Hot News from NAEYC - Free books (4) to Download Just in Time for the Start of the New School Year

has done it again.

 Going right along with the themes from the previous post on this blog, relating to the recent webinar "Supporting the Literacy Loop in Every Classroom", I just saw this incredible offer from NAEYC:

Back to School Resources for Teachers and Caregivers (click on this link to see details)

I especially like the 10 Tips for Involving Families Through Internet Communication

If you haven't joined this national organization, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, seriously consider it. 

Joining a professional organization is well worth the cost if you are serious about growing your career.  Having trouble coming up with all of the membership fee (there are student, basic and comprehensive memberships)?

1.  Ask your child development center director to support you by paying at least part of it for you.
 
2.  Look for a few local ECE-friendly businesses who want to support your growth as a professional and ask them to contribute. 

3.  Perhaps your director might ask families served at your facility to donate a few dollars to a collection so that someone on the staff (teacher of the year or person with the longest or shortest amount of time in early childhood education) can benefit with a free membership.

Where there is a will, there is a way.  

Tips for Planning in the New Year

In follow-up to my appearance on Robert-Leslie's InvestiGator Club webinar series yesterday, I'm providing even more resources on this blog.  I'll be adding several installments, including a link to the webinar contents.  Here's the first:

If you listened in to the webinar, welcome back.  Many of add-on resources I mentioned will be highlighted here.  If you weren't able to join us, a link to the recorded webinar is now available.  We'd love to hear comments back from you either through an email to tla@readingisforeveryone.org, comments posted on this blog or on Robert-Leslie's Facebook and other social networking locations.  Placing WEBINAR in the subject line on mine will assure you get a quick response.  

On to the business of the new school year

What is the literacy loop?


When you combine efforts of teachers, parents and guardians, community, authors and illustrators, librarians and media specialists, all centered around a child, you have the best chance of success for EVERY child.  That's the concept behind the Literacy Loop. 

We know that questioning is a great way to understand at a deeper level so TLA recommends that you use the framework of questioning to plan how to integrate all these partners into your support for children.  In the partner area of evaluation, you can do the same.

Greater Attention on Early Childhood

I was thrilled yesterday to see that Barbara Chester, President of the National Association of Elementary School Principals was quoted in an Education Week article as calling for "focused professional development to help elementary school administrators meet the higher expectations of modern early childhood education".  I was also pleased to see the National Association for the Education of Young Children weighing in to make sure that developmentally appropriate practices are at the forefront of such training.

This also opens a door for expert teachers in the early childhood world to have the kinds of collaborative conversations I talk about in my book for educators of 3-6 year olds, Before They Read.  By addressing the needs of teachers in both arenas, and helping them understand one another's expertise, we can build partnerships that help make the transition to kindergarten easier for young children.  With the right preparation, they come to school with a rich foundation which brings them to the reading table eager and ready to learn.   This book gives you plenty of starting places and I've even created a facilitator's guide for a book study around this title (great idea for joint professional development). 

Don't Forget The Importance of Play

If we push too much rigorous, structured instruction in the preschool years, the product we send to kindergarten is quite different.  We send children, according to the research of Drs. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, and Diane Eyer (authors of Einstein Never Used Flashcards), more anxious, and less creative. In an overly structured environment, what young children get is deprivation of the "pleasures of creating their own games and the sense of mastery and independence they will need to enjoy running their own lives." 

Here's a bit of play you can engage in with young children that helps them practice (and learn about) rhyming skills.  My friends, Greta and Cora, play Rhymin' Simon with me quite proficiently.  All the while, they are acquiring mastery in the skill through play.  A simpler version, with strong teacher support, helps children learn the basics of how to rhyme.  Teachers have been kind enough to share many stories about children playing the game on their own, once they've learned the basics of knowing when words rhyme.  It's fun!

Extra links to help you grow your own literacy loop:

Facebook/The InvestiGator Club:  Place to watch for updates on the webinar, Supporting the Literacy Loop in Every Classroom:  A Planning Guide for Administrators (and Teachers) in the Preschool Environment.

