start if your child is ready to read?

Investigate- The first reading steps are always the most nerve wrecking. Make sure your child is ready. Does your child know their letters and sounds?
What are the signs of a child ready to read?- Does your child pretend to read books, ask you what words say, attempt to sound out letters in words, know words are devised of letters and spaces indicate new words? Has your child told you they want to learn to read?
Start and stop when your child is eager- Beginning reading is hard. Consistency in small chunks of time works best. Always make sure they are having fun and within their frustration threshold.
Use a repetitive simple text book- Allow your child to select an easy reader that can be completed in one sitting of 5-10 minutes. Research suggests choice is important in reading motivation.
Picture walk- Predict and preview each page in a book using picture clues to identify story details
Model- Do an initial read through of the book allowing your child to see best beginning reading practices of pointing to each word with your finger.
Guide them- Allow your child to read the text helping them when necessary with difficult words in context.
Review and discuss- Ask story questions related to vocabulary, connecting the text to your child’s experiences, and to check for basic reading comprehension.
Write- Have your child share as you transcribe or bravely attempt to write their thoughts on characters, problems, situations and their experiences with each story.
Review high frequency words- Review words such as; a, the, and, this… however you see fit.
Consistency- Work daily through these steps whenever possible.

Guest Writer Biography

Dr. Erika Burton founded Stepping Stones Together to provide parents with an easy-to-use and reasonably priced online reading program to help parents instill a love for reading with children ages 3-7.

In 2005, Burton co-founded Orion’s Mind, an Educational Company with an overarching mission to close the educational achievement gap in Chicago. The company started with two employees. Orion’s Mind is one of the largest supplemental education providers in Illinois behind Chicago Public School’s own supplemental curriculum called Aim High. The company serves thousands of Chicago Public students in grades K-8 each school year. Orion’s Mind is also the largest supplemental provider in Waukegan, Illinois, Public Schools for grades K-8 students.

Dr. Burton earned her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a minor in research and supervision from Loyola University in Chicago in 2004. She completed her master’s degree in Elementary Education from Aurora University in 1998 and her Bachelor’s Degree in 1996 from The University of Arizona.

Burton worked closely from 2005- 2009 to develop and revise curriculum, develop and facilitate the instructor and lead instructor trainings, and the instructor supervision program designed to ensure consistent and successful implementation of the Orion’s Mind curriculum.

While obtaining her professional degrees, Burton taught second grade in a bilingual classroom in the inner city of Los Angeles, first grade on the west side of Chicago in a restructured school, third grade at Holmes Elementary in Oak Park, IL, and later served as an Assistant Principal at River Grove Elementary School.

Burton has continued to support teachers as an adjunct professor for Roosevelt and National Louis University with a focus on teaching educational leadership, action research, early childhood and elementary education. She is dedicated to closing the educational achievement gap working with teachers to develop strategies to help all students achieve measurable results. Burton was awarded grant money in 2007 by National Louis University to ensure teachers use action research to better serve their students.

Burton presented at the 2007 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) conference in Orlando, Florida, the National Louis University’s Imagination conference in 2006 and the ASCD’s Midwest conference in 2006 focusing on multi-disciplinary approaches to learning.

Her most recent publication was in Burton, E. (2009, August). 21st century focus: brain learning. Southeast Educators Network, (11.2).

Why was Stepping Stones Together Created?

Stepping Stones Together was designed to address a needed resource I could not find when searching for a parent/child beginning literacy program to help my own children, and to provide highly motivational reading resources for parents and caregivers to help their child who is ready to read. I wanted to meet the needs of busy parents, being one myself, and make it easy to use, and it was designed with realistic daily practice commitments in mind. This program can be completed within 15-20 minutes each day, and within just 60 days, you should see a noticeable improvement in your child’s beginning reading skills.

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Messing around with the color brown in preschool

Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:19:57 +0000

As part of our color review week, the children tried out a little brown finger painting but instead of using brown paint, they used chocolate pudding.

After mixing up a bowl of chocolate pudding, they dipped their fingers in the pudding and began making brown pudding prints on a piece of paper…

To this point I noticed that the children were treating this process much as they would any other finger painting process. The main difference was that rather than being given a shallow container or small dab of finger paint to work with – they had a large bowl of ooey gooey chocolate material to work with.

It didn’t take long for the children to discover that they could reach into the bowl and take out as much pudding as they wanted.

The painting quickly migrated off the paper and onto the table…

The children kept adding more chocolate pudding paint which led to an even greater sensory experience…

As time went on, we had paint all over the table and dripping down the edges of the table onto the floor. So as the children played, their teacher and I began wiping up paint off the floor just to keep it from getting all over the room…

Eventually the pudding paint started thinning out which led to a new type of play. Instead of just playing with the pudding, the children began using their fingers to draw in the pudding paint….

The teacher and I both agreed that the next time we do this type of activity we would just cover the entire table with a table cloth and not worry about trying to make this into some type of “art project” they would take home. By using the entire surface of the table, the children were able to stay focused on their play and not worry so much about trying to create some sort of picture…

Because the teacher was willing to just watch and see how things progressed naturally, the children ended up with an experience that led to color recognition, sensory play, letter and shape writing, a finger licking here and there, and lots of laughter and fun…

I am linking this post to No Time for Flashcards!

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