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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
Discover new, practical methods for teaching literacy skills in your early childhood classroom. Has teaching early literacy skills become a stumbling block to getting your preschool students kindergarten ready? Break out of the tired "letter of the week" routine and learn how to transform your lessons with fun and effective techniques. Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers will equip teachers to infuse every aspect of their teaching with exciting hands-on literacy teaching methods that engage students and help them build authentic connections with books, so that 100% of their students will have a strong literacy foundation and will be fully prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond. Respected author Vanessa Levin, veteran early childhood educator and author of the "Pre-K Pages" blog, breaks down the research and translates it into realistic, actionable steps you can take to improve your teaching. * Features specific examples of teaching techniques and activities that engage students in hands-on, experiential learning during circle time, centers, and small groups. * Offers a simple, four-step system for teaching literacy skills, based on the foundational principles of early literacy teaching * Demonstrates how to build your confidence in your ability to get 100% of your students ready for kindergarten, long before the end of the school year Understand the problems with traditional literacy teaching and identify gaps in your current teaching practice with this valuable resource.
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Seitenzahl: 229
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Author Bio
Introduction
STEP 1: The Alphabet
Chapter 1: Next Time Won't You Sing with Me?
HOW YOUNG CHILDREN LEARN
IS THERE MORE TO READING THAN LEARNING THE ALPHABET?
Chapter 2: The #1 Well-Intentioned Literacy Mistake and How to Avoid It
WHAT DOES TEACHING LETTERS IN ISOLATION LOOK LIKE?
TEACHING LETTERS IN CONTEXT
CIGARETTES AND COCAINE
ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY
IS LETTER OF THE WEEK OUTDATED?
CHANGE IS SCARY
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD OF LETTER OF THE WEEK
Chapter 3: Where to Start with Teaching the Alphabet
VISUAL DISCRIMINATION
ALPHABET KNOWLEDGE
WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME
Chapter 4: Your Alphabet Questions Answered
WHICH LETTERS SHOULD BE TAUGHT FIRST?
WHAT IF YOU HAVE SEVEN ANGELS?
UPPERCASE OR LOWERCASE?
HOW WILL I KNOW WHICH LETTERS I'VE TAUGHT?
Chapter 5: What Learning the Alphabet Looks Like
HANDS-ON
ENTICING
A CONNECTION
REPEATED EXPOSURE
TIME FOR PRACTICE
Chapter 6: Alphabet Reflection
REFLECTION
CHALLENGE
SELF-ASSESSMENT
TROUBLESHOOTING
STEP 2: Print Awareness
Chapter 7: What Is Print Awareness?
UNDERSTANDING PRINT AWARENESS
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRINT AWARENESS
PRINT AWARENESS PRECURSORS
MOTIVATION TO READ
BELIEVING THEY CAN READ
Chapter 8: What Does Learning Print Awareness Look Like in the Classroom?
MOTIVATING YOUR STUDENTS
BELIEVING THEY CAN READ
Chapter 9: Print Awareness Reflection
REFLECTION
CHALLENGE
SELF-ASSESSMENT
TROUBLESHOOTING
STEP 3: Phonological Awareness
Chapter 10: Phonological Awareness: What It Is and Why It's Important
WHAT IS PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS?
COMPONENTS OF PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
WHY ARE PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS SKILLS IMPORTANT?
Chapter 11: Where to Start with Phonological Awareness
PAJAMAS AND LLAMAS
Chapter 12: Your Phonological Awareness Questions Answered
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS SKILLS MY STUDENTS KNOW?
WHEN SHOULD I START TEACHING LETTER SOUNDS?
WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME IN MY DAY TO TEACH PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS SKILLS?
WHY CAN'T MY STUDENTS RHYME? I READ RHYMING BOOKS ALL THE TIME AND WE SING SONGS DAILY—AM I MISSING SOMETHING?
I TEACH INFANTS; SHOULD I BE TEACHING RHYMING SKILLS?
ARE NONSENSE WORDS OKAY FOR RHYMING?
HOW CAN I TEACH RHYMING TO MY STUDENTS WHOSE FIRST LANGUAGE ISN'T ENGLISH?