Resources from Early Childhood InvestiGator Webinar Series.  Here you'll find SEVEN valuable links that extend beyond the content of the webinar (watch it first)!

Visit my website to learn how to play Rhymin' Simon.

Comments in a blog regarding Phillip Kovac's 5 Ways to Change the Status Quo 

Article on The Importance of Play in Human Evolution.

The Cheerios Challenge for First Book - your state (if they are in the top 5) can receive 20,000 books for the children who live there.  Click here to find out more.

Come see The Literacy Ambassador Up close and personal at:

Guest instructor for K/1, 2-3rd grade, 4-6th grade, and 7-8th grade classes for homeschoolers through CCA (home school cover school in Huntsville AL).   More info from 256-882-3668. (weekly September 1 through November 17).

Featured speaker at GA Association for the Education of Young Children - October 8 and 9, 2010 (scholarships for attendance of this conference still available) - Gwinnett Center (metro Atlanta, GA)


Featured Speaker at Region IV Head Start Association Annual Parent Conference - October 14 through 17, 2010 (Myrtle Beach, SC)

Featured Speaker at Alabama Reading Association Conference - November 2-4, 2010 (Birmingham, AL)

Round table session at the Kentucky Engagement Conference - November 19, 2010 (Louisville, KY)

Session at the National Reading Recovery Conference (February 5-8, 2011, Columbus, OH)

Featured Speaker at the IL Reading Council Conference (March 17, 2011), Springfield, IL

More on the way . . .

The Literacy Ambassador's New Book, Before They Read, Wins National Award

Celebrate with Me!


Ever get a surprise, a toot on a horn, out of the blue?  It's as refreshing as a hug from a child.  This week I was humbled and honored to learn that, as a result of the interaction and sharing of great preschool teachers like those reading this blog and many years of my own experiences with children getting ready to read, I received such a treat.





A few days ago, on June 11, 2010, the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) announced their 2010 Distinguished Achievement Awards. Before They Read  published by Maupin House won in the professional development category and was recognized as the top educational product of its kind.

A quick "pick-up-and-read" resource, this title is designed to give busy preschool teachers a BIG picture view of the most important elements of emergent literacy, those that predict later reading achievement:


Oral Language Development
Positive and Varied Experiences with Print,  and
Phonological Awareness


Because I understand the challenges of the preschool classroom, it's also packed with fun "how to do it" ideas and explanations that make you the expert, without pressing children into too high a skill before they are ready.

The best part is that it can be used as an individual read by an individual teacher OR as the focus for a staff development book club (you can even invite your kindergarten teacher friends to join you in one this summer since the book addresses needs of both preschool and kindergarten children).  You can find a free facilitator's guide for doing just that at the book page on my publisher's website.

"Calling all preschool and kindergarten teachers! 

This book will make you a better teacher and raise student achievement scores. 

The age-specific charts make it easy to track reading readiness . . .it's as easy as 1-2-3."

. . . Stacey Kannenberg, author of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten!

This book will help you discern when the time is prime for each student to begin to read and starting a child at that best, "just right" time is the secret to children not just squeezing by with reading, but becoming proficient in a skill that is essential for the 21st century.

If you'd like to get your own copy, or learn more about this award-winning title, visit Maupin House Publishing.  And while you are at it, share this post with your friends who teach kindergarten or preschool so they will know about it too.

After A Hiatus: We're Back to Literacy and Preschool!

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU!

It's been a while with the holidays and snow and everything else but I'm committed to posting more frequently here. If you like what you read today, share it with a friend or connect with your fellow preschool teachers at Facebook or Twitter and talk about it!

Tomorrow I'm attending a wonderful north AL institution: the  
NW Alabama Childcare Conference. I am always excited to see all my friends in the early childhood world (teachers and directors) from across the northern part of our state. Angela and Richard and all the other staff of Childcare Education Resources (our north AL quality care enhancement provider for preschools and childcare providers of all sorts) do an incredible, quality job.  And this year, the keynote speaker is truly special: Steven Layne.

