Foundations and Current Issues of Early Childhood Education/Chapter 2/2.2

Literacy-Rich Environments & Parental Involvement
By: Breana Thomas

Introduction
Children need plenty of opportunities to experiment with reading and writing to foster early literacy. The student’s environment and activities should inspire an appreciation for words, stories, and communication. Parents and family members play important roles in supporting, sharing, and exploring literacy with their children. Parents need to read out loud to their children and make home environments literacy-rich where real and memorable learning can take place.

The Classroom Environment
Early literacy learning is critical. Students need to be exposed to literary events as well as literacy-rich environments from a very young age. Students need the opportunity to explore literacy through thinking, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Activities that foster literacy development should meet the needs and learning styles of the students in the classroom. “Optimal learning takes place in a setting in which children feel comfortable, safe, and at ease” (Weinstein, 1987). With this in mind, classroom areas should be well organized and aesthetically pleasing and appealing to students.

Classrooms need to have areas for students to engage in collaborative work, as well as areas for private, independent practice. “Physical surroundings impact learning. Rooms partitioned into small spaces lead to more talk and cooperation” (Morrow, 2002). Teachers can use low bookshelves, tables, and rugs to define areas within a classroom.

The classroom needs to be filled with print. Posters, bulletin boards, and words walls need to display words and concepts learned, and should be interactive and promote literacy development.

Dramatic Play Centers
“A number of studies have shown that integrating literacy artifacts into children’s play settings can encourage children’s print awareness” (Pullen, Justice, 2006). Centers such as a post office, restaurant, and housekeeping center can provide children with lots of literacy-enriched play materials.

The classroom post office will encourage the writing of letters and written correspondence. Materials included in this center will consist of pens, stamps, envelopes, mailboxes, and paper. Students will understand that printed materials provide information and realize that the printed words have a purpose. Just like in the post office center, the children learned that they can communicate by writing and that words have meaning. Sending letters to other students and adults will help children become writers, which will help them to become better readers.

A restaurant center will let students take on the roles they see outside of school. Students will become servers, cooks, and customers. Materials that will promote literacy in the restaurant center include order pads, menus, pens, recipes, cookbooks, receipts, and play money. Have recipe cards for students to make different meals such as soups and sandwiches. Not only does this provide children with hands-on learning of sequencing and following directions, it allows children to see positive results from reading.

A classroom housekeeping center should include items a child may see at home, such as recipes, cookbooks, newspapers, magazines, phonebooks, message pads, and grocery lists. Children should be encouraged to find items in the play area that they have on their lists. They can then sort their items, and read the products labels as they learn to organize the cupboards or play fridge.

Dramatic play centers should be changed often and engage students to learn and explore literacy naturally. “By involving students in an activity in which they explore literacy naturally, you know that you have their attention and their interest” (Gunning, 2005). Teachers need to use developmentally appropriate literacy instruction. The instruction used needs to acknowledge children’s development, their interests, and literacy knowledge.

Parental Support
Parents need to be supported in sharing and exploring literacy with their children. Parents can begin an endless learning chain by reading to their children. Children develop a love poems and stories and will want to try reading on their own. With practice, students will read for information and pleasure. Students need a strong foundation for a young child to become a lifelong reader. Parents need to spend time with their child reading to them and listening to their child’s questions. These moments are enjoyable and memorable. Parents can stimulate their child’s interest in reading and learning language. Parents know what their child (ren) is interested in and can incorporate the child’s interests into learning. Parents need to be aware of the reading programs the school uses that their child will be exposed to. With this knowledge, parents can extend the learning process and find where his/her child needs the most support and practice skills at home. Parents that can’t read well themselves are encouraged to tell oral stories or tales. Children love listening and spending time with mom and/or dad. Teachers can support their students' parents with tips on instructional strategies that will support the child’s learning at home. Teachers need to suggest to parents to label objects in the home. A print filled environment will help make the child conscious of print in everyday life. Teachers could also have special backpacks with activities and books for students to bring home and use with their parents. Parents may not have the resources they need to help instruct their child, so a backpack with activities would be ideal for every family. Teachers should suggest that parents read-aloud with their children to promote literacy.