Chapter 13: What Learning Phonological Awareness Skills Looks Like
SINGING WITHOUT WALLS
NURSERY RHYMES
POEMS
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES
Chapter 14: Phonological Awareness Reflection
REFLECTION
CHALLENGE
SELF-ASSESSMENT
TROUBLESHOOTING
STEP 4: Oral Language
Chapter 15: Oral Language: What It Is and Why It's Important
Chapter 16: Where to Start with Oral Language
TIME SPENT IN CENTERS
FORCED ROTATION OF CENTERS
ORAL LANGUAGE AND VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT IN CENTERS
READING ALOUD
MULTIPLE READINGS OF THE SAME STORY
Chapter 17: Oral Language Reflection
REFLECTION
CHALLENGE
SELF-ASSESSMENT
TROUBLESHOOTING
Chapter 18: Case Studies
MEET ANNEMARIE
MEET JEN
MEET LISA
Chapter 19: What's Next?
HABITS OF EXCELLENT TEACHERS
THE FIVE HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS
HABIT ONE: SET THE RIGHT GOALS
HABIT TWO: CREATE A PLAN
HABIT THREE: REFLECT
HABIT FOUR: ADJUST
HABIT FIVE: CONNECT
HEATHER'S SECRET RECIPE
NEXT STEP: GET CONNECTED
References
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1
Figure 4.2
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1
Figure 5.2
Figure 5.3
Figure 5.4
Figure 5.5
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1
Figure 8.2
Figure 8.3
Figure 8.4
Figure 8.5
Figure 8.6
Chapter 11
Figure 11.1
Figure 11.2
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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“Vanessa Levin continues to share her creative, holistic teaching style in this must have book for all teachers and parents of young children! At a time when standardized testing has attempted to erase developmentally appropriate practices, early childhood educators need to teach the whole child and follow Levin's recommendations to teach smarter!”
Anna Arlotta-Guerrero, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Education
“The perfect book for early childhood educators who refuse to settle for the status quo. Levin's practical tips – embedded in her highly engaging and relatable anecdotes – make this a must-have on your teaching resource shelf.”
Danny Brassell, Ph.D., internationally acclaimed speaker, bestselling author, and co-creator of theREADINGhabit.com
“Once again, Vanessa delivers a true gift for early childhood educators. Teach Smarter will help you understand the critical literacy foundational knowledge needed to create an engaging, authentic, child-focused classroom. You'll feel like Vanessa is your own personal mentor as she walks you through all the key points with her signature humor and understanding.”
Matt Halpern, Educator and Presenter
“Vanessa's insightful and proven approach to helping young children build strong literacy skills in a classroom setting will not overwhelm you, it will invigorate you!”
Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed., Early Childhood Educator and Author
“Teachers, whether new or seasoned, have questions about how to put current research into practice in their classrooms — especially when it comes to literacy. Within the pages of Teach Smarter they'll discover a wise, friendly mentor to answer those questions and demonstrate by example — one who is always available, right at their fingertips!”
Amanda Morgan, Writer, Speaker, and Creator of Not Just Cute
“This book is a must have! Vanessa understands what to focus on, and most importantly — what isn't necessary. She helps early childhood educators navigate early literacy with a practical approach that comes from her years of classroom experience.”
Allison McDonald, B.Ed., M.S, Author of Setting the Stage for Rock Star Readers
TEACH SMARTER
LITERACY STRATEGIES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS
VANESSA J. LEVIN
Copyright © 2021 John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved.
Jossey-BassA Wiley Imprint111 River St, Hoboken, NJ 07030www.josseybass.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, phone +1 978 750 8400, fax +1 978 750 4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, phone + 1 201 748 6011, fax +1 201 748 6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Levin, Vanessa, author.
Title: Teach smarter : literacy strategies for early childhood teachers / Vanessa Levin.
