Early Literacy Skill Set 6: Phonological Awareness

Researchers say that there are six skills that are important for children to learn before they are ready to read: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting).  These are known as early literacy skills, sometimes referred to as emergent literacy skills.

Phonological awareness indicates an understanding of the smaller sounds (syllables) in words, which leads to being able to sound out words when children begin to read.


Many different reading activities can aid in developing phonological awareness. Here are a few to get you started:

• Read a book with animal sounds, like Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. Animal sounds like baa, moo, and woof help children understand the smaller sounds in words since they are one syllable and are easy to repeat.

• Sing a song like "Twinkle, Twinkle. Little Star" with your little one, or read a book that can be sung, such as The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani. Singing helps slow down language so that little ones can hear the smaller sounds in words. When each syllable has a different note, you are breaking down words into parts, which helps with sounding out words.

• Read a book that encourages your child to make sounds or noises along with the story, like Down by the Station by Jessica Stockholm. Getting children engaged with participating during reading enhances early literacy skills.

• Practice reading rhyming books, as little ones learn best by repetition. The repeated sounds will help them understand the sounds in words. Even better is a book that rhymes and has word play such as alliteration, such as Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino.

• If you choose a book with great rhythm like Chuck's Band by Peggy Anderson, chant it rather than just reading it. Pat a drum (or just your lap) along to the beat. 

Early Literacy Skill Set 5: Letter Knowledge

Researchers say that there are six skills that are important for children to learn before they are ready to read: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting).  These are known as early literacy skills, sometimes referred to as emergent literacy skills.

Having letter knowledge as an early literacy skill refers to being able to differentiate between different letters and their sounds, knowing the names of letters, and understanding that the same letter can look different (i.e. upper and lower case).  Children must have letter knowledge in order to "sound out" words by understanding that a word is broken down into letters that each have their own smaller sound.

To develop letter knowledge, an obvious first choice in literature selection would be an alphabet book such as the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and Joan Archambault or the fun and adorable LMNO Peas by Keith Baker.

To start at the beginning, however, children must know their shapes before they can understand all of the letters of the alphabet. A Q is a circle with a rectangle in it, and W is two open-topped triangles, for example.  Try reading Shape Capers by Cathryn Falwell or Circle, Square, Moose by Kelly Bingham.

Instead of just practicing the alphabet song, try singing songs with repeated refrains that include letters.  Sing and read along Rosemary Well's board book version of BINGO or Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera (E-I-E-I-O!).

Another activity that you can do with children to promote letter knowledge is to have them practice writing their names.  Even if they don't understand the alphabet yet, they will start to "write" by drawing random shapes, such as circles, lines and squiggles, and this is the first step to having them understand that letters are made
up of shapes.

Check back next month for the final tip of this Early Literacy Series: Phonological Awareness! Thanks for reading!

Early Literacy Skill Set 4: Vocabulary

Researchers say that there are six skills that are important for children to learn before they are ready to read: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting).  These are known as early literacy skills, sometimes referred to as emergent literacy skills.


What does vocabulary refer to in terms of early literacy?  Vocabulary skills encompass knowing the names of things, concepts, feelings, and ideas.  The larger a vocabulary a child has, the easier it  will be for him/her to learn to read.

Many board books created especially for infants have simple bold text describing the vocabulary for simple things that babies see every day- like bottle, mommy, toys, and teddy bear. Try reading a a lift the flap book like What Does Baby Love? by Karen Katz to help your little one identify familiar things around him/her.  As they get older, they will be ready to learn different words for feelings, concepts and ideas.  Try Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney to see just how many different words there are to describe when you're feeling grumpy!

Nursery rhymes expose children to words that are not used in every day conversation.  When you Mother Goose for Babies.
read words that are unfamiliar to your child, you may have the urge to simplify text into words your child can understand.  Instead of doing this, read the written word and explain what it means. For example, if you are reading the old Mother Goose rhyme, "There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all, Who lived in a dwelling exceedingly small..." you should just pause and say that "dwelling" means home.  Find this rhyme and others in Arnold Lobel's

Another great place to start with learning vocabulary words is the human body.  Try reading Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes: A First Book All About You by Judy Hindley.  It's also great to practice these words during bath time!  Then move on to basic concept books such as Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri to learn colors.

