BACKGROUND: In part one of this two-part series, we discussed planning intentional and differentiated language and literacy learning opportunities based on children’s needs. In this second part, we focus on ways to implement these teaching goals by embedding them within naturally occurring play (e.g., Myck-Wayne, 2010). This requires that educators use knowledge of their children and content goals to provide play opportunities that will allow children to explore and build on prior learning. We present two approaches to integrate instructional goals and children’s interests, which can then be embedded in play, highlighting the ways that planning and differentiation can be embedded in typical practice, and delivered in response to child-led teachable moments.
AUTHORS: Meredith Schilling, Early Childhood Specialist, Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning;Caitlin F. Spear, Postdoctoral Researcher, Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy
Integrate intentional teaching goals and child-led interests.
- Consider children’s interest and the focus of their play when initiating a literacy learning opportunity.
- Follow children’s lead with questions and scaffolds that also integrate planned literacy goals.
- Allow instruction to be flexible to meet the developmental, academic, and social needs of all children.
Embed literacy learning opportunities in play across the day.
- Take advantage of teachable moments and align play opportunities with the literacy skills you are targeting.
- Embed opportunities widely, such as in dramatic play, gross motor, and transition activities.
- Remind children of how they used the literacy activity in previous opportunities.
APPLICATION: In the scenarios below, Meredith embeds intentionally planned literacy learning opportunities.
Meredith uses intentional teaching goals when she pulls a small group to support Leon in his writing that builds on his interest in animals and peer-based play. She explains that they are going on a safari in the block area, where the class has created a jungle out of blocks and plastic animals, and that they will be observing animals. Meredith asks questions about what the children are observing while they draw, and offers scaffolds as children add labels to their pictures. Meredith asks Leon to work with a peer to identify the sounds in the word zebra, and then they spell it in magnet letters. He even writes an “L” on his picture of a lion! When Leon is working with friends in the jungle animal puppet center, Meredith reminds him of his great work on their safari, and asks if he can help another friend figure out the sounds in the word rhino while they write the word for a sign for the puppet center.
Meredith has added jungle animal stamps to the letter center. When she sees Jayana and Juan make a plan to work there together, she takes advantage of this teachable moment and joins them so she can differentiate this flexible activity to make it engaging and challenging for both of them. When Jayana covers a page with monkey stamps, Meredith asks, “Do ‘Jayana’ and ‘monkey’ start with the same sound, or do ‘Jayana’ and ‘jaguar’ start with the same sound?” Meredith then helps Jayana pair animal stamps with their first letters using magnet letters, while she supports Juan in sounding out and writing the names animals using stamps and markers.
Meredith has also added animal costumes to dramatic play, and sees that Sama is dressing up like a tiger. Meredith decides to embed a literacy opportunity in Sama’s play, and brings over letter stickers and helps Sama pick out the letters she hears in “tiger” to make a nametag for her costume. When they transition to the gym, Meredith continues to support this literacy skill by placing letters on the floor and prompting Sama to jump like a tiger onto the various letters that she calls out so that she can continue to practice letter recognition.
TO LEARN MORE:
NAEYC Books: From Play to Practice
DEC Learning Deck: Using Embedded Learning Opportunities
REFERENCES:
Myck-Wayne, J. (2010). In defense of play: Beginning the dialog about the power of play. Young Exceptional Children, 13(4), 14-23. doi:10.1177/1096250610376616
Other Resources
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/books/from-play-to-practice
http://media.wix.com/ugd/38a114_28d2342b5f3c4456960b86d248d17971.pdf