Description: First edition. | Hoboken, NJ : Jossey-Bass, [2021]
Identifiers: LCCN 2021002143 (print) | LCCN 2021002144 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119698890 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119698883 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119698906 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Literacy—Study and teaching (Elementary)Classification: LCC LB1576 .L497 2021 (print) | LCC LB1576 (ebook) | DDC 372.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002143
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002144
Cover Design: WileyCover Image: © ANNA_KOVA/Shutterstock
FIRST EDITION
Acknowledgments
I am eternally grateful to my husband Tom; without his constant support, love, and unwavering faith, this book would not have been written. From walking the dogs to doing laundry to grocery shopping in the middle of a pandemic, Tom was as critical to the completion of this book as I was.
None of this would have been possible without my amazing team who enables me to continually learn, grow, and serve alongside you. Thank you for showing up every day to help teachers (and children) around the world. Jeni, Scott, Rachel, Lynn, and many others did an extraordinary job of keeping the lights on and the wheels turning while I was locked away in my office writing. I am so fortunate to have them on team Pre-K Pages.
A very special thanks to Jeni for her expert editorial help and Lisa for her keen insight, troubleshooting, and encouragement in bringing this book to life.
Finally, thanks to everyone on the Wiley team, who were extremely patient with me as I learned the ropes of traditional publishing.
Foreword
We optimize early reading outcomes when our students are participating and having fun! That is why all my picture books, including the original four Pete the Cat books, Groovy Joe, and the Nut Family interweave music, movement, and repetition into the stories. Teachers often share with me how the books have made their read-aloud time more exciting. But what they don't know is that the books were intentionally designed to facilitate and model joyful and engaging shared reading experiences. So, I began to seek out new ways to reach early childhood teachers to share these ideas.
This is how I discovered Vanessa Levin's blog, Pre-K Pages. I was extremely impressed by her joyful and hands-on educational materials and ideas. Vanessa clearly understands what teachers need, and they genuinely appreciate her. Even my mom, a former first-grade teacher, was blown away when she visited Vanessa's website. It didn't surprise me that Vanessa had over a million followers on Facebook.
With my mother's seal of approval, I reached out to Vanessa to see if she could help me spread the word about the importance of joyful and engaging shared reading experiences to help young children build strong reading foundations. She was happy to help, not only because she values the importance of emergent literacy, but because she's a true early childhood educator who also knows the importance of sharing. Vanessa guided me through the evolving world of educational bloggers and showed me how to effectively use social media to reach more teachers. Like everything she does, her advice was practical, loving, and spot on.
Since then Vanessa and I have collaborated on a few incredible projects. When I published my Nuts book series, she eagerly and expertly pitched in to get the message out. And we collaborated again when I published my Groovy Joe series. In turn, I've participated in two of Vanessa's online Soar to Success Summits, which helped me reach more than 6,000 people in each session. I am always happy to work with Vanessa because I know she is very knowledgeable, cares deeply about early reading, and respects all students and early childhood teachers.
This is why I'm so excited about Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers. This topic is so important and urgent! Early childhood classrooms play a vital role in helping young children become strong readers. Vanessa is uniquely qualified to empower teachers to help their students become confident and successful readers. You'll reap the benefits of her 20 years of classroom experience as a public pre-K teacher and Head Start teacher, as well as her 10 years of experience mentoring, training, and coaching teachers. Her perspectives and ideas are both grounded in research and real classroom experience.
The book reads well because Vanessa is an extraordinary communicator. She is a sought-after speaker at national events. And she's a rock star online via her website, Pre-K Pages, and social platforms like Facebook. These experiences have taught her how to be entertaining and engaging while conveying practical, hands-on techniques teachers can use right away. Vanessa understands that good ideas must become great lessons and activities to be successful.
This book will empower you to help your students strengthen critical emergent literacy skills right away and without costly materials. All future literacy learning is built upon these crucial skills, which is why this book is so important. Vanessa expertly guides you through highly effective techniques for teaching the alphabetic principle, print awareness, phonological awareness, and oral language. Her step-by-step process is easy to understand and implement, and she does it with a deep understanding of what it means to be in the classroom.
It makes me incredibly happy to think about what caring and motivated teachers like you will do with this the information in this wonderful professional development book. It warms my heart to imagine all the children who will benefit and from your newfound knowledge and understanding of early reading. I'm filled with hope knowing that you'll be leading your students down the right path toward loving books and becoming lifelong readers.