Although he's not as commonly known in the world of preschool right now, what I love about Steven is that he combines university and K-12 teaching experience and knowledge with a passion for reading.  He and I share the idea that reading should be powerful, practical and FUN and that we must give children authentic reasons to read.  You're going to enjoy his picture book, Love the Baby! I wish you could all be here to hear him (I understand the book is also available on audio.)

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

If you haven't attended an early childhood conference (one designed especially for those who work with children ages 0-8), I'd encourage you to do so.  Most states have quality care enhancement providers or resource organizations to help you.  If you don't know of any, check with your local state licensing agency.  Here in my home state of Alabama, our state-funded voluntary preK program  a program rated by NIEER's independent study as meeting all 10 qualifiers for a high-quality early childhood initiative) opens their conference to anyone in early childhood, not just their funded programs.  I applaud them for such a great idea.

In your own state, you can often find a conference locally that is not expensive to attend if you just search at bit.  If you can't afford to go this year, make it a goal to save a little each month toward attending in 2011. Ask your director or sponsor of your preschool to consider sending a representative or two to a nearby conference or training.  It is worth the investment in your future and that of your children, even in such hard economic times.  

New Resources for Preschool Teachers and Programs

I also want to share with you a brand new video that teachers you how to play Rhymin' Simon (notice my two twin friends who help me teach the game).  It's an easy way to practice rhyming with your children in whole group or in smaller groups with those that need more focus on this early phonological awareness skill.  Contact me through my website, and verify you watched the video, and I will also send you a set of modifications for children who don't yet know how to rhyme.  When you contact TLA, you'll need to put "RHYMING MODIFICATIONS" in the subject line to take advantage of this special offer. 

NOTE:  This video is protected by copyright but you can use it for your own education and share the LINK. (please) or this blog with  your friends in the early childhood community (including parents).  For other uses of this video, you'll need to contact TLA, Inc

This game, Rhymin' Simon, is drawn from my new books for early childhood teachers (preschool AND kindergarten) and the partner book for families.   I'm so excited to be able to share the availability of  these resource books with you.

A Chance for Collaboration:

I wrote the educator one (Before They Read) especially for busy preschool and kindergarten teachers. It creates a perfect opportunity for you to create a joint book club with parties from both environments and discuss the needs of children in the transition between preschool and kindergarten.  As I travel the country, I often see kindergarten teachers sharing what they believe children need when they come to school but I believe there needs to be more of a dialogue with both sides sharing their expertise (and preschool teachers often have more to share from their knowledge base about the developmental spectrum of young children than their kindergarten, K-3 or K-5 certified counterparts).

Likewise, the book for parents, Anytime Reading Readiness can give you the opportunities you need to talk with families about key literacy issues, their child's development and "the rush to read". 

 If you are interested in really starting a revolution, purchase the Home/School Literacy Partnership Set which contains two copies of the teacher book and 20 of the parent book.

Rhyming is the doorway into the world of thinking about words for the sounds within them (apart from their meaning).  The ability to recognize and eventually generate  rhymes comes as early as age 2.5 or 3 but it starts with simply playing with the language.  You'll notice that children who have been read to regularly often develop this skill the earliest because their parents and caregivers have been talking about how our language works with them already.  As you talk daily with your children, you have given them many great tools in the language they use; this activity and others like it are the way to effectively build on those experiences as those children move on the road toward getting ready to read.

My last gift to you:

1) Need to find great books to read with young children?  Look no further than
27 of the Literacy Ambassador's Favorite Preschool Books.

You are welcome to share this link to the list with the families you serve.  Set up a display in your classroom that highlights any of these titles you have and share a "shopping list" of great books to enjoy with your child" by listing a few on a postcard for the parents at your center.  Contact your local library and ask them to do the same!  Also encourage moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas to visit my blog for parents.

