Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Children learn to recognize letters by their shapes. Today I'll be pointing out some ways you can support letter knowledge by talking about shapes. During the storytime read Shapes Around Us by Daniel Nunn. Early Literacy Aside--Example: This book helps us think of so many shapes we see in the world around us. What a great way to help children notice shapes which later helps them recognize letters! Early Litearcy Aside--Empower: Pointing out and playing with shapes helps children to recognize and draw letters. Be sure to include both the upper cas and lower case versions of letters.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Read the book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. Then flip back to a page with big angry font and read it in an angry tone of voice while pointing to the words.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Parents, here you can see how the text is reflecting the meaning of the words. From time to time, pointing to the words and having your voice reflect what is being said, or how it is said, helps children understand the meaning of what is going on. In this way you are supporting both print awareness and comprehension.
Laura, Sacramento (CA) Public Library
Songs
Sing songs in English and in at least one other language during storytime.Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Adults, you can sing anywhere about anything in any language! Singing helps children hear the smaller sounds in words to help them sound out words later. Also many songs have new words for them to learn which will help them know the meanings of words when they get to school.
Randi Kay Stephens, Sacramento (CA) Public Library
Magnet handout
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
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!