WELCOME!
AGENDA for Tonight’s Session
LANGUAGE & EARLY LITERACY
 Vocabulary ‘facts’ and strategies
 Activities
DINNER (Museum highlights)
PLAY Topics
 Article review & discussion
 Finish up “From Play to Practice”
 Raffle: books and giveaways!
Building
Language &
VOCABULARY
Guidance from the Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction:
• deliver content-rich curriculum with challenging but
achievable goals in ways that honor and respect the unique
learning needs of young children
• Use a play-based curriculum to develop self regulation,
language, cognition, and social competence
• Core or universal curriculum should include support for all
developmental domains and content areas as described in
WMELS
The Wisconsin Model for Response to Intervention: Applications in Early Childhood
Settings. WI Dept. of Public instruction, June 2012
http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/curriculum-assessment-rtl-for-preschool.php
Research says kids need …
• Self regulation
• Focused attention
• Persistence at tasks
• To follow directions
• To play cooperatively
• Positive attitudes toward self, peers, adults
…
to be successful learners
More specialized
individualization,
intensity and
frequency
of instruction
TIER 3
Highly Individualized
outcomes and
teaching/caregiving
strategies
TIER 2
Less specialized
individualization,
intensity and
frequency of
instruction
Targeted outcomes
and teaching/caregiving
strategies
TIER 1
Core or universal outcomes
and teaching/caregiving strategies
Gather data from multiple sources across time
to make data-driven decisions
Deliver high-quality teaching/caregiving using
evidence-based and culturally-responsive practices
Implement through a collaborative team-planning/
problem-solving approach that includes families
Reprinted with permission from
“Frameworks for Response to Intervention in
Early Childhood: Description and
Implications” from the Division for Early
Childhood of the Council for Exceptional
Children (DEC), National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and
National Head Start Association (NHSA) with
modifications
Do you agree?
“…Early childhood programs can be
data-driven, standards-based,
evidence-based, AND
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPIATE!”
Goal of DAP:
Help each child reach challenging
but achievable goals
Not so high that
they are frustrating
Not so low that
they are boring
*Source: Lynette K. Chandler, Northern Illinois University, 2011
What are Evidence-based Practices (EBP)?
A decision-making process that integrates:
• the best available research evidence
• with family wisdom and values
• and professional wisdom and values
Source: Buysse, V., Wesley, P.W., Snyder, P., & P.J. Winton. 2006. “Evidence-Based
Practice: What Does It Really Mean for the Early Childhood Field?” Young
Exceptional Children 9 (4): 2–11.
“intentional teaching”
• To act purposefully with a goal in mind
• “directed, designed interactions between children
and teachers in which teachers purposefully
challenge, scaffold, and extend children’s learning”
• Ability to explain what you are doing and why you
are doing it
Epstein, A. The Intentional Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children’s Learning, NAEYC,
Washington, DC., 2007 & 2013 (Rev. ed.)
“LENSES” for
Classroom Structures
Universal Design for Learning
(UDL)
… delivering services that are usable
by children with the widest possible
range of capabilities … services that
provide multiple means of
representation, multiple means of
action or expression, and multiple
means of engagement.
www.cast.org
Differentiated Instruction
… a form of instruction that seeks to
"maximize each student's growth by
recognizing that students have
different ways of learning, different
interests, and different ways of
responding to instruction. ”
Diane Ravitch
http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/
differentiated-instruction-resources.aspx
Based on learning standards and
current research, what are the
critical content areas of an early
literacy program?
Wisconsin Common Core
State Standards (CCSS) – English
Language Arts (ELA)
• What is expected of students
by the end of 5-year-old
kindergarten (5K) & beyond
• To identify the alignments &
connections between
WMELS – Literacy and the CCSS-ELA for 5K:
http://bit/ly/earlyliteracy
Research-based Early Literacy
Content Areas
• Oral Language
(WMELS A. Listening & Understanding & B. Speaking &
Communicating)
• Vocabulary
(WMELS A. Listening & Understanding & B. Speaking &
Communicating)
• Phonological Awareness
(WMELS C. Early Literacy)
• Alphabet Knowledge
(WMELS C. Early Literacy)
• Concepts about Print
(WMELS C. Early Literacy)
• Writing
(WMELS C. Early Literacy)
National Guidance
Children need 3 sets of interrelated skills
and knowledge taught and cultivated over
time to reach reading proficiency:
• language and communication skills
• content knowledge
• “mechanics” of reading
A Governor’s Guide to Early Literacy: Getting All Students Reading by Third Grade,
National Governors Association, Washington, DC., 2013
http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310NGAEarlyLiteracyRep
ortWeb.pdf
National Guidance
“Many state policies & practices emphasize mechanics of
reading (matching letters to sounds, sounding out whole
words, etc.) at the expense of other skills. However,
proficiency requires more:
• development of oral language skills,
• an expanding vocabulary,
• the ability to comprehend what is read, and
• a rich understanding of real-world concepts and subject
matter.”