Read-Aloud
Reading out loud to children helps them develop in oral language, cognitive skills, concepts of print, and phonemic awareness; all areas that are important to formal reading instruction. Students are exposed to higher leveled books and the teacher/parent models reading for enjoyment. Parents and teachers should enhance read-aloud by having the child point to objects in the pictures. Parents and teachers need to model that print is read from left to right. They can model this behavior by following the words with their fingers. Involving the child in turning the pages also teaches them that the pages turn from right to left. Talking about the stories read can help children build their vocabulary and link stories to their daily life. Parents should have their child predict and use their background knowledge of the subject to formulate those predictions. Talking about a story not only builds their vocabulary and understanding of the world, but it gives the child the ability to carry on a conversation which is important for reading development.

Read-aloud advocate, Jim Trelease (2001), testifies to the value of home and school read-aloud in his best-selling book, The Read-Aloud Handbook (5th ed.). “Every time we read-aloud to a child or class, we’re giving a commercial for the pleasures of reading.” Read-aloud help students comprehend literacy language, develop story structure, and build on comprehension and vocabulary. Parents and teachers should choose books that students can relate to and make personal connections.

Exposing children to literacy-rich environments and developmentally appropriate practices/instruction will provide students the opportunities and encouragement to become successful readers. Students need environments that provide them with opportunities to read, share, and display their writing. With support, parents can be engaged in sharing and exploring literacy with their child.

Influence of parents reading aloud to children later on attitudes towards recreational and academic reading.

Multiple Choice Questions
Choose the correct answer for each question.

1.)	Areas of a classroom can be sectioned off using a.	Toys b.	Students c.	Low bookshelves d.	Curtains

2.)	All of the following artifacts can be found in a restaurant dramatic play center to promote literacy except a.	Menus b.	rug c.	Order pads d.	Cookbooks

3.)	Optimal learning takes place in a setting in which children feel a.	Comfortable, safe, and at ease b.	Dirty, crowded, and comfortable c.	Safe, smelly, and at ease d.	Uncomfortable, unsafe, and at ease

4.)	All of the following are benefits of reading aloud to children except a.	comprehend literacy language b.	develop story structure c.	builds on comprehension skills and vocabulary d.	assessment

5.)	Talking about a story not only builds a child’s vocabulary and understanding of the world, but it gives the child the ability to carry on a.	a story b.	reading c.	a conversation d.	an investigation

Multiple Choice Answers

1.)	Areas of a classroom can be sectioned off using low bookshelves. ©

2.)	All of the following artifacts can be found in a restaurant dramatic play center to promote literacy except a rug. Although a rug can be found in some restaurants, it does not promote literacy. (B)

3.)	Optimal learning takes place in a setting in which children feel comfortable, safe, and at ease. (A)

4.)	All of the following are benefits of reading aloud to children except assessment. (D)

5.)	Talking about a story not only builds a child’s vocabulary and understanding of the world, but it gives the child the ability to carry on a conversation. (C)

Essay Question
Your principal asks you to set up a new dramatic play center to enhance a literacy-rich environment that also correlates to the standards of learning- community helpers (k.6). You decide to turn the center into a travel agency. Describe what this center will look like and the materials that will be available to enrich literacy.

The travel agency will have two desks for the agents and four seats for customers. Students will take on roles of tourist or agent. The wall of the center will be filled with posters displaying destinations all over the world. Featured destinations include Greece, China, Mali, Rome, Egypt, and Mexico. There will be a brochure holder containing brochures from all of the places featured on the wall. The agency will have artifacts from each featured destination for the students to manipulate. There will be a poster with trip packages available for sale. The student agents must decide prices for each trip and write it on the board. Students will also be responsible for naming their agency.

The agency will have a prop box for the students to look the part. There will be outfits suitable for tourists and agents. The center will include a computer, phone and reservation book. Along with pens, luggage tags and tickets that students can fill out according to the destination chosen. Magazines and travel books will be available for travels to glance through in order to decide where they would like to visit. The agency will have luggage and travel supplies for the travelers to buy. Once the traveler has decided where he/she wants to go, the agent will write out tickets and charge for their services.