Promoting Interactive

Literacy Between Young

Children and Their Parents,
Caregivers, Librarians, and
Teachers
Presented by:
Sandy Sinclair, Mary Hefner, and Blair
Perez

The purpose of this workshop

is to present interactive literacy
skills which will engage young
children and the adults who care
for them. Adults will develop
confidence in their skills to teach
and foster early literacy skills.

The information presented in this

workshop is intended to inform,
assist, and inspire:

Parents, Caregivers,
Teachers, Librarians,
as well as

anyone who would like to

become more knowledgeable
about promoting early literacy
skills in young children.

Overviewof Program Objectives:

Raise awareness of current research on the development of

early literacy skills for young children.

Facilitate interaction between preschool children and their

parents, caregivers and teachers in order to promote early
literacy skills.

Support parents as children's first teachers and increase

awareness of the important impact of family involvement.

Create interactions with books that will increase children's

motivation to learn to read

Make read-alouds and story hours more interactive and

effective in developing pre-reading and reading skills.

Explore other opportunities to foster early literacy skills

through activities.

Develop resource materials fromsources shared during this

workshop

What is Interactive
Literacy?

Adult and child

Relying on the give and take of conversation
with each other and on a shared context to
obtain clues for understanding the message
and the meaning of any new words and
cognitive skills.
Interspersing conversation with the reading
of a book, not just reading straight through
the book.
Lea M. McGee and Donald J. Richgels. Designing Early Literacy Programs:
Strategies for At-Risk Preschool and Kindergarten Children. The
Guilford Press. N.Y. 2003. p.84

What is Early Literacy?

Every thing a child
knows
about reading and writing
before
being able to read or write.

In 2002, the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP)

was assembled conduct scientific research on the
development of early literacy skills in children
from birth to age five.

Their objective was to identify practices that

would benefit the development of early literacy
skills.

The panels extensive report entitled Developing

Early Literacy was released in 2009 Excerpted from National
Early Literacy Panel. (2009). Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel
, Executive Summary. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy

This report provides research-based information

useful to anyone concerned with fostering
emerging literacy skills in young children.

One of the questions the NELP

considered was:
What are the skills and abilities of
young children (age birth through five
years or kindergarten) that predict
later reading, writing, or spelling
outcomes?
NELP research showed that six variables
consistently served as precursors to literacy
skills, even when other variables such as IQ
or socioeconomic status were taken into
account.

The six predictive skills found to

predict later literacy success:

Alphabet knowledge

Phonological awareness

Rapid automatic naming of letters or

numbers

Rapid automatic naming of objects or colors

Writing

Phonological Memory

What is the Significance of

the Six Predictive Skills?
Nationally, 38% of fourth Graders cannot read
at the basic level.
National Early Literacy Panel. (2009).
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, Executive
Summary. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy

The percentage of children who are

considered poor readers in first grade and
remain poor readers in fourth grade can
often be as high as 88%.
Jalongo, Mary Renck. Early Childhood Language Arts. 4th ed.,. Boston: Pearson, 2007.
p.156. Print.

There are an additional five early

literacy skills moderately predictive
with later literacy achievement:

Concepts about print

Print knowledge
Reading readiness
Oral language
Visual processing

These five skills are usually

more predictive of literacy
achievement
at the end of Kindergarten
or beginning of 1st grade
than of later literacy growth.

Another questions the NELP

considered was:
Which programs, interventions,
and other instructional
approaches or procedures have
contributed to or inhibited gains
in children's skills and abilities
that are linked to later outcomes
in reading, writing, or spelling?

Approaches which improved oral

language skills:
1. Code-focused interventions
2. Shared reading that encouraged readerchild interactions.
3. Language enhancement instruction
4. Preschool and Kindergarten programs
5. Parent and home instruction focused on
stimulating cognitive and linguistic
development

Code-oriented interventions
Improved childrens knowledge of
phonology and print conventions
Shared-book interventions
Enhanced childrens language
development

The NELP research clearly

suggests:

There are many ways that parents,

caregivers and teachers can influence
and benefit the emerging literacy of
young children.

