Discover new, practical methods for teaching literacy skills in your early childhood classroom.
Has teaching early literacy skills become a stumbling block to getting your preschool students kindergarten ready? Break out of the tired “letter of the week” routine and learn how to transform your lessons with fun and effective techniques. Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers will equip teachers to infuse every aspect of their teaching with exciting hands-on literacy teaching methods that engage students and help them build authentic connections with books, so that 100% of their students will have a strong literacy foundation and will be fully prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Respected author Vanessa Levin, veteran early childhood educator and author of the “Pre-K Pages” blog, breaks down the research and translates it into realistic, actionable steps you can take to improve your teaching.
- Features specific examples of teaching techniques and activities that engage students in hands-on, experiential learning during circle time, centers, and small groups.
- Offers a simple, four-step system for teaching literacy skills, based on the foundational principles of early literacy teaching
- Demonstrates how to build your confidence in your ability to get 100% of your students ready for kindergarten, long before the end of the school year
Understand the problems with traditional literacy teaching and identify gaps in your current teaching practice with this valuable resource.
Table of Contents
Introduction xiii
STEP 1: The Alphabet 1
Chapter 1: Next Time Won’t You Sing with Me? 3
Chapter 2: The #1 Well-Intentioned Literacy Mistake and How to Avoid It 9
Chapter 3: Where to Start with Teaching the Alphabet 17
Chapter 4: Your Alphabet Questions Answered 23
Chapter 5: What Learning the Alphabet Looks Like 33
Chapter 6: Alphabet Reflection 41
STEP 2: Print Awareness 47
Chapter 7: What Is Print Awareness? 49
Chapter 8: What Does Learning Print Awareness Look Like in the Classroom? 57
Chapter 9: Print Awareness Reflection 69
STEP 3: Phonological Awareness 75
Chapter 10: Phonological Awareness: What It Is and Why It’s Important 77
Chapter 11: Where to Start with Phonological Awareness 83
Chapter 12: Your Phonological Awareness Questions Answered 89
Chapter 13: What Learning Phonological Awareness Skills Looks Like 95
Chapter 14: Phonological Awareness Reflection 103
STEP 4: Oral Language 111
Chapter 15: Oral Language: What It Is and Why It’s Important 113
Chapter 16: Where to Start with Oral Language 117
Chapter 17: Oral Language Reflection 127
Chapter 18: Case Studies 135
Chapter 19: What’s Next? 143
