September, 2014

Names, Names Everywhere

How do you begin to pique childrens interest in
written language when they have not yet demonstrated
curiosity, but where you as an educator sense a need to elicit
such fascinations?
As Sharon and I noticed a need to engage some of our
children in written literacy experiences, we realized the
power of a childs name. Knowing the feelings of pride and
enjoyment that children experience when engaging with
things that represent their identities, we knew that using the
childrens names would captivate and engage our learners in
ways that only this symbol of themselves could.
We used this knowledge to introduce a meaningful
writing experience as we hid the childrens names around our
classroom, which was pursued by an invitation to become a
name detective by wearing funny glasses and searching the
room for their hidden name. We strategically placed paper and
markers on a table, inviting the children to print their name
once they found it.

collaboration among a large group of

Immediately following our invitation to
detective many children began searching
for their names. N.C. was one of the first
find his name with the help of his peer
N.C., look I found your name R.F. said
as he handed N.C.his name card. N.C.
name card and then went to the table to
name. Watching this occur, Mrs. Murphy
N.C. and said, Close your eyes and I
again. N.C. giggled and with much joy
okay as he covered his eyes.

This challenge we placed before our students provoked

true
engageme
nt and
children.
be a name
the room
children to
R.F..
excitedly
took the
print his
looked at
will hide it
replied

The excitement demonstrated by the few children who were first attracted to this activity as they found,
wrote and had someone re-hide their name, led to interest in many of the other students in the class as several
children began to engage in the name detective activity. These children spent a significant portion of the
morning engaged in this literacy activity as they continued to ask their peers, or Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Brown
to continue to re-hide their names.

The large group engagement that followed this provocation for learning allowed the children to
demonstrate their abilities in written and oral language as they worked with their peers and teachers to problem
solve, recognize print and demonstrate an awareness and knowledge of letters as they wrote and discussed their
own name, as well as the names of their peers.
September, 2014

Using literature as a Catalyst for Oral and Written Literacy Experiences

When unique pieces of literature have a participatory
element, are tied to humor and are brought to life by
dramatizing the content, an educator can create strong
opportunities to extend childrens learning, in addition to
fostering positive literary experiences that can inspire children
to engage more deeply with the writings they have been
exposed to.
During an afternoon whole group experience Mrs.
Brown engaged the class in a read aloud with the book, Dont
Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. During the story
the children were completely enthralled by the story line as they
laughed and participated as their attention was undoubtedly
fixed on the book as Mrs. Brown read each page using her voice
to embellish the emotions and content portrayed within the
story.
The children were so taken by this story that after Mrs.
Brown had finished reading, she placed the book and some
paper on a table and invited the children to use the story as
starting point to create their very own literature. Immediately
after this invitation was given, a group of boys gathered writing
materials, and writing resources such as letter sheets and began
to draw, create and print as they represented their thinking
through visual and written means.
J.M. used the cover of Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the
Bus, as inspiration as he created characters out of construction
paper to use in his book. In addition, to reproducing the written
text from the book within his own story. C.D. used the idea of
speech bubbles that are used throughout the book in his own
story to represent what his characters were saying. After the
boys had completed their stories they sought out their peers, as
well as Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Murphy to share their creations, as
they read their newly created literature with pride.
In affording children opportunities were they are able to
connect with literature through visual, auditory and tactile

processes, educators are able to open the doors for a variety of literary skills to emerge in written and oral
language. As students explore language structures, book conventions and classroom resources while conveying
their ideas orally and in written form they are able to demonstrate their abilities in language.
September, 2014

Using Written Language as a Problem Solving Tool

How are children able to solve conflict when problems arises in play,
when they have not yet thought of a solution and when they are having trouble
seeing past their sole perspective?
A group of children were partaking in a parallel play experience as they
separately placed pieces of a train track together within the same area. As the
children started to notice each other using the same materials they began
without conversation using the track structures each other had put together. The
children began moving their trains in differing directions on the tracks which
resulted in collisions, as well as confrontation about which ways the trains
should move on the track.
Noticing the children were struggling to solve their problem with the
trains, Mrs. Murphy began to talk to the children about what they had created
and how they could solve the problem they were having. After some back and
forth deliberation between the children and Mrs. Murphy the idea arose that the
children needed road signs to help them ensure all the trains were safe on the
track.
The children and Mrs. Murphy gathered some writing materials, paper
and clothes pegs and set out to make road signs to solve the problem they were
having. As the children sat down in preparation for beginning to create their
signs, Mrs. Murphy asked, What type of signs to you think you need. J.K. replied, We need a stop sign.
After a moment of silence, N.V. shouted We need a sign to tell us to go, too. The children then took
responsibility for creating the two different signs, as J.K. began to cut out red rectangles for the stop sign and
N.V. began cutting out green rectangles for the go sign. After the boys cut out their rectangles they sounded out
the words stop and go with Mrs. Murphys assistance.
When they boys had finished printing their words, they used the clothes pegs as a stand to hold
their signs upright. As they looked at their finished products, Mrs. Murphy asked, Are there any other signs
you might need for your train track before you go back to play with the trains? I know when I drive my car on
the road there are lots of different signs that keep me safe J.K. thought for a moment and then grabbed a blue
paper and wrote the number 10 on it and said, a speed sign. The children then went back to the train track
placed their signs with care around the track and began to play with the trains, this time using the signs to stop
and go as they worked in collaboration ensuring they were each able
to move freely and safely around the track without encountering any
other social disagreements.

Literacy is used in our day to day experiences to aid people

in multiple ways, in giving children the tools needed to use literacy

to assist them in their own problem solving, we are able to give our students a variety of contexts in which they
begin to see the value in the written and oral word.

September, 2014

Capturing and Maintaining Group Interest

Young learners use their prior knowledge and
experiences as a platform to extend their thinking as they draw
on the past to create new connections in the present.
Sharon and I use an alphabet box, to engage the
children in learning experiences with sound and letter
recognition as children match the beginning sounds of pictures
to their corresponding letters during a regular whole group
activity. To begin this literacy activity, we shake the alphabet
box and sing whats in the box, the box, the box, whats in
the box, what it could be. The children then take turns pulling
pictures out of the box to match them to their letter.
Capitalizing on the interest children had in finding their
names around the classroom, we placed pictures of the
children in a mystery box and used their name cards to match
their pictures to during a whole group experience, using our
alphabet box song to signify when a child would get a turn to
pull a picture out.
The following day we placed the name cards, pictures
and mystery box in an area where the children would have
access to it. Taking notice to the presence of these materials
G.R. took the name cards and laid them out on the carpet.
Some of the other children took interest in what G.R. was
doing and sat down with her on the carpet.
The children then began to enact the game we had played the previous day, as they took turns matching
each other pictures to the name cards. The intense interest in this activity led to the children not only
demonstrating their awareness of letter and sound recognition as they matched pictures to the correct names but
it additionally, offered opportunities where the children were
able to negotiate with each other in turn taking and while they
assisted one another in problem solving in situations where they
were unsure of the letters in their peers names.
The classroom is interwoven with a variety of voices,
diversity that brings with it chances to expand oral language
skills as children learn to hear themselves and others in the
context of the group, ultimately providing them with resources
for social situations as they become more proficient in their oral
literacy skills.

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