Awareness of these six predictive and

five early literacy skills will foster
emerging literacy.

Different approaches may serve to focus

on different types of essential skills.

See you in 10 minutes

Normal Growth and Development

of Children
Early Talkers: Birth to Two-Year Olds
Talkers: Two- and Three-Year Olds
Pre-Readers: Four- and Five- Year Olds
Terms from Every Child Ready to Read@your library materials .

Matching normal growth

and development with early
literacy skills

Promoting Early Literacy

Behavior
Burns, M. S., Griffin, P., & Snow, C. E. 1999. Starting Out Right: A Guide to
Promoting Children's Reading Success. Committee on the Prevention of
Reading Difficulties in Young Children, National Academy Press: Washington,
DC. (Ordering information can be found at: http://www.nap.edu or 1-800-6246242)

Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children. 1998.

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. National Academy Press:
Washington, DC.

1. Be a model of literate behavior for

your children.
How can you show your child that you
use writing each day to help you?
Pre-talker
Talker
Pre-Reader

2. Discuss printed text, words and

sounds as objects that can be
thought about, manipulated,
altered, and explored
Pre-talker
Talker
Pre-Reader

3. Help children build and use

their ever-growing vocabulary.
Pre-talker
Talker
Pre-Reader

4. Provide children with the tools of

literate behavior
Pre-talker
Talker
Pre-Reader

The following slides are several

hands-on interactive activities to
promote early literacy skills

Finger Plays
Who: beginning with pre-talkers
Why: to develop language and memory through song and
rhyme
Materials: None
Directions:
Teach your child simple songs and actions to:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
The Eensy Weensy Spider
ABC song
Im a Little Teapot
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Being able to say or sing simple nursery songs improves
future reading skills

Blowing Bubbles
Who: beginning with Talkers
Why: strengthening facial muscles
Materials: bubbles and wand
Directions: Dip wand into homemade or
store-bought bubbles and have your child
blow gently into the wand. Experiment
with different types of wands: pipecleaners
in various shapes, sieve, cheesecloth, etc.
Using facial muscles helps develop the
muscles used in forming words properly

Play Dough
Who: Talkers and older
Why: Strengthen hand and finger muscles
Materials: Play dough-homemade (recipe to
follow) or store bought
Directions: allow your child to poke, pull,
and knead at the play dough. Encourage
Pre-k children to make letters with dough.
Developing fine motor skills and
coordination will help your child with
writing skills

Play Dough Recipe

1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
cup salt
1 Tablespoon cooking oil or baby oil (smells nicer)
Combine ingredients, transfer to frying pan on
medium heat. Mix until formed into a ball.
Using a spatula, place onto a heat resistant
surface. Knead to dough-like consistency. When
cooled, create letters and forms with your child.
Will keep in air-tight container for at least a month.

Color
Search
Who: Talkers and older
Why: to identify colors
Materials: cards or objects that have specific colors
Directions:
Hold up an object that shows one color. Ask your child what
else
he/she sees that is the same color as the one you are holding.
Allow time for the child to search the area.
Suggestion:
Let the child carry the object around the room to look for a
match. Tell your child the name of the color of the object and
encourage your child to say the name of the color.
Being able to differentiate colors is an early step toward the
future when he/she will recognize differing shapes and letters.

Grab It Name It
Who: Talkers and older
Why: Vocabulary development
Materials: a small bag, items that your child can name, such
as a doll, pencil, toothbrush, key, ball, spoon, etc.
Directions: Model for the child how to take an item from the
bag and then name it using a complete sentence- I have
a toothbrush. Now it is your childs turn. Encourage your
child to use a complete sentence.
Children with good early literacy skills tend to have larger
vocabularies. Studies show this is one of the best
indicators of future reading success in elementary school.
Consider adding: Trace the objects onto a piece of paper.
Have your child match objects pulled from the bag. This
is enhance your childs ability to match shapes a preliteracy skill of understanding the shapes of the 26
letters of the alphabet.