A Governor’s Guide to Early Literacy: Getting All Students Reading by Third Grade, National
Governors Association, Washington, DC., 2013, Executive Summary, p. 3.
National Guidance
•“Research finds that, while children
typically develop all of these skills during
the first eight years of life, the mastery
of language & communication skills is
more likely to distinguish good readers
from poor readers in the long run.”
A Governor’s Guide to Early Literacy: Getting All Students Reading by Third Grade, National
Governors Association, Washington, DC., 2013, p. 12
http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310NGAEarlyLiteracyReportWeb.pdf
VOCABULARY
SUPPORT
Research suggests …
• quantity of words heard is critical
• Important to assess the amount of talking that
occurs in care and education settings for young
children
Hart & Risley, 2003
http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/6research_summaries/05_MeaningfulDi
fferences.pdf
Tools to assess your
classroom language
ENVIRONMENT …
• Classroom Assessment Scoring System
(CLASS)
• Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale –
Revised (ECERS-R)
• Early Language and Literacy Classroom
Observation Toolkit (ELLCO)
• PALS Checklist
• Teacher Language SA Tool
Vocabulary & the Achievement Gap
By age 3:
• youngsters from well-to-do families –
working vocabulary of 1,116 words
• children in working-class families - 749 words
• children of poverty - 525 words (Hart & Risley, 1995, 2003)
• Observations of 55 kindergartens classrooms:
found limited instruction in vocabulary in most
settings (Neuman & Wright, 2013)
Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children,
Brookes Publishing, Baltimore, MD., 1995, 2003
Susan B. Neuman, presentation based on book, All About Words: Increasing Vocabulary in the Common
Core Classroom, PreK – 2, Teachers College Press, New York, NY., 2013
Vocabulary & the Achievement Gap
‘Generally, children come into
school with vocabulary at one
point and leave with
vocabulary at the same point
… We’re not teaching very
many words, and we’re not
teaching in a way that
children will retain the words.”
(Neuman & Wright, 2013)
vocabulary
According to research, how many times does a
child need to hear a word before he remembers it ?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Less than 10 times
10-15 times
25-30 times
40-50 times
(Neuman & Wright, 2013)
Research suggests …
• Students exiting high school need 80,000 words in
their vocabulary!
• Children can learn 500 new words per year
• Word exposure, activities, read alouds, &
“teachable moments” - good strategies but not
enough to close the gap
• Must be intentional in vocabulary word selection
• And provide explicit instruction followed by
multiple opportunities to use the new words in a
variety of settings
Susan B. Neuman, presentation based on book, All About Words: Increasing Vocabulary in the Common Core Classroom,
PreK – 2, Teachers College Press, New York, NY., 2013
Evidence-based principles for
vocabulary instruction
Effective vocabulary instruction …
… is explicit
… requires careful selection of vocabulary targets
… is intentionally designed
… is delivered with repeated exposure and practice
… is linked to assessment
Spencer, E.J., Goldstein, H., & Kaminski, R. Teaching Vocabulary in Storybooks: Embedding Explicit
Vocabulary Instruction for Young Children, Young Exceptional Children, DEC, vol. 15, No. 1, March
2012
Decision-making model
Process for Selecting Vocabulary
Words to Teach:
• Review curriculum materials/activities
• Consider unit of study – thematic/
categorical/project-related words
• Books used in theme/project
Christ, T. & Wang, X.C. Supporting Preschooler’s Vocabulary Learning Using a
Decision-making Model to Select Appropriate Words and Methods, Young Children,
National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC., vol. 67,
no. 2, March 2012
Decision-making model
(Christ & Wang, 2012)
Step #1 Identify all words that are likely to be new
to the children
Step #2 Select words you will teach based on:
=> do the children need to know this word in
order to understand the story/topic?
=> will this word be useful in conversations?
=> does this word lend itself to use across
activities & contexts?
