Posted in Blog, Headlines

Maybe we should all listen to Kindergarteners…

As a teacher educator, I spend a great deal of time in early childhood and elementary classrooms observing student teachers. Not only do I enjoy seeing the students who worked so hard to master their craft succeed in the classroom, but I also enjoy spending time with children. They have such a pure and truly honest view of the world.

Continue reading “Maybe we should all listen to Kindergarteners…”

Posted in Be a PhD, Headlines, Literacy, Teaching Strategies, Toddler, Writing

Interactive Drawing with Toddlers

Interactive Drawing is a practice found in many early childhood classrooms. The premise is that a teacher explains to the children that authors use drawing to show their thinking on paper. It is also emphasizes that drawing is writing and can communicate a message. This is especially important for children who aren’t writing yet, and are still in the drawing stages. Because truthfully – they are writing! Continue reading “Interactive Drawing with Toddlers”

Posted in Headlines, Literacy, Oral Language, Teaching Strategies

Using Photographs for Oral Language Development

Oral language development is the basis for all other literacy development. Children must first develop their oral language skills (listening and speaking), and then they will be able to participate in reading and writing. Here is one of the first activities I do with my early childhood students in our literacy class to emphasize oral language development. It’s easy to do and produces new words and sentences quickly and in a very interactive way.

This activity can be done with preschoolers and up. The older the children are, the more they can do in the activity. Read on and see what I mean…

Continue reading “Using Photographs for Oral Language Development”