TM Language and Literacy Planning Learning Opportunities

Language and Literacy >Planning Learning Opportunities Printable version

• Read the vignette and teachable moment beginning at the bottom of page 69 in the California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 2. Ask teacher(s) questions like, “What do you like about the reading? Can you see yourself singing Frère Jacques in class with the children?” Discuss the power music has to support language development. Help identify one song in multiple languages that children would enjoy learning. Use Frère Jacques if teacher(s) cannot identify another song. Together, brainstorm the best time of day to plan that activity.
• Guide teacher to read page 119 paragraph beginning, "Language in, language out…Narrate!" in the California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1. Reflect with him/her about the planned learning opportunities that occurred that day. Together, analyze how narration could be incorporated and/or enhanced for tomorrow’s activities.
• Share the framework, Volume 1, page 116, paragraph beginning, "Give story stems..." Demonstrate and discuss how to use story stems as a developmentally appropriate small group activity including realia and concrete objects. Plan with the teacher to utilize the strategy in the coming week.
• With teacher, watch The Code video. Discuss different ways phonological awareness is addressed in the video by Bianca. After discussing, watch the video clip again and have teacher use the Phonological Awareness Viewing Guide to organize thoughts about ways to plan phonological awareness activities in the classroom.
• Ask teacher to choose a favorite book for shared reading. Bring photo copies of the CROWD handout for teacher(s) and together write dialogic reading questions for the favorite book. See Head Start, Using "Tough Boris" to Promote Dialogic Reading Strategies, for an example. The activities listed on the website may also be useful.
• Read the vignette on page 193 in the framework, Volume 1. After reading, provide a real example of a flannel board using The Very Hungry Caterpillar for teacher(s) to touch and manipulate. Ask the teacher how to intentionally plan this activity to facilitate multiple substrands in reading. A more thorough reading of the foundations or the foundations key ring may be used as a resource.
• Read the developmental sequence on page 159-160 of the framework, Volume 1. Ask teacher to identify the last planned writing opportunity in which children participated. Discuss how to scaffold the activity to meet each developmental phase as identified in the Sample Developmental Sequence.
• Read the CELL (Center for Early Language Learning) practice Author! Author!. Ask teacher to choose two ideas that might be implemented in the classroom. Which children would most benefit from this intentionally planned activity? Use the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1, to support the teacher's knowledge of children’s developmental levels.
• Invite teachers to either read the quote “Young children build knowledge as they make sense of their everyday experiences. However, they do not build domain-specific knowledge separate from knowledge in other domains” (Integrated Nature of Learning p.14-15) OR Watch the video clip on integrated learning from the PPG video set. It is posted on CPIN.us for the Integrated Learning Module. After reading or watching ask teachers to think of recent a planned learning opportunity that they was meaningful to the children. Then ask teachers to reflect using the All Domains Handout from the Integrated Nature of Learning Module:
  • Why was it meaningful?
  • What domains were the children exploring?
  • What individual concepts did teachers notice most?
  • How did teachers build on this observation to deepen learning?
  • How might teachers replicate and deepen this experience?