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Early Childhood Education

The Partners for Literacy (PfL) Early Childhood Component is designed to assure children enter school with the skills necessary to be successful academically and socially. The Curriculum is based on the philosophy that all domains of child development need to be addressed in an early childhood program. PfL has a developmentally appropriate emphasis on early literacy and oral language skills integrated with an emphasis on children’s social and emotional development. Early literacy skills include those identified through research as critical for reading success in school.

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The Partners for Literacy Curriculum strategies and materials are appropriate for children across a wide range of developmental levels, including children with developmental delays and children who have advanced literacy and language skills. The Curriculum is also appropriate for children who are English language learners.

Curriculum Goals

Instructional Strategies for Early Childhood Education

Instructional strategies are an important part of the PfL Curriculum. Each strategy provides teachers guidance necessary to support children’s early learning and development. These strategies include:

Interactive Book Reading

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Interactive Book Reading uses specific procedures that facilitate an instructional conversation with a child while reading. Interactive Book Reading takes place at least once a day with each child, either individually or in pairs, in addition to large or small group reading. This teaching format provides each child opportunities to engage in a responsive conversation with a teacher. Three key strategies are used for Interactive Book Reading:

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The 3S Strategy- See, Show, Say - is used during Interactive Book Reading. See, Show, and Say refer to different levels of response required of a child during any Interactive Book Reading session. A child is first asked to “see” or look at a specific feature of the book, such as the bear in Brown Bear, Brown Bear. If the child follows this direction, the teacher can then ask the child to “show” an object or word on the page. If the child can follow this direction, the teacher can then ask the child to “say” a word or answer a question. In this way, the teacher is calling for multiple responses from the child, encouraging attending behavior and building on the child’s individual abilities.

Wh Questions- Who, What, When, Where, Why - are used when a child reaches the "say" level of the 3S Strategy. Wh Questions help teachers gauge a child’s level of comprehension. They also help to encourage an ongoing conversation between teacher and child.

Expanded Book Reading Strategies are used to increase motivation to read and promote comprehension. When using Expanded Book Reading, teachers can:

3N Strategy

The 3N Strategy - Notice, Nudge, Narrate - is a scaffolding process that helps the teacher move the child from his or her current level of knowledge or skill to a higher level of competence. It structures the interactions that teachers have with children. The 3N Strategy can be used to turn any activity into a learning experience for the child. Teachers first "notice" a child's skill level. Then, they verbally "nudge" a child to do more. Finally, they "narrate" a child's actions or activities. The 3N Strategy is the basic instructional strategy used for LiteracyGames.

Extended Teaching

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Teaching throughout the day - Extended Teaching - promotes language and cognitive development. Teachers can use Extended Teaching practices to turn everyday routines, activities, and transitions into important learning opportunities. Teachers use the 3N Strategy during Extended Teaching to notice a child’s skill level then purposefully nudge the child to a slightly more challenging level.

Problem Solving

Problem solving strategies are used in many ways throughout the PfL Curriculum. These strategies are used to help children develop social skills and learn how to manage their own emotions. Teachers help children learn to recognize feelings, identify wants and needs, develop empathy, recognize problem situations, learn to think of simple solutions and consequences, and develop competence in decision making, at age appropriate levels. Children can develop these skills during both formal and informal instructional times thoughout the day.

Curriculum-Embedded Assessments

Assessment is used to inform instruction in the Partners for Literacy Curriculum. A variety of assessment resources provide teachers with information on each child's skill level, making it possible to monitor progress and differentiate instruction. Assessment resources include:

In the PfL Curriculum, individual portfolios are used to store records and samples of each child’s work. Teachers are encouraged to make anecdotal notes to include in each child's portfolio.

Curriculum Materials for Early Childhood Education

The PfL Curriculum includes instructional strategies and materials to promote oral language, vocabulary, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge throughout the entire day. Incorporating strategies, into both formal and informal instructional settings, assures an intensive, integrated language and literacy experience for each child.

The Partners for Literacy classroom is warm, inviting, and literacy-rich. Teachers begin and end each day with circle time, a large group instructional time, during which the teacher promotes early language and literacy skills through a variety of brief learning activities. Center time is also an essential part of each day. Centers are designed to engage children in independent learning opportunities, including books, blocks, music, art, dramatic play, science, math, writing, computers, and words and letters. The Partners for Literacy classroom is distinguished from other early childhood classrooms by the teacher spending time every day with each child, individually or in pairs, promoting early literacy skills by playing LiteracyGames and Interactive Book Reading.

LiteracyGames

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LiteracyGames is a set of 100 purposeful “games” that are played in small groups, usually with one adult and two children. LiteracyGames includes 50 games for 3 year olds and 50 games for 4 year olds. Every game has three cycles, each with its own goals and objectives. Children progress through the cycles by mastering the identified goals and objectives.

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Using LiteracyGames allows teachers to create a playful, accepting environment in which children engage in and enjoy learning. Children’s abilities grow as teachers help them investigate the following five components of early literacy: Concepts of Print, Letter Knowledge, Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, and Developmental Writing.


Children’s Books

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Little Conversation Books are a set of more than 120 small books designed to foster meaningful conversation between an adult and a child during Interactive Book Reading. Little Conversation Books have simple text and pictures and are easily reproducible. Children can read these little books at school and then take them home to share with their families.

Conversation Books- Bilingual Conversation Books (English and Spanish) provide teachers with the instructional support and strategies they need to help young children get ready to read.

Classroom Books- The Partners for Literacy Curriculum also recommends a variety of children's books, both fiction and non-fiction, that can be added to the classroom library. These titles serve to support the curriculum and its implementation.

Curriculum Guides and Manuals

The PfL Curriculum includes a detailed set of weekly Curriculum Guides. These Curriculum Guides help structure the school day through integrated, engaging instructional activities for large groups, small groups, pairs, and individual children. Teachers are provided with specific suggestions for opening and closing circle time activities, as well as learning center ideas that support and integrate each week's instruction. A complete set of teacher manuals provides support for all instructional strategies and curriculum materials. The manuals also provide information on the scientific research base that underlies the curriculum.

Literacy-Rich Classrooms

The Partners for Literacy classroom is characterized by materials that encourage language and early literacy development. The PfL manual, Creating a Literacy-Rich Preschool Classroom, provides teachers with information on how to make classrooms literacy-rich by incorporating a variety of materials that support the development of early literacy skills, including labels, posters, and books. reading

Promoting Home-School Relationships

When using the PfL Curriculum, administrators and teachers are encouraged to foster positive home-school relationships that will support children’s school success. Parent participation can be facilitated by using part or all of the parent component, Parent Partnerships.

Other activities that help build a successful home-school relationship include inviting parents into the classroom, providing parents with ongoing information about the activities taking place at school, and showing parents the link between what is going on at school and the activities they can do at home. Teachers might also send home pictures of each child engaged in classroom activities. Teachers can help parents understand the importance of reading at home as well as facilitating conversations about books with their children.