Til next time . . . share the passion and joy of reading!

THREE BIG IDEAS

Getting children ready for kindergarten is on the front burner these days. When it comes to literacy, what's the best way to "bring those children to the door"? It isn't with flashcards, flashy computer games or worksheets. It takes an integrated approach to three big ideas:

Oral language - Our speech and how we use our words is the foundation for how we understand what we read. Rich conversations about the child's immediate world and the world beyond, engaging in frequent chats, exploring new words are all a part of this foundation. Stay off the "regimented" channel.

Exploring books together. I don't often use the term "reading aloud to children" anymore because it seems to draw up images of a circle of children all sitting passively and quietly while the teacher reads an entire story from beginning to end or an individual parent or teacher "shushing" a child into quiet submission. Occasionally, if the language is rhythmic and musical and has great power, just listening to a story is OK. But most of the time it needs to look more like the entire group up to their eyeballs in thick rich meaning, interacting with the text. That's how children get the message of what reading is all about. The technique is called Engaged Interactive Read Aloud.

Playing with the language and its patterns. I underscore the word "play" because too often I see preschool teachers believing that structured lessons like those in first grade and kindergarten work for young children. They don't. You can teach children to "parrot" that way but you cannot teach what is essential - concepts. For that, children need to have concrete connections, integrated introductions, full of games and playful experiences with rhymes, alliteration, the movement and flow of the language. So sing, and have fun manipulating the language and talking about words apart from their meaning; don't make it a drill.

Want to know more? Check out sample activities from my new book, Before They Read, from Maupin House.

How do you focus on these three big ideas in your preschool environment? How do you keep the instruction developmentally appropriate while taking children as far as they are ready to go? Everyone will benefit from comments and dialogue!

A Must Resource for Preschool Teachers: NAEYC

ATTENTION ALL PRESCHOOL and CHILDCARE PROVIDERS,

If you don't know NAEYC (the National Association for the Education of Young Children), check it out. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8.

What's in it for me?

That means in plain terms that they have a lot of resources for you. There are free professional development guides, online articles to read (there's currently a great article on real-life writing in the classroom -- did you know that there are developmental stages of writing?), information about accreditation of programs and support for continuing education for teachers, and much, much more. Most of all, it gives preschool educators a place to practice their professionalism and share their knowledge while continually learning themselves.

The Literacy Ambassador® is coming to NAEYC's Washington DC Conference 11/19-20

This year I am privileged to be traveling to Washington DC (next week) for their annual conference, representing my company, TLA, Inc, by presenting on Engaging Families in Their Child's Emergent Literacy with a Goal of School Readiness (2:00-3:30PM on Thursday, Nov 20).  My new books for preschool/K teachers and for parents of preschool children is being released soon and I'm hoping to be able to share them at this conference (if I find a vendor and we can get the books to them in time.  My publisher is working on that but if you are a bookseller exhibiting at NAEYC's conference, give me a shout out!)  Regardless, if you are attending NAEYC, join me!

Maybe you can't make the trip to Washington?

Here are a few great websites to help you on your way as an early childhood educator:

Educationworld.com's Early Childhood Web Resources

Early Childhood.com

PBS Raising Readers

Which resources do you have to grow your professional approach to teaching preschool children? I'd love to hear about them and I'm sure others would too!

Print with a Purpose

As you set up your centers/stations and add to and rearrange/refresh them during the year (please tell me you do that), I want to encourage you to step back and look at the print you have in your children's environment. Although exposure to print is a great tool, it can become just visual "white noise" unless you plan carefully.