Milk Bottle Tops

Who: Talkers and older
Why: help your child learn about letters in his/her
name
Materials: bottle tops, markers
Directions:
Count out bottle tops to equal the number of letters
in your childs name. Put one letter on each bottle
top. Begin by having the bottle tops in order and
state the names of each letter as you put them in
order. Take away a letter and tell your child the
name of the letter. Have him/her put it back and
say the letter. As the child becomes more familiar
with the letter names. Scramble the letters and
have your child put them in correct order.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Who: All ages
Why: Develop fine and gross motor skills learn to
discriminate loud/soft and big/small develop listening
skills to hear rhyming words
Materials:
Consider reading the picture book before playing this game,
especially if this is not a familiar rhyme.
Directions:
Begin the itsy, bitsy spider in a normal voice and using the
normal hand gestures. Then ask your child what would
the rhyme sound like if the spider was a very tiny spider,
a baby spider. Whisper the itsy, bitsy spider and make
your fingers form a pincher motion, mimicking the larger
hand motions done previously. Then ask your child what
a giant spider would sound like. Shout the verse and
stomp using exaggerated hand motions. For older
preschoolers, make up your own versesask your child,
What else can the spider climb?

Simon Says
Who: Talkers and older
Why: develop listening skills and following directions and learn
body parts
Materials: none
Directions: Begin your directions by saying, Simon Says. You
choose an action and a body part as follows, Simon says, touch
your nose. For younger children, make the commands simple.
As the child gets older, you can add left or right as well as other
directional prompts and more difficult body parts (ankle, elbow,
earlobe, etc.). Your child is to follow your commands as long as
you have prefaced your command with Simon Says. If you say,
Touch your nose, but leave out Simon Says, then your child
should not follow your directions. For children under 5, this
game is played without having children sit out until there is a
winner. Take turns, have your child be Simon, and see if he/she
can stump you.
Children with good listening skills are usually more ready for
Kindergarten than children with poor listening skills.

The Whispering Game

Who: Talkers and older
Why: improve listening skills/memory
Materials: none
Directions:
Whisper fun directions for your child to follow. These
can be the same as ones used in Simon Says or
more active ones. Help your child to listen by putting
your finger to your lips. Have your child stand facing
you while you whisper the directions. Begin with
one direction, such as Pat your tummy. As your
child becomes more skilled at listening increase the
number of steps in the directions, Pat your tummy,
jump three times, and touch your nose. Keep steps
to about three for better success for your child.

Interactive Reading
Activities
Reading Age-Appropriate Books
Incorporating Interactive Activities
that Broaden the Literacy Experience
for the Child.

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Early Talkers
I Love You like Crazy Cakes
by Rose Lewis
All About Me
Theme: Family

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Early Talkers (continued)
I Love You like Crazy Cakes
Activity

This book can be read and enjoyed

by older children and adopted
children but it is a great story to
share with your baby as a new
mother!

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Early Talkers (continued)
After sharing the book, write a
journal story about your own
experiences with your new baby.
Include your feelings about seeing
your baby for the first time, relatives
that have visited your baby,
preparing your childs room or
furnishings, and favorite times with
him/her that you have shared.

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Early Talkers (another example)
You Are Special, Little One
by Nancy Tafuri Seasons---Theme Spring

Activity
Babies are curious about the world they live in! Share new
experiences with your child. Remember to talk, talk, talk to
your baby about everything.
Some fun activities to do in the good weather outdoors may
be:
Blow bubbles with your baby.
Fly a kite. Babies, children, and adults all like this activity!
Feed the ducks at a park.
Go to a Festival and listen to music.
Put out a bird feeder and enjoy the birds.
Do at least one of these activities with your baby and write
about it.

