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| Language Arts |
Have you Tried?. . . Display baby photos and present photos. Discuss changes. Make ‘A Book about Me'. Read to the class. Copy / trace own name. Make Name with pasta Choose a color. Look around the room you are in and pick a color. Ask your child to name everything they see that has that color. Describe that object. Pick an object and ask your child to describe it. In the beginning, you may need to ask leading questions, such as: What color is it? It is as big as a …… What is it used for? What do you see? Show your child a picture. While looking at the picture, describe what you see. Ask your child what they see. Now, hide the picture and ask your child what they remember seeing in the picture. Encourage them to use complete sentences. Visit different places. While at the zoo, park, museum, etc. try to encourage your child to tell you what they see. Describe what you see to your child. What’’s in the bag? Place odds and ends in a bag. The items can be anything (a lone sock, piece of yarn, cardboard roll from toilet paper, scrap of material, crayon, legos, etc.) Have your child reach into the bag and with their eyes closed choose an item. The child describes the item and tries to guess what it is. You may want to review the items in the bag before having your child choose an item. Another way to play this game is to have your child choose an item with their eyes closed and you describe the item for your child to guess. I am looking for…….. Before going for a walk, choose a color you will be looking for as you look around your neighborhood, shopping mall, or doing errands. Try to see how many things of that color you can find. Always use complete sentences. (I see a green car. or There goes a black cat.) Encourage your child to use complete sentences when they spot their color. c.2005 - 2007 |
| MAKING READING FUN
Be Selective Choose books with large, clear, bright, realistic, but sheerful illustrations (some very beautifully illustrated books are just too abstract, cluttered, dark, or sophisticated for young children to appreciate) and short, simple text. Through most children prefer rhyming books (even if the words don't mean much, the rhyming is appealing), now is a good time to start introducing some very simple stories in prose. Heavy board books, preferably with sturdy spiral bindings, are ideal for your toddler to read "alone"; keep the more delicate paper books for supervised reading sessions. Skip cloth books, which don't seem to bear enough resemblance to the real thing to satisfy most toddlers. Vinyl books are fine fior the bathtub (often a good time to get a little reading in), but be sure to dry them throughly after each dunking to prevent mildew from taking hold. Be Persistent Many young children do little but squirm the first few times they're read to, but persistence usually pays off. Establish a regular story time at least once a day (after a bath and before bed is best); if you have time in the morning, a cuddly reading time in your bed can be nice too. Even if it lasts just a few pages, and even if your child seems more interested in puttering with a new toy or climbing on and off the bed, storytime will ultimately become a cherished ritual - one that you'll both continue to treasure long after your child becomes capable of reading to him or herself. Never force your child to pay attention to the story while you're reading it. This will make listening seem more like a chore, less like a pleasure. Be Creative You know what interests your toddler better than a book's author does. So don't feel obliged to read the words precisely as written; taking literary license can gently enhance your child's listening pleasure. Abridge long passages, swap simpler words for those your child will understand, drop in commentary and explanationa as needed. If the text of a story seems to be leaving your child cold, concentrate on the illustrations ("Look at that big dog and that little dog" or " I wonder what's in the little girl's basket") Be Interactive Long before your child can read, he or she can participate in the reading process. First by pointing to various characters ("Where is the cat?") and objects in the illustrations ("Where's the cat's hat?"), later by filling in the blanks in sentences or rhymes in books you've read over and over. When you read a story for the first time, look for characters, objects, colours, and ideas your child isn't familiar with, and take the opportunity to introduce them; next time you read the book, encourage (but don't pressure) your child to point them out ("Where is the elephant?") or answer questions about them ("What does the cow say?") An older and more verbal child may even be able to answer such questions as, " What do you think is going to happen next?" or "Why do you think that boy is so sad?". Prompt participation, too, by reading touch-and-feel books, books with surprises hiding under little flaps, books that have dials to turn, and so on. (Since these books are usually very fragile, bring them out only when the child will be supervised) Be Expressive No one likes to listen to a monotone. But to a child who is just picking up the nuances of language, an expressive reading style makes listening not only more enjoyable, but also more comprehensible. So ham it up! Be Repetitious Children love to hear the same story over and over again; and though repetition may drive you to distraction, it's incredibly satisfying to young ears. Especailly if the text is in rhyme, you may be surprized to find after a while your child has memorized it. Be Brief Short books and short reading sessions sit best for young children who can't sit still. Go from page to page and ideas to idea quickly - to keep restlessness from setting in, and your audience from wandering off. And be ready to end story time after just a few minutes, if needed be. Be Cuddly Children who come to associate reading with the cozy comfort of being curled up on Mommy or Daddy's lap, almost always enjoy reading books later on. Be a Good Example Children of readers are much more likely to end up readers themselves. Try to set time aside each day for your reading - even if you manage just a page or two at a sitting. If you can't fit this into your schedule, or if you just don't like to read, make sure your child sees you reading at least occasionally. make reading material a fixture in your home; keep a book by your bedside, magazines on the coffeetable, newspapers with morning coffee. And minimize the amount of television that is watched by your child and by you. Studies have shown that famillies who watch less, read more. Become a Storyteller Since people began to communicate with each other, "Tell me a story" has been a request of both children and adults. Storytelling is one person telling others of something. The story can be of a real event or it can be made up. Storytelling is often a part of our everyday conversations. Creative Storytelling is one of the earliest forms of folkart. Storytelling probably first consisted of simple chants that praised the dawn, expressed the joy of being alive, and were used to ease the drudgery and boredom of laborious tasks. Later the storyteller became the community entertainer by combining their stories with poetry, music, and dance. The storyteller also evolved into the group historian. This was the