Be well,
Eric Litwin
Eric Litwin is the author of The Power of Joyful Reading: Help Your Students Soar to Success. Eric is also the author of the original four Pete the Cat books, The Nut Family series, and the Groovy Joe series. Eric's books have sold over 13 million copies, been translated into 17 languages, and won 26 literacy awards, including a (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Honor Award. You can visit him online at www.ericlitwin.com.
Author Bio
Vanessa Levin is an author, speaker, and creator of Pre-K Pages, one of the Internet's most popular resource websites for teachers of young children. With more than 20 years of classroom teaching experience, Vanessa encourages and supports early childhood educators around the world via her Teaching Trailblazers mentorship program. Her mission is to bridge the gap between Preschool/Pre-K and the world of K-12 education. Vanessa lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Tom.
Introduction
My time spent teaching pre-K took me to some of the largest cities in the world. I started in Seoul, South Korea, then Detroit, Houston, Boston, and finally Dallas. Aside from language and cultural barriers, the biggest challenge I faced in many of these situations was lack of community and support. I didn't always have a group of experienced teachers to turn to when I needed practical advice or a shoulder to cry on.
In South Korea, I lived and taught with a group of teachers who had vastly different experiences and backgrounds. My roommates consisted of a high school English teacher, a home economics teacher, a middle school teacher, and a French teacher. I was armed only with my education degree—which doesn't come with practical advice. The Internet hadn't been invented yet, so I was left with my two best friends, trial and error. It was in South Korea that I learned how to teach with nothing but my imagination and creativity, with a few classic games like I-Spy and Hot Potato thrown in for good measure.
In Detroit, I was the only kindergarten teacher at a tiny private school. Although I didn't have many peers to collaborate with, I did have access to plenty of professional development books, which I devoured. Sadly, these books were quite expensive and ate up most of my paltry salary. While I was teaching in Detroit, I learned how to translate what I learned in those professional development books and put it into practice in my classroom.
My next adventure took me to a public school in Houston where I was surrounded by four pre-K teachers with more than 100 years of combined teaching experience. It was a teaching nirvana and I enjoyed every minute of my time spent there. My coworkers had answers for all my questions and gave me full access to their supply closet filled with a treasure trove of tried-and-true teaching tools. Unfortunately, it was short lived when I became engaged and moved to Boston with my fiancé. My experience in Houston showed me that having a supportive community you can turn to for advice was the key to becoming a truly successful teacher.
Next, I landed in a Head Start program in the Boston area; it was here that I first encountered resistance to change. I was the new teacher in a well-established program, but I was the only one with a degree in education. Everything I did and said went against their “the way we've always done it” mentality. It was here that I learned you can have all the imagination, creativity, book knowledge, and a community yet still feel all alone and isolated.
Finally, I landed in Dallas, where I was able to put down roots and really blossom as a teacher. I was encouraged to use my imagination and creativity, and I had plenty of pre-K teachers to collaborate with, adequate supplies, and access to continuous professional development. It was here that I honed my teaching craft, with better results each year.
At this point in my career, I began to focus on creating a solution for teachers who were all alone like I had been in South Korea, Detroit, and Boston. I didn't want any teacher to ever feel as professionally isolated as I had in the beginning of my career. This is when I started Pre-K Pages, my website for early childhood teachers. I started the website to provide information from a real classroom teacher's perspective and to facilitate communication and collaboration. The idea began to pick up steam each year as the site continued to grow and grow.
In the meantime, despite the professional development opportunities, coaching, and collaboration that were available to all teachers in my school district, I noticed a strong resistance to change persisted. I started thinking more deeply about why some teaching practices are more difficult to let go of than others. I listened to and observed those teachers around me who were staunchly against change. Over the next 14 years I hypothesized there are three main reasons that keep teachers from making positive changes to their teaching practice, despite an abundance of research available:
Reason #1: Mile in My Shoes Syndrome
Nothing will make teachers turn their heads in disdain faster than being told what to do in their classrooms by somebody who has never walked a mile in their shoes. Research alone is not enough to convince some teachers to embrace change. This is especially true if the research was conducted by somebody who hasn't set foot in a classroom in several decades or has never taught the same age group or grade as the teacher it is targeting.
