Early Literacy Aside--Empower: I am gong to give you a pre-literacy skill magnet that says "Talking" to put on your frig. This will remind you to extend your conversations with your children. In this way you are building on what they know and they will be able to better understand what they read. The magnet also lets you know you are already your child's first teacher! Great job, parents!Workshop Participant, Sacramento (CA) Public Library
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Early Literacy Aside--Example: You can use unfamiliar words with your children and model what they mean. For example, you can whisper when reading "whispering" and have your child say a quiet, "hush." This is a simple way to expand the words your children know. Let's try it as we read Goodnight Moon.Read Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Prepositions
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: When you go to play in the park next time with your children, talk about some of the concepts we talked about today--over/under, top/bottom, left/right. The best way for children to learn these concepts is not by memorizing what they mean, but by learning them as they are playing. By helping them learn these concepts, they will later better understand what they read.Natalie Beaver, Sacramento (CA) Public Library
Sing your own songs
Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Singing with your children helps them to hear words broken into smaller parts because there is a different note for each syllable. Hearing these smaller parts of words will help them later to sound out words.Early Literacy Aside--Empower: We sang some songs today in storytime. You can make up your own songs and sing about the things you do everyday. Singing helps children hear words broken down into part and you can do this throughout the day in fun ways. Heather Bratt
My Face Book by Star Bright Books--bilingual books
Video clip on using bilingual books, example of My Face Book from Star Bright Books
Video clip here
Phonological Awareness--Video Clip
Video clip demonstrating Explain Aside for Phonological Awareness Click here
Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Shapes That Roll by Karen Nagel--Video Clip
Video clip demonstration of Empower Aside using Shapes That Roll and other manipulatives.
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Print Awareness and Writing--Video Clip
Video clip of Empower Aside connecting print awareness and writing
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Effective Early Literacy Aside--Video Clip
Video clip explanation and demonstration of ineffective and effective early literacy asides.
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Cars Galore by Peter Stein
Video clip demonstration of an example early literacy aside emphasizing vocabulary using the book Cars, Galore by Peter Stein.
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Using facutal books--Video Clip
Video clip explaining why we use factual books in storytimes and demonstrating Empower Aside using the book Termites on a Stick by Michelle Coxon
.Click here
Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Eensy Weensy Spider Interactive between Adult and Child--Video Clip
Video clip demonstration of making a rhyme, Eensy Weensy Spider, interactive between adult and children.
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Handout with Empower Aside--Three Little Pigs--Video Clip
Video clip of demonstration of Empower Aside using a handout, encouraging narrative skills, using Three Little Pigs.
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Planning Your Early Literacy Asides--Video Clip
Video clip on planning the three early literacy asides in your early literacy enhanced storytime: explain aside, example aside, empower aside. Uses the book Farm Animals by Simms Taback as the example.
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Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Baby's Bath with flannel board
This rhyme, I'll do with the flannel board. First I'll say the rhyme, and put up the figures. Then we'll all say the rhyme together.Baby's ready for a bath. Here's the baby's tub. Here's the baby's washcloth. Rub a dub a dub. Here's the baby's cake of soap, And here's the towel to dry, And here's the baby's cradle, Rock-a-baby-bye.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: As we say rhymes with our young children they hear both the rhythm of language and the rhymes. Being exposed to rhymes helps them hear the smaller sounds in words, a first step in later learning to read.
by Amy Alapati and Virginia Krute, Montgomery County (MD) Public Library, based on version in Ring a Ring o’ Roses, 9th ed. Flint Public Library, Permission granted Flint Public Library, Flint, MI
Fill a Tub with Water flannel board
Introduction to flannel board: Let's see what happens when you fill the tub with water. What might we see in the bathtub? Each line starts with "Fill the tub with water, what do you see?" Let's say that together. . . . Good!
Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see bubbles floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a washcloth floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a cake of soap floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a shampoo bottle floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a little boat floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a pouring cup floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a toy shark floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see some swim goggles floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a watering can floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a rubber ducky floating in the bathtub sea. Fill the tub with water, what do you see? I see a nice clean baby splashing in the bathtub sea.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Even when you are giving your children a bath, naming the objects, describing them, talking about floating and sinking, heavy and light, as they play with toys in the bath; these are good ways to expand their knowledge and vocabulary which will later help them understand what they read.
by Amy Alapati and Virginia Krute, Montgomery County (MD) Public Library Flannel board pattern: filltubwaterFB
Freight Train with flannel board
Preparation: Use the attached pattern to cut out large flannel board pieces. You can make the pictures smaller to cut out pieces that you will hand out to the storytime participants. Activity: We have just read the book Freight Train by Donald Crews. Now let's play a matching game on the flannel board. Here is the whole train. [Put up the cars of the train and name them. Describe their color, shape, etc. Pass out one car to each of the storytime participants. Remove your whole train. Put up one car and describe it.] I have put up the cattle car. It is green and looks like a rectangle. It has two lines in the middle that cross each other. They look like an X. Several of you have a green cattle car. If you do, come up and make your match on the flannel board. Good job! [Continue with other cars.]
Early Literacy Aside--Example: When we play matching games with children, we help them notice characteristics of objects, what is similar and different. This type of thinking will later help them notice differences and similarities in letters as they learn to identify letters and learn to read.
Flannel board pattern: freighttrainFB
small cars can be used for individual handout
Old Macdonald Had a Farm Handout
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Today we talked about farm animals and sang Old Macdonald. Here is an activity sheet for you and your child to draw farm animals and talk about the sounds they make, which is a first stem to helping your children hear the smaller sounds in words. Don't worry if you can't figure out which animal your child has drawn. Your child will tell you what it is. Enjoy!
Playing with Directional Words
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: We can help children learn new words as we play with them. In today's storytime we read We're Going on a Bear Hunt which had directional words. Here is a game you can play. Show your child an item (a shoe perhaps) and hide it in a room with a little of it showing. Give your child hints about where to find it using position words like right, left, above, below, and so on. You can also give clues like, "You're getting warmer or colder" as they get closer or farther away. Here is a handout with the game and some activities to support pre-reading skills.
Hickory Dickory Dock with Handout
You can use the figures on the handout as a pattern to make a flannel board. Then use the flannel board as another way to share the rhyme and to play a game.
Introduction: Let's say the rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock Hickory dickory dock The mouse ran up the clock The clock struck one, the mouse ran down. Hickory dickory dock. Repeat using struck two . . . the mouse said "Boo." struck three . . . the mouse said "Whee." struck four . . . the mouse said "No more!" Great! Now let's play a little game on the flannel board. I am going to put the mouse somewhere near the clock and you see if you can tell me where. [Put the mouse on top of the clock.] Where is the mouse? Right! On top of the clock. Repeat with behind, underneath, below, beside or next to, etc.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: When we use words that describe position, you are helping your children understand what the words mean. This will later help them understand what they read. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, I have a handout here with illustrations for Hickory Dickory Dock. In addition to saying the rhyme together with your children, you can cut out the figures and put the figures in different positions to help your children learn new words and build their vocabulary. Enjoy!