=> does this word relate to other words the
children are currently learning?
Decision-making model
(Christ & Wang, 2012)
Step #3 Decide on methods/strategies to
intentionally teach the words
• Model how to use contextual cues (illustrations,
etc.)
• Directly teach new words – “a cave is a hole in
the mountain”
• Ask comprehension questions
• Embed opportunities to use the new words in
context
Embedded vocabulary instruction
#1 – select words to teach
• Review story book
• Consider “Tiered” words
• Choose Tier 2 words for universal instruction,
based on frequency/ease of definition/
significance to story/illustrations
• May choose Tier 1 words for some children
(with delays/disabilities or learning English)
(Spencer, Goldstein, & Kaminski, 2012)
Embedded vocabulary instruction
#2 Design explicit instructional activities
• Generate list of new words
• Develop consistent language to use in instructional
process:
=>Say the word
=>Define the word / connect the new word to a word the
child already knows (i.e. - “Enormous – it means really big.
Say ‘enormous’ with me.”)
=>Have children repeat the word; respond to prompt,
“what does ____ mean?” Call attention to new words
=>Point to the picture in the book that illustrates the word
(if available)
• Embed use of word(s) in child’s daily experiences
• Share words with families
(Spencer, Goldstein, & Kaminski, 2012)
Embedded vocabulary instruction
#3 Plan assessment strategies
• Observations during story time
• Observations of child using vocabulary in context
• Brief, individual assessments – (“Tell me what
___ means.” or “Point to something ___.”)
• Key: assessment aligned to instruction
(Spencer, Goldstein, & Kaminski, 2012)
Providing
Effective
“Read Alouds”
An Evidence-based approach
Dialogic Reading
• A form of shared reading where the adult and child
switch roles so the child becomes the storyteller while
the adult assists as an active listener
• Requires multiple readings of the same book
• adult uses higher-level prompts to encourage the child to
go beyond naming objects/actions to higher level
thinking
• http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connectmodules/resources/videos/video-6-2
(Dr. Lonigan)
PEER – dialogic process
• PROMPT the child with a question about the
story (“What kind of animal is this story about?”;
see CROWD examples)
• EVALUATE & EXPAND on the child’s response to
your questions (“Yes, it is a dog. He is a very big,
red dog.”)
• REPEAT the question as a check for
comprehension or to see if the child has more to
add
CROWD questions/prompts
• C - Completion questions – child says a word or phrase
to complete the sentence
• R - Recall questions – tells the reader about the child’s
comprehension of the story
• O - Open-ended questions – cannot be answered with
one word or yes/no; requires more words
• W-Wh questions - who/what/where/when/why
• D - Distancing questions - guide the child to see
connections between the story and their own
experiences
PEER & CROWD together
PLAY= Experience
“Experience is the
teacher of all things.”
Julius Caesar
PLAY= Experience
Or as Mark Twain said,
“A man who carries a
cat by the tail
learns something
he can learn
in no other
way.”
The Role of PLAY
• “Play” as an evidence-based strategy; researchsupported
• Adult’s role in child’s play: “Sage on the Stage” or
“Guide on the Side” ?
• CHOICE/CENTER TIME – children are developing
social and self-regulatory skills while selecting
centers and engaging with people, activities, and
materials, linked to curriculum goals.
Adult-directed, rotating small group
instruction is not an effective
replacement for this type of learning.
Grouping
for Instruction
• Flexible small group ‘instruction’ within the core
curriculum (Example : Scaffolding in Block Center
during Choice Time)
• Targeted small groups based on data (Tier 2
during Choice Time)
• Peer Modeling/flexible small groups (Tier 1 or 2
strategy during Choice Time or any time)
Grouping for Instruction
No established definitive research base on
frequency, length, duration for tiered small group
instruction in early childhood RtI
• small groups for 20 minutes 2-3 times weekly (Curenton & Justice,
2013)
• small groups for 15-20 minutes daily (Buysee & Peisner-Feinberg, 2013)
• 5–10 minutes three times a week, in groups of 3 children
or less “ … using brief, reading-related, intensive, engaging,
and focused activities … games, movement, and song to
increase engagement and opportunities to respond.”