The more words your child hears, the larger his/her vocabulary willThe Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (bonus for picking a book that has words not used in every day conversation!), go through the book a second time, but this time, don't read the words. Instead, talk about how the pictures tell the story.  Chances are you'll use new words and synonyms for the words you just read so that your child will learn even more new words.  A child's vocabulary is aligned with how many words they hear per day, so keep talking together!
be.  After you read aloud a picture book like

Say It Again!

Early Literacy Skills are competencies that children need to develop before they begin reading and writing.*

Choosing books to read with your child that have a repetitive phrase can aid in the development of many of the early literacy skills that children need in order to be ready to read: **

Print Motivation
Print Awareness
Narrative Skills
Vocabulary
Letter Knowledge
Phonological Awareness

Hearing a repeated phrase over and over again will help children recognize sound patterns and develop phonological awareness (understanding the smaller sounds in words).

Reading books with repeated phrases also helps children develop narrative skills (the skills needed to tell stories and describe events). In telling a story, pause and let your child complete the repeated phrase. Your child will gain confidence in participating and helping to tell the story.

Print awareness (noticing the fact that printed letters and words have meaning) can be developed by running your finger along the repeated phrase in a story.

As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect! Hearing these repeated phrases is wonderful practice for learning early literacy skills. Read these books with repeated phrases and remember it’s never too soon to be ready to read!

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Shake your fists, and stamp your feet along with the peddler as he sells his caps and meets some silly and naughty monkeys along the way!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archaumbault

This classic and lively alphabet rhyme will have you chanting its memorable verses long after finishing the cheerful story. Lois Ehlert’s vibrant illustrations are not to be missed.

The Chick and the Duckling by Vladimir Suteev

This sweet mimicking tale of the newly hatched chick and duckling will delight little ones who are also exploring and discovering the world around them.

Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee

Who wants to go for a ride with Mr. Horse? Children will love being bounced on your lap as you repeat “Clip-clop, clippety clop!” in this rhythmic tale of a horseback ride with barnyard friends.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Delight in the surprise of lifting the flaps to reveal who from the menagerie the zoo sends as a possible pet in response to a young child’s letter.

Have You Seen my Cat? By Eric Carle

Let’s help the little boy find his missing cat and meet helpful friends and other members of the cat family along the way! Children will love participating by repeating, “That is not my cat!”

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

In this repetitive question and answer book about the friends we meet when we go for a walk, children can participate by identifying each colorful animal.

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw

The repetitive and simplistic nature of this picture book will keep children engaged and curious as they guess what each simple shape is illustrating.

The Napping House by Don and Audrey Wood

Read this gentle, cozy, cumulative rhyming story at bed time to ensure sweet dreams!

Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm by James Dean

Classic songs with repeated refrains are always a hit and children will enjoy seeing their cool friend Pete the Cat give an old song a new spin!

*(Source: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, www.zerotothree.org).
** (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting)

Early Literacy Skill Set 3: Narrative Skills

Researchers say that there are six skills that are important for children to learn before they are ready to read: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting).  These are known as early literacy skills, sometimes referred to as emergent literacy skills.

Narrative Skills include the ability to tell stories, as well as describing things and events. This skill set is important for reading comprehension; in simpler terms, grasping meaning from a story.

Remember that we are discussing early literacy skills; the skills that children develop before they can read and/or write, and that literacy starts at birth.  Your child is never too young to get ready to read!

Since your little one is not yet independently reading, its up to you to help him/her develop narrative skills.  The single most important thing you can do is read together (or attend storytime at your library)!

What can you do while reading together to boost narrative skills?

• Read a book together twice.  During the second reading, talk about the illustrations.
• Read a wordless picture book together, such as Hunters of the Great Forest by Dennis Nolan, and talk about the story that the pictures tell (children will "read" pictures before they read words, and pictures tell a story too)!
• Read books with repetitive phrases, such as We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, and pause and let your child complete the repeated phrase.
• Tell a story with props.  Your librarian may use the flannel board to tell a story.  You can do the same with things you have around the house, like puppets and toys!
• Read a book with a plot (that has a beginning, middle, and end) such as Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion.
• Try books with repetition in the plot, such as Paul Galdone's Three Billy Goats Gruff.
• Choose a book that has a sequential or cumulative story, such as If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff.

When you are choosing books, always pick something that YOU enjoy reading as well! Promoting the joy of reading should be present while learning every early literacy skill.  If you are enjoying yourself, your child will too!

Happy reading!

Early Literacy Skill Set 2: Print Awareness

Researchers say that there are six skills that are important for children to learn before they are ready to read: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting).  These are known as early literacy skills, sometimes referred to as emergent literacy skills.