Reason #2: Too Focused on the Problem
There is a difference between defining a problem and offering a solution. If not done properly, and with finesse, an argument for change can fall on deaf ears when too much time is spent defining the problem and not enough time is spent introducing and explaining the solution thoroughly.
Reason #3: No Practical, Actionable Steps
This one is perhaps the biggest misstep of any argument for change. When an argument for change is presented without any practical, actionable steps given for how to enact that change, it will be completely ineffective.
My purpose for writing Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers is to translate research-based emergent literacy strategies into easy to understand chunks illustrated by personal stories and concrete examples. Throughout this book you will find plenty of practical, actionable steps you can take to build a solid foundation for future literacy success for your students. My hope is that you feel a connection to my personal experiences, feel reassured knowing there is a community of like-minded professionals just like you in this world, and you'll feel supported as you begin to explore ways to improve the way you teach early literacy skills in your classroom.
Although my work at http://www.pre-kpages.com has definitely helped me communicate and create connections with teachers around the world, it's helpful only if teachers choose to visit the site. I believe a book is a more concrete, tangible way to reach readers. There's something about reading a book and participating in a professional book study that makes the content more accessible to the reader. I encourage you to read this book with your colleagues and discuss your thoughts and feelings around each chapter. If you're isolated, like I was, then you're welcome to join in the discussion virtually inside the Teaching Trailblazers, my membership site for early childhood teachers.
STEP 1The Alphabet
Chapter 1Next Time Won't You Sing with Me?
It was a sweltering hot August day, three days before the first day of pre-K, and about 20 anxious parents gathered in my classroom for an orientation session. The first timers stood nervously around the perimeter of the classroom, keeping to themselves. The seasoned pros, whose older children had previously attended our pre-K program, looked more relaxed as they mingled and chatted with other parents. After we reviewed the parent handbook together, I invited the parents to help their children locate their cubbies, the bathroom, and other points of interest in the classroom and throughout the school building.
As usual, several new parents rushed forward and flocked around me to ask their burning questions. I had been asked these questions hundreds of times before in my 20+ years as a teacher—questions like, “What time will the bus pick up/drop off my child?” and “What if my child needs help in the bathroom?”
One mother stood near the back of the line, holding her young son, Brandon, by the hand as she patiently waited her turn. When it came, she explained how bright her son was and asked him to “show me” by reciting the alphabet. Brandon quickly recited the alphabet with ease and even included “next time won't you sing with me?” at the very end—nice touch.
Beaming with pride, the child's mother said, “He knows all the letters; we've been practicing at home.” I smiled and nodded reassuringly at them both and said, “That's wonderful! I can tell you've been working with him at home. Brandon is going to be an excellent student!” Turning toward Brandon I said, “I can't wait to see you on Monday, Brandon. We're going to have so much fun together this year!”
But did singing the ABC song mean Brandon had learned to name and identify letters of the alphabet? Or did it mean he had learned to memorize it? What does it mean to learn the alphabet? The difference between these two skills is quite large; it's important to understand this difference before we begin any discussion about teaching the alphabet. Rote memorization is simply the act of remembering without a deeper understanding. Singing the ABC song is rote memorization.
When I was in the fourth grade, each Friday, our teacher called on us one by one to stand up and recite a poem from memory, which she had assigned earlier in the week. I would break out in a cold sweat as I waited for her to call my name. For some students, the poems rolled off their tongues with ease, which made the teacher smile and nod. Others, like me, struggled to spit out the words as they stumbled awkwardly through the poems, fearful of the reproachful looks we might receive from the teacher.
If you had asked me or any of my classmates to explain what the poems meant, we would have stared at you with the startled look of a deer in headlights. We had no idea of the meaning of the words we had worked so painstakingly to memorize. Like those dreaded poems, just because a child can sing the ABC song does not mean he has learned the alphabet, understands what the alphabet is, or that he can identify or name a single letter.
True learning requires so much more than memorization. To truly learn the alphabet, young children need to be immersed in an environment that provides rich literacy, print, and language opportunities daily. They need to interact with letters in hands-on, meaningful, and playful ways.