(Greenwood, et.al., 2011)
Grouping for read alouds
• Evidence mixed on group size
• Large groups of children - less opportunity to engage
but more models for language and vocabulary
• small groups of 2-3 children – more opportunity to
engage; less role models for literacy behaviors
• offer both formats depending
on you’re your purpose
Source: Shanahan, T. & Lonigan, C. Early Childhood Literacy: The National Early Literacy
Panel and Beyond. Brookes Publishing, Baltimore, MD, 2013
Embedded Learning Opportunities (ELOs)
Match the child’s learning objective(s) to “authentic”
everyday learning opportunities; practice important
skills in meaningful contexts
• Integral part of core curriculum
(often incidental)
• Used in conjunction with targeted
small-group instruction (intentional)
• RBI -Routines-based Interventions
(highly individualized)
Strategies – “Universal” and “Tiered”
• Universal curriculum & specialized curriculum
• Group size
• EBP at all tiers – dialogic reading example
• Scaffolding /Zone of Proximal Development
• “Gradual Release of Responsibility”
I do it. (model/demonstrate)
We do it. (scaffolding)
You do it! (independence)
Table Talk
• What are your strengths as an early
literacy teacher?
• What do you want to improve on?
• Share a new concept or specific strategy
that you will use.
• What questions do you still have about
teaching early literacy?
WI Educator
Effectiveness
System
RAFFLE TIME! Part I
Developmentally
Appropriate Play: Guiding
Young Children to a Higher
Level
Spotlight on Play
and Young
Children: NAEYC
Basics of
Developmentally
Appropriate
Practice: An
Introduction for
Teachers of
Kindergartners:
NAEYC
Playful Learning: Article Review
The Capulets
The Montagues
(Free Play; child-directed)
(Core Curriculum; direct instruction)
• Free play is at the core of
a preschool education
• Child-directed learning
• Playful context and
environment that
stimulates creative
discovery
• Social and attention skill
building
• Strong core curriculum
replete with numbers
and letters
• STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering,
and Math) focused
driven by teacher
instruction
• Replacing preschooler’s
play with more direct
time on academics
The Feud: Capulets vs. Montagues
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
Compromise Between the
Capulets and Montagues
Rich Curriculum Meets a Playful Pedagogy:
“The Literature is clear: Diverse
strategies that combine play and more
structured efforts are effective
accelerators of children’s readiness for
school and long-term development.
… let it be clear that play rather than
being eliminated, must be elevated to
a central position in this inquiry.”
But WHAT does is look like?
Discuss at your tables and come up with
three examples of what a rich curriculum
meeting a playful pedagogy looks like for
the age group you teach/support.
Why/How to Advocate for Play?
Taken in part from Chapter 10- From Play to Practice
WHY? It’s because:
• Children learn by doing,
and thus build powerful
self-knowledge through
play
• We understand it’s value
for building meaning in the
lives of children and adults
• Children are most highly
motivated to learn and
participate through play
• Play is a source of
optimism; it develops
emotional health and
positive self-image
• Through play individuals
are able to glimpse their
potential to become who
they can and must be.
HOW? Consider the following:
• Encourage and support hands-on
parent play education as an
effective strategy to inform and
educate parents about the critical
importance of play
• Connect and partner with local
businesses that provide an ongoing
supply of open-ended materials.
• Start a play advocacy group in your
community or school
• Support family play events and
parent education evenings to
explore things like ramps,
pathways, and boxes.
• Tell others what critical skills
children learn through play
Motivation in Self-Actualization
Play for Self-Actualization,
Acceptance, and Creativity
• Through hands-on, open-ended play,
individuals and even organizations are able to
glimpse their potential to become who they
can and must be.
• The self-active process through play,
generates a creative energy that compels
participants to apply experience and
understanding gained to life outside the play
space. Rejuvenated by this energy, individuals
experience hope and possibility!
Last ECN of the Year- May 15!
For UG Credit
Takers:
For GRAD Credit
Takers:
• Submit reflection
journal (about 1
page long), due
within one week of
EC Network; one
entry per session.
• Submit one for today
and last one is due
after the May 15
ECN- by May 22nd.
• Oral & visual
presentation describing
practical strategy for
using a play as an
evidenced based
strategy to help
children reach high
learning outcomes (i.e.,
WMELS/CCSS).
• 5-8 minutes in length
RAFFLE TIME! Part II
Developmentally
Appropriate Play: Guiding
Young Children to a Higher
Level
Spotlight on Play
and Young
Children: NAEYC
Basics of
Developmentally
Appropriate
Practice: An
Introduction for
Teachers of
Kindergartners:
NAEYC