What is Print Awareness? Just like it sounds, print awareness is noticing or recognizing the simple fact that printed letters and words have meaning.  Furthermore, print awareness involves getting to know how a book works: that text flows from left to right and top to bottom, how to hold a book the correct way, and that a book has different parts such as its pages, cover, back cover, and spine.


What are some things that you can do to raise print awareness?

Run your finger underneath the text as you read together, pointing out each word you read.

Point out the difference between the author and the illustrator of a book.

Let your child hold the book and turn its pages.

Read the title, author, and illustrator on the spine label of the book.

Print awareness is not limited to books!  We are surrounded by print. Point out signs, labels, posters, even your grocery list!

Books that have just a few words on each page can be helpful in the early stages of print awareness. Try The Everything Book by Denise Fleming.  Its bright illustrations are labeled with words, somewhat like a visual dictionary. Bonus if you can get it in the board book format... then little fingers can turn the pages without ripping them out!

Choose books that have large, bold font sizes.  An easy reader like Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel is a great choice not only for its bold, simple text, but it also introduces the idea of chapters to little ones!

Stories that mention the pages of a book and the book itself as a part of the story like Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett are a great choice.

Finally, books with repeated phrases like Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina make it easy for young readers to jump in, participate, and gain confidence.

A silly way to encourage print awareness that is sure to get some giggles is to start reading upside down or backwards.  If the little one is quite ready to catch on, simply point out your "mistake"!

Early literacy skills (the skills children acquire before they are ready to read and write) are important in developing the confidence of early readers.  When children develop print awareness, they get more comfortable with books.  When they are comfortable with books, they will be ready to read!

Early Literacy Skill Set 1: Print Motivation

Researchers say that there are six skills that are important for children to learn before they are ready to read: Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness (Source: Every Child Ready to Read via Saroj Ghoting).  These are known as early literacy skills, sometimes referred to as emergent literacy skills.

Let's talk about Print Motivation.  Put simply, print motivation is a love of reading.  Children showing interest in and enjoying books is the first stepping stone towards being ready to read, and this skill can be developed from birth.

Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity that aids in language development for your child.  It also starts the process of print motivation: showing that reading is an enjoyable activity.  Pick a cozy, comfortable spot for reading at home.  Take your children to the library. Store books in the same area as your little one's toys.  Choose age-appropriate books and when he/she is ready, let your child join in on the book choosing process!

Not sure where to start?  In general, babies who are less than 12 months old like seeing simple, colorful books with large, high contrast pictures.  Books with black and white pictures or patterns make it easier for little developing eyes to focus, such as Black on White by Tana Hoban.  Books with photographs of babies are very engaging to these little ones.  Start looking in the board book section of your library for these books.

Babies who are 12-24 months old enjoy rhyming books and repetitive language.  They also like books about animals, saying hello and goodbye, bedtime, and nursery rhymes. Try reading a book about animals such as Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman and get them engaged by asking them to point to a specific animal in the book.

Toddlers aged 2-3 are starting to memorize books.  Get them even more engaged with interactive books like pop-ups, lift the flap, pull the tab, or touch and feel.  Books with a repeated phrase like Silly Sally by Audrey Wood are great for this age, and traditional songs made into books are always a hit.

As your 4 or 5 year old is getting into preschool, he/she is ready for a more advanced books with a plot.  Silly or funny books like We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems are huge for print motivation and it is likely that these are the books that the little ones will ask to borrow from the library over and over again.

Bonus: even the simple pattern of seeing you read on a regular basis can motivate a child to want to read.  Remember, babies and children are very interested in what you are doing.  Your behavior and activities serve as a model for them, so go check out that book you've been wanting to read and let your "me-time" motivate your baby to be just like his/her most beloved role-model: you!

What is Early Literacy?

True or False? Early literacy begins at birth.

TRUE!

From the moment your baby is born, he or she is constantly taking in and learning new words, ideas, concepts, and emotions. The process of getting ready to read begins long before a child’s first day of kindergarten. Children’s brains are naturally wired to be curious and make connections in the world around them.

Here are just a few examples of ways your baby is showing early literacy development:

• Making sounds
• Imitating facial expressions
• Babbling
• Pointing to pictures
• Turning pages in a book
• Imitating hand movements (i.e., fingerplays)
• Holding a crayon

Early Literacy Defined

"Early literacy refers to what children know about communication, language (verbal and nonverbal), reading, and writing before they can actually read and write. Early literacy encompasses all of a child’s experiences with conversation, stories (oral and written), books, and print."