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Talkers
David Gets in Trouble
by David Shannon
All About Me
Theme- Family

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Talkers (continued)
David Gets in Trouble
Activity

David acts bad sometimes, but he is not

bad! Do not ever call your child bad.
He/she may do something that you
consider bad but you call what he did bad
not him! During the toddler years,
children will test you. The best thing to do
at this age is to distract them or change
their environment. Hitting your child only
teaches him to hit.

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Talkers (continued)
David Gets in Trouble
This book will help you talk about discipline with your
toddler and relate negative behaviors with David, the
character in the book.
What happens when your child misbehaves? Compare
Davids actions to your childs.
Where does he go for time-out?
Can he say he is sorry?
Discuss how it feels to be David/ and his mom!
Role-play this book with your child.
Have your child point to different things that you ask
for in the book. Repeat his words in a sentence.
Talk about if David is a girl or boy. Ask him questions
about what he is and you are, etc./ girl or boy?

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Talkers (another example)
You Are Special, Little One

by Nancy Tafuri Seasons---Theme Spring

Activity
Babies are curious about the world they live in! Share new
experiences with your child. Remember to talk, talk, talk to
your baby about everything.
Some fun activities to do in the good weather outdoors may be:
Blow bubbles with your baby.
Fly a kite. Babies, children, and adults all like this activity!
Feed the ducks at a park.
Go to a Festival and listen to music.
Put out a bird feeder and enjoy the birds.
Do at least one of these activities with your baby and write
about it.

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Pre-Readers
The Wednesday Surprise
by Eve Bunting All About Me

Tell Me a Story, MaMa

by Angela Johnson

Theme: Family

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Pre-Readers

Activity
Visit an older person like a grandmother and
share a book with them.
Have the senior citizen tell a favorite story to
your child.
Discuss with your child the problems Annas
grandmother faced because she couldnt read.
How does she make a shopping list?
What kind of job could she have?
How does she know which bus to get on?
Talk to your child about an older person that
was important to you when growing up.

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Pre-Readers (another example)
Leaf Season
by Quinlan B. Lee Seasons

Best Times Ever a Book about

Seasons and Holidays
by Richard Scarry

Theme: Autumn

Interactive Literacy Activities

for Pre-Readers

Activity
To be able to talk, your child must be able to hear well and
listen. Listening exercises can be fun for him!
Have your child listen for:
Birds and insects
Cars, airplanes, and trains
Animals
Leaves rustling in the wind
Water
Talk about how these things sound. Write about what you and
your child heard.
Fall is also a good time to share new foods with your child.
Bring him to a farm/fruit stand and pick out apples, or foods
that you both would like to try. In the grocery store, point out
different foods to you toddler. Write down new foods that
interested your child.

Individual Learning Activities

Interactive Projects
Phonological awareness is the understanding
that oral language can be broken up into
individual words, words into syllables, and
syllables into individual sounds, or phonemes
(Bradley & Bryant, 1983; Snow, Burns, &
Griffin,1998).
With adequate preschool instruction and
exposure to literate environments, however,
ELLs can readily learn phonemic awareness
skills (Barnett et al., 2007). ELLs with strong
phonological awareness skills in English
demonstrate a higher potential for reading
achievement in later years (e.g., Genesee, et
al., 2005; Klingner, et al., 2004).

ILA- Interactive Projects

(continued)
Because of these findings and the teacher
observing a lack of nursery rhyme awareness, ILA
activities were built around this concept. As a
group during ILA, the children and moms gather
around a large poster book and say together three
simple nursery rhymes.
The children have been exposed to them at circle
time, during transitions, and in many book sharing
times. The moms have been exposed to them at
parenting class and have copies in their newsletters
and in a mom-made Nursery Rhyme book. The
ones that the staff and parents chose were
Humpty Dumpty, Jack Be Nimble, Row, Row,
Row Your Boat, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Interactive Literacy Project

Humpty Dumpty
The parents have been told that there are different
projects around the class for the children to pick if
they are interested or able to do because of their
age.
ILA
Humpty, Dumpty will involve making a paper cup
puppet to use to dramatize the rhyme as the child
and mom say it together. The child can make the
oval shape with face features and arms and legs
while mom talks about body parts and details. If
cutting is an appropriate skill then the child can cut
Humpty out. After attaching a straw to the egg,
then the child can draw lines on a red piece of
construction paper to make it look like a wall. Have
mom tape the wall to the cup and enjoy making
Humpty go up and down in the cup as the family
recites the rhyme.