beginning of professional storytelling. Creating a Literacy Environment for Future Storytellers Set a small space aside for reading. Create a comfortable space by adding large pillows, or a plush rug for you and children to sit on. Add a small bookcase containing a variety of books reflecting a range of levels. There should be simple board books, as well as picture books with a story line. It should be a place where a young child can go and look through books by himself--as well as a meeting place for story time for the class. Add decoratations to spark the child's imagination or interest in the area. For variety create a castle, tipi, igloo, swimming pool, tent, claw foot bath tub (with pillows) or a large box "cabin" to read in. Try adding a bean bag chairs, a small water fountain, children's camping chairs (fold-up ones) , carpet squares, or fun lamps to create mood in the area. Visit the library on a regular basis for story time and to borrow books. Select books that are age appropriate. Books on ABC's, numbers, and other beginning concept books are good choices. Also try nursery rhyme books. Of course, always try and get books on your child's interests and hobbies. Have your child tell you a story using a picture as a guide. These pictures can come from magazines, books, or greeting cards. Write down the child's words when they make up a story from memory or pictures. Ask child to make predictions concerning the story and then read to see if they come true. At some point in the book just pause and ask your child "What do you think will happen next?" Making predictions is a very important reading skill. Make sure your child sees you read something every day. A first step to independent reading is "pretend reading". Repeated reading of a child's favorite book will lead to pretend reading as well as expand the child's vocabulary. Make sure your child has a choice. Let them choice the book or reading activity they are most interested in performing. By giving them a choice, they will maximize their own learning. They will not feel forced to perform a task that may have very little meaning to them. If your child chooses a book that is too advanced, describe what is going on instead of reading the print. You can also let your child read the book to you by making up words to go along with the picture. Do not be alarmed if the words do not match the pictures. Everything is a learning process and your child may not have the experience to accurately relate what is going on in the picture. To make listening to a story more fun use different voices. This will help your child comprehend the nuances of a story. Before beginning to read a book, show the child the title, author, title page, how to hold the book upright (not upside down), where to begin reading. Point to each word as you read so that your child will understand that words have sounds and make up a sentence. Activity Ideas Letter Hunt NEW 2007 Choose a letter and write it on a notepad. With an adult, take a walk through your neighbourhood looking for the letter you chose. How many times can you find the letter? Is it in a store window, a billboard, or on a license plate? What sound does the special letter give to words in which it appears? Now take your specail letter inside. Can you find it hiding on a cereal box or in a book title? It's sure to appear somewhere in the daily newsletter. Each time the letter is spotted, make a tally meak in the note pad. Graph the results for added fun! What's in a Name? NEW 2007 Words are made up of the letters that come from the alphabet. Your name is one of those words. Can you find all of the cards with letters that make up your name? Have an adult help you find letters that make up the names of friends, family members or pets. Touchy Feely Letters Materials: letter tracers, scissors, sandpaper, cotton balls, poster board Procedure: To make rough feeling letters: Trace letters onto sheets of sandpaper and cut them out. You will also need to trace the same letters onto poster board. Glue the sandpaper letters to the poster board letters. The next set of letters are soft feeling letters. Trace the letters onto the poster board and cut out. Pull the cotton balls apart and glue onto the letters cut from the poster board. Allow your child to trace the letters with their finger while saying them out loud. As your child says the letter, help them to think of words that begin with that letter. As they improve, encourage them to say words on their own. You may want to give hints and describe objects for them to guess. Gritty Letters Materials: sand or salt, shoe box lid, letter cards Procedure: Pour sand or salt into the lid of a shoe box, select a letter cards and have child draw the letter in the sand. If necessary, you can direct the child''s hand for the first few times and then allow the child to practice on their own. Letter Bingo Materials: cards with a 9 square grid, dried beans, call letters Procedure: Write a letter in each square of the cards, draw the call letters one at a time and place a bean on each of the letters that appear on your card. Allow your child to see and touch the letter card so they may better match their letter. You can play till all letters are matched, only the corners are matched, or a line across, down, or diagonally is matched. Fishing for Letters Materials: construction paper, fish pattern, magnets (try and find the magnet rolls which are one single strip and can be cut with scissors, they also have a sticky side), washer, string, and a dowel, clear contact paper Procedure: Trace the fish pattern on the construction paper (you will need 52 fishes when done) and cut out. On half of the fish write one capital letter and on the other half of the fish write the lower case letter. Cut a small piece of the magnet and stick to the side of the fish that is blank. Tie one end the string to the dowel and the other end to the washer. Play: Scatter the fish on the floor letter side down. You may want to begin with all capital letters or all small letters. Later you can mix them up. Use the dowel as a fishing rod and pick up a fish. If the letter is said correctly the child may keep the fish. The fish is thrown back if the child does not identify the letter correctly. The person who catches the most fish wins. Variation I: Add the sound. To keep the fish, the child must say the letter correctly and give the corresponding sound. Variation II: Tell a word that begins with that sound. If the child catches a fish with the letter "S" they must tell you a word that begins with the letter "S". Make a Trivial Pursuit Center Have children make up questions on the first day. Use a theme such as TV commercials, actors, sports, each other, and the community. Make up rules for the games on the next day. Play the game on the third day! |
| Language Arts Directory Finger Plays Jokes Rhymes Poems for Children Silly Rhymes |
| Prop Box Resources Include the following collections of objects and materials for children to create, discover, and use for imaginary play. Store collections in boxes or baskets to be accessible at any time (indoors or outdoors) for children to enhance their play. Magna Doodle, magnetic letters, Wikki Stix, water pens, PlayDoh with alphabet "cookie cutters," alphabet stamps, individual dry erase boards, unifix cubes with letters written on them |
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