No Tables or Chairs

So much learning space
Freedom to move as we please
Time for exploring

Sounding Out

When a child is reading and comes to an unknown word, the natural instinct of many people (myself included) is to tell the child to "sound it out." Thinking about the English language, this can actually be very difficult. There are so many words that are not spelled the way that they are pronounced (i.e. knowledge). There are words that are spelled differently with different meanings but are pronounced the same (i.e. deer and dear). There are words that are spelled the same way but pronounced differently (i.e. read). With all of the weird things going on in the English language, telling children to sound out a word just doesn't cut it. They are extremely likely to mispronounce words, use the wrong form, or replace it with another word.

As I was administering a word check with a first grade student, I noticed that when I pointed to a word he was unfamiliar with, he instantly began to sound it out. I assume this is how he has been told to figure out words from previous experiences. While sounding out can work for a lot of words, children need to be aware of other strategies that they can use to figure out unknown words.

As a future teacher, I have gained some knowledge about strategies that can be used when reading with children. If an adult encourages these strategies, children are likely to start using them on their own when they are reading independently. When reading with a child and they replace a word with another word, it is important to ask the child questions like "Did that look right?" or "Did that make sense?" These questions encourage the child to focus on the word and its context. If the child skips the word because they do not know it, you can guide the child by telling them to look at the picture, continue reading the sentence then going back, or look at the word parts. Using the picture can give the child hints about what is going on in the story so that they could make some guesses about the word. From those guesses, they could look at the word to see which word makes sense and looks right. This is also useful if you have the child read the rest of the sentence. The child can then make their guesses and fill in the blank. These are just a few strategies that can be used but they are all extremely beneficial when reading with a child.

Strengths Vs. "Weaknesses"

Literacy is such a huge part of child development that it effects so many other aspects of a young child's life. It is important for us as teachers to focus on what a child can do rather than what a child can't do. We do not want to discourage our students. We want to encourage them to expand their knowledge so that they keep advancing their skills. 

Marie Clay wrote an article, About Running Records. Running Records are assessments of text reading. By conducting this assessment, teachers are able to learn a lot about their students. Clay tells us that "the record provides evidence of the kinds of things that this can do..." (pg. 3). This statement alone tells us that we should be focusing on what a child can do. It does not say to focus on what they cannot do and to try to fix their "mistakes." After all, these children are still learning and developing their literacy. Marie Clay also says that a "running record is not just about right or wrong words..." (pg. 7). This also tells us that conducting these assessments is not to inform us about what the child is doing "wrong." They are to be used to help us develop a plan to further a child's literacy.

Literacy in My Community

In my community, literacy is present everywhere. I can see it on street signs and business signs as I am driving around town. I can see it on menus when I am dining out with my friends. I can see it on price tags when I am shopping at the mall. I can see it on flyers as I walk through campus. No matter where I am, literacy is always there.

I should care about the literacy in my community for many reasons. I need the literacy in my community to give me directions or to provide me with some kind of information. It tells me where I am and helps guide me to where I need to go. It tells me the ingredients in a dish at a restaurant and the price of an item at a store. The literacy around my community is also important for the children in my community. They are constantly exposed to the world around them and the literacy that is present in it helps with their literacy development.

Language Learners

From my experience in class last week, I was able to learn a lot as a future teacher. When Stacy started speaking in Spanish, I was instantly confused about what was going on. I took Spanish for five years in middle and high school but I was never fluent. I was able to decipher some of what was being said but for the most part, I was clueless. Being given instructions on a piece of paper in Spanish was a little easier than being spoken to but it was still difficult.

After the activity, we were able to share our thoughts and feelings. I was completely lost and felt extremely out of place during this time. I had no idea what was being said to me so I zoned out and did not even try to engage with the story. I felt a little uncomfortable in a place where I used to feel comfortable.

This activity gave me insight to what it would be like to be a child in a classroom who does not know English. I am sure that they would have similar feelings if I stood there teaching and he/she was not able to understand a majority of what I was saying. This teaches me that I need to know my students and be aware of what they know. I will need to consider the possibility that not everyone in my class will be English speakers and to adjust my teaching to accommodate that.

Literacy in Early Childhood Education

To me, literacy is the most important part of education. Without it, you would not be able to do much of anything. Literacy is the way we talk, read, and write. It is an essential to our education as a whole. This makes teaching literacy in early childhood that much more important.

When creating my literacy timeline, it made me realize how much of an impact that literacy had on my education as a young student. Without the experiences and the support that I had, I would have never developed literacy the way that I did. From my own experiences, I am able to become a positive role model for my futures students as I help them with their literacy development.

Reading the books Children's Language: Connecting Reading, Writing, and Talking by Judith Lindfors and Catching Readers Before They Fall by Pat Johnson and Katie Keier gives me great insight to what I need to do as a teacher to aid my students in literacy development. So far, I have learned that literacy needs to be authentic and meaningful in order for children to be engaged. I also know that there is a process that guides the development of literacy. I am looking forward to learning more from these authors to become a literacy expert as an early childhood teacher.

#Kinderchat

Kinderchat is a website that has five goals:

1. To facilitate discussions among Educators, Parents, Policy Makers and the Public about Best Practices in Early Childhood Education.

2. To create a collaborative space where Teachers, Administrators, Parents and Organizations can share both their knowledge and the challenges of the learning and teaching of Young Children.

3. To highlight, learn from and discuss different philosophies of teaching and learning with Young Children.

4. To promote real world and real life experiences of working daily with young children, always preserving the dignity and importance of the unique experiences of the Young Child and the critical nature of Educating within Developmentally Appropriate Practices.

5. To create a greater sense of community among those working with Young Children.

To sum this up, it is a website that brings together a variety of adults to participate in online discussions about the education of young children.

On November 11, 2013, there was a discussion about outdoor play and the risks that come with it. Many people made comments about how children are at risk just as much indoors as they are outdoors. Children can get hurt anywhere. It is a part of life. A lot of people shared projects that a class of young students could participate in when outdoors. Most of them were gardens or similar to this. One comment that really stood out to me was a man who said "There are more germs on the bathroom door at the mall than in a pond or garden." I could not agree more with this. Children need to get messy to gain knowledge about the outdoors. In relation to this, a woman shared something that one of her kindergarten students would say. "It's not a good day in K if you don't go home messy!" This is extremely true as well. We all need to get our hands a little dirty sometimes and it can actually be a good time. Learning can be fun and it is our job as teachers to make sure that children can have the experience of the outdoors just as much as the indoors.