Interactive Literacy Project

Jack Be Nimble
Jack Be Nimble will have been started
the day before by the children painting
empty toilet paper rolls their favorite
color so they could dry.
The flames can be cut from yellow
construction paper and attached to the
candlesticks.

Moms and children will say the nursery

rhyme and jump over the homemade
candlesticks as they change the name of
Jack to their own!

Interactive Literacy Project

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star will
consist of decorating a cardboard star
shape
(glitter for older children, stickers and
dippy dots for younger)

Then rolling up construction paper

into a wand to wave.
Moms and children can practice singing
or saying the rhyme.

Interactive Literacy Project

Nursery Rhyme Contest
Nursery Rhyme Contest
Mothers learn nursery rhymes for a contest to be
held by the teacher
The students are also learning the nursery rhymes

The mother who knows the most nursery rhymes

wins the contest
Parent and child recite the rhymes together during a
Parent and Child Activity

As a follow-up, parents are instructed to have the

child pick out a nursery rhyme book and they
practice reading the book to their child using the
instructions given in a prior ILA, i.e., the handout
from the Family Literacy Foundation called Read
Aloud Techniques

Bon apptit!
See you in one hour

Adults Role in Interactive

Read-Alouds has 5 purposes:
1.

To prompt childrens active involvement in

constructing a books meaning;
2. To clarify and extend childrens understanding
about the meaning of the book;
3. To expand and extend the language of childrens
responses;
4. To explain the meanings of some vocabulary
included in the book; and
5. To prompt children to use new vocabulary in
their responses.
Lea M. McGee and Donald J. Richgels. Designing Early Literacy Programs: Strategies for
At-Risk Preschool and Kindergarten Children. The Guilford Press. N.Y. 2003. p.85

Interactive Read-Alouds:
Getting Children Engaged in Listening
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pick a book
Preview the book
Introduce the book
Read the book interactively
Involve students in after-reading
activities

Gail E. Tompkins. Language Arts Essentials. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper

Saddle River, N.J. 2006. p. 49

Interactive Read-Alouds:
Getting Children Engaged in
Listening
Researchers who have studied
reading aloud, have concluded that
students are better listeners when
they are involved while the teacher
is reading, not afterward.
Gail E. Tompkins. Language Arts Essentials. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper
Saddle River, N.J. 2006. p. 49

Interactive Read-Alouds:
Getting Children Engaged in
Listening
More effective to pause reading:
1.At points where child can make
predictions and suggest connections;
2.After reading episodes that child
might find confusing; and
3.Just before it becomes clear how the
story will end.
Gail E. Tompkins. Language Arts Essentials. Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, N.J. 2006. p. 49

Interactive Guided Reading

for Readers overall mental picture of the text being
read

Teacher carefully guides, directs, or coaches

students through the silent reading of a
meaningful chunk of text by asking them a
question, giving prompts or helping them
formulate a question that they then try to answer
as they read the designated section of text.
When students need a great deal of support in
constructing meaning from the text because of the
complexity of the text or their limited abilities.
Teacher can adjust the support or scaffolding
according to the students needs.
J. David Cooper. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 6th Ed. Houghton
Mifflin Co. Boston. 2006. pp. 35

Interactive Guided Reading

for Readers overall mental picture of the text being read
Effective questions or prompts meet the following criteria:
Questions or prompts given before reading should lead
students to the important ideas in the text in expository
text on the main idea in narrative text on the setting,
major characters, story problem, action, resolution, and
overall theme.
Questions or prompts used during discussion between the
reading of sections should pull together ideas brought out
in reading and should help build relationships among ideas.
Questions and prompts should follow the order of the text.
J. David Cooper. Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning. 6th Ed.
Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston. 2006. pp. 37

Interactive Writing
The process in which the teacher
takes down a childs dictation,
verbally stretching each word so
that the child can distinguish
sounds and letters. Also known
as shared writing.
Susan B. Newman, Carol Cripple, and Sue Bredekamp. Learning to Read and Write:
Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. NAEYC. Washington, DC
2000. pp. 131

Dialogic Reading
http://www.walearning.com/language/#previe
w-videos
Washington
Learning
Systems, LLC.