(Source: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, www.zerotothree.org)

Sing, Talk, and Read, DC (STAR) is a citywide campaign that was initiated by Mayor Vincent C. Gray last year, which focuses on the importance of singing, talking, and reading with your child to help develop early literacy skills.

Singing helps children learn, memorize, and enjoy new words and rhythms. It also helps children break down and understand the smaller sounds and syllables in words. Picture books by Jane Cabrera such as Row, Row Your Boat add fun verses and colorful pictures to already well-known songs and tunes. 

Talking with children through conversation or storytelling increases the amount of words they hear per day, and proportionally increases their vocabularies. Try telling a story to your little one using a wordless picture book by David Wiesner, such as the 2014 Caldecott Honor Winner Mr. Wuffles.

Reading aloud is not only an important bonding experience to have with your child; it is the single most important way to help your child be ready to read. It also helps motivate a child to read for enjoyment. It is never too early to read to your child. According to Dr. Sally E. Shaywitz, the author of Overcoming Dyslexia, a child can gain 1.8 million words per year by reading only 20 minutes a day. Choose to read a story with great new vocabulary words and wonderful rhythm and rhymes such as Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney.

Interested in more early literacy tips?  Attend a storytime at your local library and check back next month for the next tip in this Early Literacy Series.

Early Literacy Tips

I always like to give an "Early Literacy Tip" to parents and caregivers during storytimes.  I started writing them out on a chalkboard so that adults would have one more way to take in this important information.  I am lucky enough to have received Saroj Ghoting's Early Literacy training twice throughout my career, and turn to her resources whenever I'm in need of some inspiration for promoting the importance of early literacy.

Wonderful One's

Today was my first storytime for Wonderful One's.  Or as I like to call them, little puffer bellies.  I think that you could sing them or read to them anything and they would still look at you with wide open eyes like you are giving them the keys to the world.

I started out with one of my all time favorite stories, The Three Little Kittens.  I used Paul Galdone's version but also added my own little creative twist.  I like to use flannels any chance I get because I think a visual prop holds the babies' attention even more than just the book. With three little kittens, it also gives me the chance to count to three with them.  So I made three little kittens, three sets of mittens, and a pie.  I also made jelly splotches and soap bubbles for when they soil and wash their mittens.

Next, I sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (definitely the perfect age for this song) and "Baa Baa Black Sheep"; another chance to count to three and another chance for me to take out my scissors, glue, and felt!  

I also read Teddy Bear Teddy Bear by Steve Scott, as well as Sleepy Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming.  I love her illustrations and the way the babies responded to the tiny baby animals with looks of pure adoration.  I think the parents and caretakers liked this book too.  When it says "Where's my sleepy baby", I pretended to look through the audience for a sleepy baby, trying to engage them as much as possible. I ended up very pleased with my book, song and rhyme selections for this age group but I had planned a thirty minute storytime that only went twenty five, so I need to be sure to watch my speed, or add another book and song just in case.

My First Storytime

Now I can truly say that I am an "official" Children's Librarian.  I have assisted with storytimes in the past, but until now I hadn't planned and facilitated one on my own.  Today I did a preschool storytime for 54 kids.  We have a lot of daycare centers that come to this library along with just a handful of parents and their children so the adult to child ratio is quite large.  The children were super cute as per usual, and were highly participatory which is what I love about this age.

 For this storytime, I chose two of my favorite books from when I was a child.  When I told the kids this, they looked at me like they were being let in on a big secret.  First, I read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff, and had the kids guess the numerous things that that silly moose was going to need next.

Second, I read The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood.  I created a flannel board display to go along with it at the last minute.  I think that this visual prop really helped them participate with the story even more, as they suggested ways to disguise the strawberry along with the plot of the book.  At the end, I pulled the two halves of the strawberry apart and pretended to gobble up my half of the strawberry. They got a kick out of that.

The only thing that I would change about this storytime is that I think it needed more active songs and rhymes.  I did "The Wheels on the Bus", "I Went to Visit the Farm One Day", and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  These songs and rhymes were fine except for the fact that none of them got the kids to stand up and move around.  For a thirty minute storytime, I think they need at least one way of getting some of that energy out.  So next time, I think I will do something like "If You're Happy and You Know It".  I will also skip "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  I had originally thought that a lullaby would calm them down toward the end of the storytime, but instead they seemed a little to old for it and bored with it. Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out and can't wait to do it again!