When you post ANY print, make sure you have a specific, scientifically-based purpose behind it. I'd rather see 10 things labeled purposefully in your classroom than 20 things labeled just for the sake of having a label. Here's an example:

If we label every piece of furniture and fixture in home living but we never call our children's attention to the print and talk about it (the number of letters in the word, that it is a "word", recognizing letters the child may have mastered or is at least familiar with, talking about the meaning of the word), then we are being wasteful and missing incredible opportunity. A few children might learn conventionally to read that word but all can identify that the word on the thing you sit in, with four legs, is a "chair" and talk about what chairs are used for. Don't let your focus be on decoding; let it be on seeing that print has a purpose and celebrate icing on the cake for your most advanced children if they can decode the word conventionally. It is all about meeting children where they are in their spectrum of development and not skipping over important milestones in the "rush to read".

Use print to show children how print is used in the real world (making lists, charts, comparisons, writing letters home to family, taking dictation from children to caption their artwork or record a retelling or original story).

Also post chilidren's artwork with captions dictated by the children to celebrate their already-present literacy.

You can find out more about environmental print and purposeful print in preschool classrooms through these great resources:

Play in the Preschool Classroom

What Works

An excerpt from Pat Kuby, et al's book on Environmental Print (preschool and early elementary)

The Impact of Environmental Print

How do you purposefully place print in your classroom? Stay tuned next time for how reading aloud adds to print awareness.

Promoting Listening Skills

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear." - Winnie the Pooh

Teaching children how to listen isn't just about making them sit quietly when you want them to.It is much more.It is about helping children attend to sounds in our language, translated those sounds into meaning, respecting the speaker, learning in internalize self-monitoring (just a little when they are preschoolers), focusing.

One of my favorite ways to get children to quiet down is with a good, quiet book. I love Bedtime in the Jungle by John Butler or Quiet by Paul Bright, just for this purpose. Think soothing, rhythmic language when you selecting books for this purpose.


Games are also the best way to teach young children to listen. Take a listening walk in your school or outside. Draw children's attention to sounds - "We must be quiet and use our ears if we want to hear anything. What do you hear? Whisper."

When you are talking with your children and you want to talk louder because they are not listening, try talking softer, even to a whisper. Do something to draw their attention. A friend of mine, Sharon MacDonald, tells a hilarious story that shows the power behind engagement. One day in her classroom, the noise level was growing too high, even for her. She liked hearing conversation because she knew learning was often happening when children were talking with one another. However, it was nearly a roar.

Suddenly, she had a bright idea: she took a simple tape measure she had in her desk (one of those stiff that has a metal measuring "tape" that extends and contracts into a square container - like they use on construction sites). She slowly starting pulling out the tape, very intently looking at it all the while. It grew longer and longer. She didn't look over at the children; she looked at the tape.


Soon, several of her children came over to see what was up. She just kept looking at the tape as it grew longer and longer. A few more children came."What are you doing, Ms. MacDonald?", one inquisitive child asked. "Shhhh." was her only reply.

When the majority (or maybe it was even the entire class) was surrounding her, all staring up at her and the growing tape, she finally stopped. The tape was about 2 or 3 feet out by that time. Again, a child asked, "what are you doing?" She replied simply, "I was just measuring how loud we were. Look at this!" Then she slid the tape back into its container. "Now we are this loud, very quiet," she said in a small voice.

For the first time, her students had an opportunity to see a visual representation of their noise level. It was more meaningful than just "be quiet now".

Isn't that a great story? It shows us as educators that the key to getting children to listen is not scolding but is creative engagement. If we are involving children in exciting, intriguing, interesting activities (and changing activities when we recognize that children need that change - in other words - responding to their limited attention spans), we will have less correcting and directing to do.

Attending to sounds is also important, as most of our children will learn to read through a method called "phonics". This method connects sounds in our language to the graphic representations of letters, teaches children how to blend those sounds into words, and connect to the words the child knows in their oral vocabulary (or grows new vocabulary).

Stay tuned! In coming weeks you'll be hearing about my new book for preschool and kindergarten teachers: Before They Read: Teaching Language and Literacy Development Through Conversations, Interactive Read Alouds, and Listening Games.


I'd love to hear how you create engaging situations in your classroom. How to you creatively get children to listen?& Do you have a listening center? Do you have a theme on listening?