Dialogic reading is a bridge

between a child and new words
Make a comment and wait
-make a comment about what your child is looking
at
-count silently to 5 to give your child time to
respond.
Ask question and wait
-questions can elicit a single word answer or
sentences
Respond by adding a little more
-ask questions that encourage longer answers
C comment
A Ask
R - Respond

Dialogic Reading Tips

for English Language Learners
Heritage language is a treasure we
give our children
Use the dialogic reading technique
with the language with which you are
most comfortable

Dialogic Reading Practice

Look through the books on the table
and choose one book with lots of fun
pictures that interest you.
Buddy up with one partner
Share this book with your partner
using the three tips for dialogic
reading:
Comment, Ask, and Respond
Change roles with your partner

Literacy at the Grocery

Store

Many of your everyday activities can be

literacy-learning occasions for your child.

Some suggestions:
Make a grocery list give your
child his or her own paper to write
on
Clip coupons keep old food
labels for comparison
Read labels have your younger
child look for special letters
Read a recipe make a rebus of
ingredients for younger children
V. Susan Bennett-Armistead, Nell K. Duke,& Annie M. Moses. Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best
Practices for Educators of Children form Birth to 5. Scholastic Teaching Resources. NY. 2005. p. 221

Interactive Strategies
for children with disabilities
Notice and interpret your childs
behavior as attempts to initiate
interactions
Respond promptly and positively to your
childs behavior
Match the positive intensity of your
childs behavior
Respond to your childs behavior with
comments, praise and/or adaptations
that help your child continue the activity
Retrieved on 3/18/2010 from

http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/presentations.php

Interactive Strategies
for children with disabilities
Elaborate your childs attempts at
interaction or participation in the
activity
Add new materials and encourage your
child to do something different
Provide physical assistance only when
needed
Encourage your childs
developmentally appropriate use of
behaviors
Retrieved on 3/18/2010 from
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/presentations.php

Early Literacy Outcomes

Answering the following questions
will help you know whether your
child is growing in the area of
early literacy learning:

Early Literacy Outcome

Questions
Is your child actively participating in the
literacy activity?
Does your child appear to enjoy the literacy
activity?
Is your child working hard at trying to do
the literacy activity?
Does your child request the literacy activity
at other times?
Does your child try to do something new as
part of the literacy activity?

The Center for Early Literacy

Learning website
Excellent resource for hundreds of
interactive ideas for children
with and without disabilities
http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpractices
_rev/CELLprac_Baby_1st_ABC_Bk.pdf

Do computers provide a tool for early

childhood learning?
Studies have shown that Computer Assisted
Instruction has been successful in:
Teaching children the difference between left and right
Promoting phonological awareness of letter sounds
Acquiring early spelling, pre- reading and writing skills
Teaching basic understanding of geometrical concepts
Vernadakis, Nicholas, Andreas Averginos, Efi Tsitakari, and Evridiki Zachopoulopu. "The Use of Computer
Assisted Instruction in Preschool Education: Making Teaching Meaningful." Early Childhood Education
Journal. 33.2 (2005): 99-104. Print.

The appropriate software is key.

