Introduction
Internationally, literacy is an increasingly prevalent social issue. In America, this is more the case than ever with the cost of illiteracy being over $20 billion per year (ReadFaster.com). Many may argue that this rising problem is due to an increase in other forms of entertainment such as video games, which are much more enticing to children and, as a result, reading becomes less of an option. However, reading is not solely for entertainment and in the earlier stages of education, literacy must be seen as an integral aspect of any form of curriculum: reading should be perceived as a life skill. The focus of this literature program is to integrate literacy into a Pre-School curriculum which will aim to arm the children with a sense of how important literacy is whilst establishing strong, lifelong skills and, all the while, introducing the children to the wonderful world of literature which will hopefully help to keep them reading throughout their lives.
Selection Criteria
When selecting books to be part of this program, my main criteria was to assess their suitability for the age group in terms of content, reading level and their social or cultural elements. If a book is able to lead a reader’s thoughts to make some assessment of their social and/or cultural awareness, then it acts on multiple levels to educate and improve the child. Another major criteria for the selection of specific books was the basis of how well they would fit in with other areas of literacy education: through these books, the child should be able to develop fluency and word recognition skills, whilst also learning about vowels, different types of words, sentence structures and other, more technical, aspects of literacy. Furthermore, it was vital to assess whether the book would be accessible by the children: if faced with a book which is too difficult or too easy, the child is likely to lose interest and, as a result, is likely to lose interest in reading and literature as a whole. The most vital objective that this program aims to achieve is the enabling of young people to enjoy reading, and the encouragement to continue this outside of their formal education. If the children do not enjoy this initial approach, there is a significant chance that they will feeling quite anti towards reading and literacy in the future, and it is, therefore, vital that this program is targeted and carried out carefully and with close observation made as to how well the class is progressing.
The Chosen Books
1. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
My reasons for choosing this book are simple: it is a classic, it is fun, it is simple and the story is colourfully illustrated meaning that it will hold the attention of most children. This book could be used primarily for exercises involving rhyming, spelling, or description; it is an excellent book for developmental goals involving language and personality because the book plays with words in humorous ways.
2. Elmer by David McKee
This book follows the adventures of a multi-coloured elephant called Elmer. This book is an excellent tool for learning new vocabulary with regard to colours. Whilst it is just a picture book, it is excellent for the children’s visual literacy: the children must create a story by interpreting the pictures – adding in their own details and developing their understanding of sub-text. Without the words on the page in front of them, the children can be encouraged to form their own vocabulary lists based on their interpretation of the images on each page.
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
This story is arguably one of the most well-known children’s books ever written. It tells the story of a caterpillar who eats an ever-growing list of foods and then goes into its catalyst and emerges as a beautiful butterfly. The book is fun and interactive which helps to hold the child’s attention whilst also allowing them to learn new vocabulary concerned with food and numbers. It lends itself to the development of language and can lead to a cross-curricular natured subject when discussing the natural/scientific implications of the caterpillar. It could also lead to a number of creatively developmental projects such as painting pictures of butterflies, pictures of their favourite foods, or even inventing a meal for the caterpillar.
4. The Three Little Pigs or, any traditional fairy tale or fable.
Traditional fairy tales (such as The Three Little Pigs) and fables are laden with moral and social educational pointers such as the importance of respect for others and their belongings, not talking to strangers, and being safe. These are vital life lessons being presented in a fun way for preschool children to understand, and better still there are many animated versions available online which can further enhance the students’ understanding.
5. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
This book is both beautifully illustrated and written. As each page progresses, the reader is introduced to another animal who, in turn, introduces the next animal. This book is a great way of introducing questions and the use of question marks and what they mean – developing the child’s language. As the child learns how to ask effective questions, their personality and intellect will begin to expand and this type of book allows the child to experience this first hand.
Activities
The chosen books should be utilised as fully as possible and preferably through the following recommended exercises:
Spelling tests – these are not exciting or fun but are an integral part of a child’s literacy development. These can also be made more interesting by the added element of a competition: keep a class sticker chart that works like a league of who is doing the best in these tests and at the end of each half term/term, award prizes. This helps to form the basis of an extension of their linguistic ability and vocabulary, and ultimately their intellect: these sorts of activities will enable the young children to develop into articulate adults.
Creative tasks – a number of the books feature lots of colourful illustrations which can be utilised as an inspiration for a number of creative projects. The children should be allowed the chance to explore their interpretations of the stories. This could involve them creating a painting or a drawing or even writing their own story, or creating a short dramatic piece in groups that is inspired by the plot of the book. By allowing the children the opportunity to form their own interpretations and express themselves, this enhances their creative development.
Moral and social education – an important aspect of any curriculum is to integrate education that is concerned with moral and social matters; even those pertaining to health matters. The books can form part of the basis for this: looking at fables and fairy tales, in particular, can help to teach children the difference between right and wrong. These activities could tie in neatly with the creative aspects of their education and allow the children to interpret the meanings behind a text, in their own way – they could express their understanding through story writing, dramatic performance, drawing, or the creation of a poster. In a more specific sense, the ability to begin understanding sub-text and meaning in stories, is an important skill when studying literature and is a life skill that can help in social situations too.
Personality – the development of a child’s personality must mean taking a step back and allowing them to explore who they are, in their own way, on their own terms. The exploration of this idea can be closely carried out through the reading of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In the book, the caterpillar grows into a beautiful butterfly – the children can look at themselves and discuss what they want to grow into – what and who they would like to be as an adult. This could be carried out through looking at their families, the jobs that their parents do, what they like to do, what they dream about etc. – the options are limitless and allow the children to explore who they are in a structured way with the help of a book.
How to Evaluate Progress
Before beginning the program, it is important to make a clear assessment of your students’ current levels, otherwise there will be no benchmark by which to measure their progress. Do this by carrying out tasks that assess their ability to express themselves creatively, their linguistic ability and vocabulary, their ability to interpret a text, their comprehension of basic moral and social issues and their understanding of who they are. Be sure to keep carrying out similar assessments regularly and chart their progress through a grading system. It is often difficult to quantify literacy progress due to its often subjective nature, however if you are assessing for specific aspects, it should be simpler to do. Work to a specific time zone in which to read the five stories and carry out the various tasks and be sure to carry out a final assessment at the end to evaluate their progress and the overall effectiveness of this program.
References
1. Jstart.org. America’s Early Childhood. Retrieved from http://www.jstart.org/site/DocServer/America_s_Early_Childhood_Literacy_Gap.pdf?docID=3923
2. Literacy Matters. Literacy Matters: Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.literacymatters.com/teachers.html
3. ReadFaster.com. Reading, Literacy and Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#literacystatistics
4. Stern, L. W. Literature and the Preschooler. Retrieved from http://users.stargate.net/~cokids/litpresch.html