Teaching Vocabulary

It's easy to think that having children say the definitions of words over and over is the best way to learn. Absolutely not in preschool especially. So how do we help young children grow vocabulary? Here are two ideas:

1) recognize that your everyday conversations are a primary source for growing vocabulary. Talk with your children throughout the day, during read aloud time, at lunch, outside. No preschool teacher should be at her desk or standing to the side during center or free play time.

Get down on the children's level and inquire, investigate, draw in those words from your read aloud that may be new to your children. When you teach on themes, this is easy. Have a new word to celebrate each day or each week and use it often, in different circumstances and contexts.

Don't be afraid to use big words with them. But use them as naturally as you are able. Even if you aren't used to talking that way, be purposeful in your use of those words with them. Connect them to synonyms that your children already know. I love Ogden Nash's Adventures of Isabelle because in the midst of teaching children to be confident, he uses great words like "cavernous" and "ravenous". Here are a few other titles that are excellent for growing vocabulary (did you know you can do that, even if there are few or no words?). You'll be able to find a complete list of such titles to build conversation in my upcoming book for teachers, Before They Read: Language and Literacy Development Through Conversations, Interactive Read-alouds and Listening Games (to be released in November, 2009). Here's a taste, but stay tuned!

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
Bear Snores On (and other books by Karma Wilson)
Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell
Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Fuzzy by Sarah Boynton
I Like Black and White by Barbara Jean Hicks

2) Share those same words with your families that you use during the day so they can talk about those big (and not so big) interesting words too and use them in conversations with their children. Do you know what "decontextualized" language is? That's speaking in the future or past tense, rather than just the here and now. Talking in that way not only encourages vocabulary but also more abstract thinking skills. You may already do that when you talk in circle time about what the children had for breakfast or plan together what you will do later in the day. Be sure to remember to send those books with great vocabulary home so the children can explore them with Mom or Dad, big brother, Grandma or a neighbor.

Oral language is the basis for written language. When your preschool children are ready to learn to read conventionally (either before or after they go to kindergarten -- either might be normal for them), their strong vocabulary will make reading easier. They'll listen to the word as they sound it out and blend it, it connects to that word they know in their oral language and BAM! they've got it. Ask thinking questions to expand their language; use scientific terms like "document" instead of "write down" or "experiment" instead of "try it out." With a little thought, you'll have a great impact!

Storytelling in Preschool

Today I received an inquiry from an author who wanted to talk about storytelling and its impact on literacy in preschoolers. What a great topic!

Anyone can tell a story. Young children's oral language development, vocabulary and their ability to communicate with confidence grow during the preschool years more than any other time in their lives. Tap into the natural opportunities in your classroom to encourage this skill of storytelling. Here are a couple of ideas that you can use in the classroom tomorrow:

1) Especially if you work with 2-3 year old children, you hear often "read that story again!" Children are learning about the structure of stories, that there is a beginning, middle and end, as they listen to familiar books. They are also learning how just the right word choice makes a story lively and communicates what they feel. Place a few props (felt or laminated pieces representing the main characters in a story, or objects that appear in the story) to help children remember the proper sequence in the story as they retell it in your "book nook" or storytelling center. Incorporate that into circle time where the children are actively engaged in helping tell a familiar story when you prompt with "what happens next?"

2) Busy parents need ideas for how to encourage their children's growing literacy and storytelling is one of the best. Our children love to hear about the day they were born, their mom or dad's life when they were a child, etc. First ask them to share a few of those stories with their children, taking time to elaborate and give good details. I still remember stories from my childhood like that. It also gives children a sense of belonging and personal history. Also remind families that letting their child tell stories (the one they heard in the family or one from school) help children learn to use our language effectively. They will also learn incredible things about their children when they listen. Teach your parents how to expand on what their children are saying, reflect back to them and ask for more!