Important things to consider:
Is the software program developmentally appropriate
and does it help to create a new opportunity for
learning?
Are the graphics, animation, and music helpful or
distracting?
Is the software free from stereotypes of differing
abilities, gender, and culture?
Are there any underlying negative messages? For
example, if a drawing program has the option of
erasing work by blowing it up, does this imply to
young children that it is better to destroy a problem
rather than find a way to resolve it?
Teachers need to select software using the same
careful and professional judgment as they do when
selecting other instructional materials

It is also important to note that

computer learning does not have
to be a solitary task.
Research has shown a significantly higher
achievement level for preschool students who
interacted with adults while using the
computer.
Vernadakis, Nicholas, Andreas Averginos, Efi Tsitakari, and Evridiki Zachopoulopu. "The Use of Computer
Assisted Instruction in Preschool Education: Making Teaching Meaningful." Early Childhood Education
Journal. 33.2 (2005): 99-104. Print.

It is also recommended that two children work

together. Some quality early childhood
software programs are specifically designed to
elicit, encourage, and extend young
childrens communication and collaboration.
Tsantis, Linda, Cynthia Bewick, and Suzanne Thouvenelle. "Examining Some Common Myths About Computer Ues in the Early
Years." Beyond the Journal, Young Children on the Web (2003): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar 2010.
<http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200311/CommonTechnoMyths.pdf>.

Research Indicates:
Kindergarten students quickly become comfortable
when using the computer and show an eagerness to
learn when at a computer.
Kindergarten students also show an eagerness to help
each other and an increase in self esteem when
exposed to learning through computer-based activities.
Kindergarten students involved in daily, structured
computer activities have a more significant increase in
concept age than those students in a more traditional
setting
(This research was based on an average computer usage of 30
minutes per day by children individually or with a partner)
Grubbs, Patricia W. A Comparison of Concept Age Gains of Kindergarten Children in Traditional and Twenty-first
Century Classrooms. Diss. Johnson Bible College, 2000. Knoxville: Accessed 3/26/10.
htp://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?
ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_nfpb=true&searchtype=keyword&_nfls=false&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&a
ccno=ED443523&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED443523

Computer interactions will never produce

the same kind of learning as interactive
reading, stacking blocks, finger painting,
or pouring sand from one bucket into
another. Still
Research has shown that there were noticeable positive
differences in second graders who were appropriately
exposed to computers during preschool. Children with
early exposure exhibited increased comfort and
facility in using computers and a greater understanding
of how to use computers in a more purposeful way in
their learning.
Considering the ever increasing use of technology in
elementary education this is important information to
take note of when creating an early learning
environment.
Tsantis,
Linda, Cynthia Bewick, and Suzanne Thouvenelle. "Examining
Some Common Myths About Computer Ues in the Early Years." Beyond
the Journal, Young Children on the Web (2003): n. pag. Web. 24 Mar

Computer assisted instruction provides

another way for parents, teachers and
classmates to interact. Integrating
appropriate use of computers may
facilitate early learning and provide a way
to:
Make learning more accessible to children who absorb
information better visually and through sound.
Allow children to learn at their own pace, achieving one
level of knowledge before moving on to the next.
Allow teachers another effective way to monitor learning
and guide instruction.
Provide another way to develop motor skills through the
use of the keyboard and mouse.
Provide an alternative method to exploring important
concepts
of literacy in preparation for elementary school.

Childrens unique interests,

ways of knowing, and
dispositions influence how and
to what extent they participate
in early literacy events, and in
turn, the knowledge they
construct
Gretchen Owocki, author and
educator

Discussion Questions
choose one
A parent in your class/library story time
tells you that her three-year old hates to
read books at home. Based on the
information in this presentation what
suggestions would you make.
Your preschool received a donation of $1500
for interactive materials. How will you
suggest it be spent?
Practice reading a story based on the
dialogic reading technique and report your
findings.

Thank you for attending

our workshop
Please look through our
extensive list of resources for
additional ideas

There are five handouts with our

presentation:
Handout 1-Children with Disabilities
Handout 2-Dialogic Reading Workshop
Handout 3-Annotated ILA-related Websites
Handout 4-Sample from website of
Preschool Ideas
Handout 5-Planning and Preparation for an
ILA Workshop

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