I want to talk about effective literacy focus. Most people think that focus on literacy is the ability to read but we are building the skills for strong reading now. Effective literacy focus is when teachers focus on clearly and intentionally helping children understand literacy-related concepts of written AND spoken language. During effective literacy instruction, teachers deliver well-planned and sequenced literacy activities to engage children in the code units (letters, words, sounds) of oral and written language. Teachers purposefully link the code-based activities to the broader purpose of written or spoken communication, and explicitly focus children’s interest on the elements of the code (letters, sounds, etc.), and clearly state the purpose of the activity.

                Why is this important? Well, children who start kindergarten with basic early literacy skills, such as knowing some letters and sounds and being able to listen for parts of words, make a more successful transition to the kindergarten classroom. We help children develop these skills through the provision of frequent, well-planned literacy activities that get children interested in and excited about learning to crack the literacy code.

                So what can you do at home?

1)      Be on the lookout for print and encourage children to look with you. Point out or ask children to find words, letters and numbers in your home. For example, while eating breakfast ask your child to find the letters on the cereal box that are in their name (or even a friend’s name!).

2)      Use print in purposeful and meaningful ways with children. Help children to learn that print and being able to read and write can help them in their everyday life. For example, at a restaurant when taking your child to the restroom, point to the word “girls” on the door and then say “That door says girls. That’s how we know where to go.” If you have more than one child, help your child make a sign to save their block fort that says “Declan’s fort. Please do not knock down.” Notice we have done this in the classroom. We have “STOP” signs for projects or buildings that let others know we are coming back to finish.

3)      Get your child interested and excited about letters, words, and sounds. Play games with letters and words. Ask them to think of words that rhyme with each other (silly words are ok!). Sing songs with rhymes like “Down by the bay.” We sing that one in the classroom, so I know they know the words.

4)      Use literacy-related terms to focus children’s attention to the concepts.  Use words that explicitly identify literacy concepts (like word, rhyme, sound, letter) to focus children’s attention on the literacy concepts you want them to learn. For example, when using a recipe in the kitchen say, “we are going to make bread. Can you see the word bread? It has a B-R-E-A-D.” If your child does not see the letter or say the sounds THAT IS OK. We are introducing the concept for little brains to mull over.

5)      Plan literacy activities that relate to children’s lives. Connect literacy to your child’s daily life. For example, “Do you know that the words we say can be written down? Ms. Jodie wrote your words for your story. I am going to read the book you wrote.” Then read aloud with your child and track the words with your finger.

These are just a few examples of working literacy concepts into daily life. Remember that we are DEVELOPING literacy skills and the best way to make sure that your child is resistant is to drill. Make this fun, make it engaging, make it part of your daily conversations so that child want to engage in literacy learning. Before you know it, they will be reading, and you will have built the scaffolding!