Week Four

October 17, 2012, 10:30-11 a.m.

Early literacy practice: Writing

  • Writing and reading go together.
  • Writing helps children learn that letters and words stand for sounds and that print has meaning.
  • Scribbling and drawing are forms of writing — they may not be words, but the lines and pictures your child draws mean something to them.
  • Scribbling and drawing help children develop eye-hand coordination and the fine motor control they need to hold a pencil.

Early literacy skill: Narrative Skills

The ability to describe things and events and tell stories --

Why? Being able to talk about and explain what happens in a story helps a child understand that meaning of what he or she is reading. Good narrative skills lead to good comprehension.

What Can You Do to Help Build this Skill?

  • Encourage everyone one in the family to talk about their day at meal times.
  • Listen to your child’s stories and tell stories about when you or your child was young.

Books that Invite Pre-Writing

  • Ehlert, Lois. Eating the alphabet : fruits and vegetables from A to Z.

San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1989.

An alphabetical tour of the world of fruits and vegetables, from apricot and artichoke to yam and zucchini.

P EHLERT

  • Freymann, Saxton. Food for thought : the complete book of concepts for grown minds.

New York : A. Levine Books, c2005.

Uses bright photographs of fruit and vegetables shaped like animals and simple labels to teach toddlers shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites.

P FREYMAN

  • Johnson, Crockett.

Harold and the purple crayon.

[New York] : HarperCollins, c1955, 1983.

Harold goes for an adventurous walk in the moonlight with his purple crayon.

Little P JOHNSON

  • Martin Jr., Bill. Chickachicka boom boom.

New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1989.

An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.

P MARTIN

  • Schaefer, Carole Lexa. The squiggle.

New York : Crown Publishers, c1996.

As she walks to the park with her school class, a young girl finds a piece of string which her imagination turns into a dragon's tail, an acrobat, fireworks, a storm cloud, and more.

P SCHAEFER

  • Watt, Mélanie. Chester's masterpiece.

Toronto : Tonawanda, NY : Kids Can Press, c2010.

Chester is thrilled to write his own book.

P WATT

Rhymes with stories and fine motor skills

Opening Rhyme

Open them, shut them, give a little clap!

Open them, shut them, lay them in your lap.

Creep them, creep them, creep them, right up to your chin.

Open up your little mouth, but don’t let them in!

(repeat 1st two lines)

There Was a Little Turtle

There was a little turtle, (make a fist with thumb sticking out)

He lived in a box. (cup hands together for a box)

He swam in a puddle, (wiggle hand for swimming)

He climbed on the rocks. (fingers climb up other fist)

He snapped at a mosquito, (snap fingers)

He snapped at a flea, (snap). He snapped at a minnow, (snap)

And he snapped at me! (clap, gulp)

He caught the mosquito,(clap, gulp)

He caught the flea, (clap, gulp) He caught the minnow, (clap, gulp)

But he didn’t catch me! (wag pointer finger back and forth)

Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went out to play, (hold up 5 fingers)

Over the hill and far away. (move hand over “hill” and point away)

The mother duck said “Quack, Quack Quack” (hand “quacks”)

But only four little ducks came back.(hold up 4 fingers)

Four little ducks went out to play,

Over the hill and far away, (move hand over “hill” and point away)

The mother duck said “Quack, Quack Quack ” (hand “quacks”)

But only three little ducks came back. (hold up 3 fingers)

Three little ducks went out to play,

Over the hill and far away, (move hand over “hill” and point away)

The mother duck said “Quack, Quack Quack ” (hand “quacks”)

But only two little ducks came running back. (hold up 2 fingers)

Two little ducks went out to play,

Over the hill and far away, (move hand over “hill” and point away)

The mother duck said “Quack, Quack Quack ” (hand “quacks”)

But only one little duck came back. (hold up 1 finger)

One little duck went out to play,

Over the hill and far away, (move hand over “hill” and point away)

The mother duck said “Quack, Quack Quack ” (hand “quacks”)

But no little ducks came back. (make a “0” with hand)

Sad mother duck went out one day,(make a sad face)

Over the hill and far away. (move hand over “hill” and point away)

Daddy duck said “QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!” (hands on hips, yell)

And five little ducks came back. (sing quickly and softly)

Closing

My hands say “thank you” with a clap, clap, clap

My toes say “thank you” with a tap, tap, tap

Clap, clap, clap, tap, tap, tap

Rrrrrrroll your hands and wave “good-bye”!

(suit actions to words)

Take-home Tips

Writing doesn't always have to be writing — it can be tracing in sand, playing with clay or play dough, scribbling, drawing, coloring, painting, stamping, using scissors or holepunches, connecting blocks, twisting caps off and on bottles, playing with Cheerios or other small cerealor crinkling up newspaper to help strengthen finger muscles!

Encourage children to scribble, draw, paint and participate in fingerplays to get them ready to write!

Have your child decorate a Kleenex box to be a mailbox, and use it for “letters” between the family!

Make a “menu” for a pretend restaurant!