3) Model good storytelling. To do that, you need to watch some great storytellers in action. There are storytelling festivals all over the country. In my own neck of the woods, there's an annual Athens (AL) Storytelling Festival with lots of different styles (funny, entertaining, sentimental, and thought-provoking). Check out the storytelling festivals in Jonesboro TN (The International Storytelling Festival), Three Rivers in Pittsburg, PA or The Toe River festival in my own native state North Carolina.

Don't forget that children tell stories when they talk about what they are doing in centers during free play time. Expand on what they say, encourage them to share through language and create great stories there too (a few of which you can take down in dictation and share with the world!)

Enjoy the story!

Setting Up Your Centers

All of you are working hard getting ready for school(or a few of you may have already started). Think outside the box with a few ideas for incorporating literacy in every one of them.

1) Think incorporation/integration - not "lessons". Blackmasters and worksheets will come soon enough in elementary school. In the blocks center, for instance, enlarge copies of floor plans from real estate magazines, have copies of Architectural Digest or other construction/building magazines and model for your children how to search those for building and construction ideas. Include a hard hat and clip board so they can draw their own designs.

2) Don't forget writing. Instead of having a designated writing center, why not make a portable one that can move with the children. A shower caddy, metal paint bucket or peach basket (for those of us in the South) all work well. Stock it with writing utensils, letter stamps and patterns, plenty of paper (ask your families to contribute note cards they get as samples in the mail or those address labels from charities). Keep it in a prominent place and remind your children that it's available. Deliver it to centers at first to increase usage.

Be sure to join children from time to time in their writing attempts. Allow them to dictate captions for their art work, notes to Mom and Dad or a "I need to talk aloud to solve this problem" notes. All of these solidify in young children's minds the various authentic purposes for writing.

3) Think of the center where the least literacy is present. Ask yourself how you can infuse reading, writing, listening, communicating and viewing into that center. Feel free to share your ideas!

TLA, Inc. has a newly revised workshop on Literacy In Every Center. You can visit us at www.readingisforeveryone.org or email cathypmiller@comcast.net for details.

Happy New School Year! Dedicate This One to Literacy, Life and Love

I don't know about you but I'm excited to see the new school year begin. Fresh new faces replace those we already miss and with those children come new challenges. Here are three tips to get you through the first days (to discover my secret about threes, read beyond these three tips to the end of this post):

1) Do everything you can (with the help of director, other teachers and other staff) to connect positively to every family associated with the children in your class. That will be easy for some - they'll introduce themselves. Others may come from a different place (physically, intellectually, socioeconomically or emotionally) than you and those will be more challenging. Start with a kind word, a complement about their child. Those are sure to get attention. When you talk with that parent, listen carefully to their language, find out a little about their family. That will help you when it comes to literacy in the classroom.

2) Commit that this year, no matter how tired you are when it comes to read aloud time, that you'll take a deep breath, draw on the little bit of energy left in your big toe, and mesmerize your children with that story. You are the commercial for reading; be sure it is a positive, affirmative one.

3) Do a short inventory of your read aloud books. Flag those that have rhyming language in them and make sure that you read at least one of them a day. Whether poems, words to rhyming songs, or traditional story books, keeping that rhythm in your children's ears will open the door for phonological awareness. If you aren't sure about that term, check out TLA's workshops for preschool teachers at http://www.readingisforeveryone.org/pdfs/staff/staff_pre_event.pdf to find "What in the Heck is Phonological Awareness". TLA has a program for out of town clients where you can earn discounts for your own presentation/training by recommending additional organizations, schools, parent groups, libraries, etc. in your area who might want to book at the same time. Restrictions apply so be sure to call for details.

Now for my story about threes. My dear mom (now gone two years) is the inspiration for what I do now and she was a woman of threes herself. She was the third or three girls, married a third child, had three children herself, two of which were born on the 3rd of the month, one that was three days late. I find that hanging my ideas on a tripod always makes me feel like Momma is sitting right there on my shoulder.

Create your own lists of three and celebrate literacy every day with your children (do you know that literacy is now considered reading, writing, listening, communicating AND viewing/observing?)