Topic V: Language and Literacy Sessions
introduction
Language is one of the most crucial tools that children acquire, one that is essential for cognitive development, reading achievement, and overall school performance, as well as for social relations. Though children begin to develop language and literacy at birth, with nonverbal cues such as eye gaze and gestures, they arrive at preschool ready to communicate with symbols: words, signs, and pictures. (California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1). More
listening and speaking
Language takes place all around us--in social interactions between teachers and children, in classroom management, in play between children, and in instructional activities. The Listening and Speaking strand has three substrands: language use and conventions, vocabulary, and grammar. (California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1). More
reading
Reading provides access to meaning represented by print. It requires the translation of print into speech and the interpretation of meaning. Preschool children engage in reading by listening to stories and by retelling familiar books. They also engage in reading when interpreting environmental print by using physical cues or when reenacting through play the literacy-related social behavior of family members. (California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1). More
writing
Conventional writing requires knowledge of alphabet letters and an understanding that letters stand for sounds in spoken or signed words. Deciding what to write requires oral or sign language, knowledge, and thinking. Preschool children engage in writing when they use scribble marks and proudly announce their meanings. Preschool children frequently use drawing, rather than writing marks, to represent their thoughts, and they often combine scribble or other writing-like marks with their drawings to communicate. (California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1).