INTERACTIVE CHILDRENS

LITERATURE IN A
PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM
Andrea L. Packer
Childrens literature in
a preschool classroom
is not always the focus
when planning a lesson
or activity. Often times,
it is the last thing
planned for the week.
Much research has
been conducted on
children from lower
socioeconomic groups
and minority groups
tend to be further
behind their peers in
early literacy skills
(Callaghan &
Madelaine, 2012).
Preschool is designed
to engage children in
play while teaching
cognitive,
communication and
social skills essential to
school success.
However, many
daycare centers
often babysit children.
High quality
centers require their
teachers to have lesson
plans for each week,
keep detailed
documentation on each
child and individualize
their instruction to

meet the needs of the

children in the
classroom. Preschools
utilize a play-based
curriculum where childinitiated learning is
scaffolded through
interactions with their
peers and the
classroom teacher.
Work is play in
preschool. As a part of
this play, a great focus
is put on engaging the
children in as much
literacy vocabulary and
integration as possible.
Literacy Skills
taught in Preschool
Phonological awareness
is a skill that is
incorporated into each
day in a preschool
environment through
the way the teacher
rewords sentences and
repeats it back to a
child, rhyming
activities, introduction
of new vocabulary
words, etc. A study
conducted by Taylor,
Blum, and Logsdon
(1986) showed children
learn to read best in a

language-and-print-rich
environment with many
opportunities in
classroom activities to
observe, try out, and
practice literacy skills
in genuine
communicative
situations. Creating the
right environment and
bringing children into
contact with print are
building blocks toward
reading (Scott, 1991).
Some authorities agree
that preschoolers start
to read through
identification of familiar
signs and objects (Ex.
Fast food restaurants,
labels on foods, traffic
signs). Though
preschoolers reading is
often attributed to
them reading their
environment rather
than the specific
letters, preschool
teachers are in the
classroom to point out
the letters, make
connections and sound
out words.
A few strategies
that preschool teachers

INTERACTIVE CHILDRENS LITERATURE IN A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

implement to maximize
words throughout the
themselves. I wondered
childrens introduction to
room and I added their
what I could do.
words is to place words
names in various ways
I then found a CD
on the childs level with
throughout the room.
of the book being read
words, pictures, and
After the
aloud and thought it may
labels placed all around
implementation of these
engage the children.
the classroom and not
strategies, I was excited
Once I put the CD in and
just in one designated
to see how the children
taught them what the
place. Also, more
would respond. My three
beep meant, the
meaningful learning
year olds did not pay
children started entering
occurs when the words
much attention at all to
reading center to play
relate to their lives in
the words even as I
the CD and follow along
some way. Prior
would point or speak
with the book. There are
knowledge and
about the words. As I saw
many stories that I have
experience is vital to
the results, I knew there
since tried this reading
comprehension of new
had to be a way to get
engagement strategy
vocabulary (Scott, 1991).
my children into the
with including Click,
Another great way
reading and excited
Clack, Boo by Doreen
to introduce literacy into
about reading. I
Corin, and the children
a preschool classroom is
researched different
continue to utilize this
by having books in all
strategies and am going
method of reading
centers that correspond
to share with you the
stories. It is also helpful
with the objects and
strategies that worked in
for me as the classroom
activities in that center.
my classroom till I had
teacher to have a way
Having books in each
children asking to read
that the book can be
center allows the
books!
read so that I am free to
children to explore topics
help or engage other
Reading Engagement
and introduce new ideas
children in the classroom.
using CD-ROMS
into their creative play
Reading Engagement
(Teaching Strategies).
Corduroy by Don
using iPad apps
Freeman is the story of a
Reading Engagement
bear who is looks for a
Ms. Andrea, can I play
for Preschoolers
button for his overalls
on your iPad? This is a
As a preschool teacher
while all the while
question I hear multiple
myself, I find the lack of
wanting a home. The
times daily. They know
reading and literacy
book had sat on my shelf
the rule that iPad time is
integration into the
and my children were not
after snack time, but the
childrens daily lives as a
reading it. I used the
children still ask. As I was
great loss. I implemented
strategy of repeated read
struggling to find ways to
a vocabulary wall where I
alouds and the story
engage my children to
added words after our
began to come alive to
read books, I downloaded
week(s) of studying
them. They still had no
some apps that allowed
various topics, I added
interest in picking it up
my children to interact
various pictures and
and reading it
with the stories and

INTERACTIVE CHILDRENS LITERATURE IN A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

make connections to the
parts of the book, can
Herve Tullet, Tap the
hard copies at a later
you turn off narration
Magic Tree by Christie
date.
and how is this app best
Matheson, Press Here by
used (Bird, 2011)?
Herve Tullet, and
The apps that
Beautiful Oops by Barney
engaged my children
Reading Engagement
Saltzberg to name a few.
with their moving
using Books that
All of these stories are
objects, reading of the
Interest Them
interactive and my
story, asking questions
children are able to
The children are
and much more were the
remember what to do on
interested in a variety of
Dr. Suess apps such as
each page and read the
things, but I started out
Hop on Pop. The children
story themselves.
with some books that are
were able to see the
songs. The best loved
characters come alive in
Interactivity is a Key
book that is also a song
the story and here a
to Engagement in
is Were Going On A Bear
different voice reading
Reading
Hunt by Michael Rosen
the story. Also, there are
and Helen Oxenbury.
Children are entertained
key objects throughout
They are able to use new
constantly in todays
the story that when you
vocab words to explain
world. They are
touch them, they come
parts of the story such as
observing information at
alive.
swishy swashy, hoooo
an insane rate of speed.
Another resource I
woooo, squelch squerch,
Reading should be just as
used to make reading
etc. They are able to do
fun and entertaining for
come alive to my
body movements for the
young children. Allowing
children is the Reading
different parts of the
children to read what
Rainbow app. Inside of
story and with the
they love, use CDs to
the app, there are books
repetition of the story,
read the story to the
on the childrens level
they are able to read the
children, or interact with
including videos that go
story themselves within a
the story whether
with the stories/topics.
matter of time. Also, the
through media or
The stories included are
book version varies from
through movement
also interactive for the
the song version, so we
allows the child to be
children and you have
were able to compare the
invested in the story.
the choice to Read by
two.
There are so many places
myself or Read it for
to explore and lessons to
The idea of filling
me.
be learned! Lets excite
my classroom with books
children about reading!
In picking book
my children love came
apps for my children to
from an article I read in
use, a couple of key
the Reading Teacher
Resources:
questions need to be
(Ivey, 2014). Since the
asked to ensure the
We Are Going On A Bear
Bird, E. (2011). Planet
quality of the app.
Hunt story, I have since
app: kids book
Questions such as: can
added multiple stories
apps are
you easily skip through
including Mix It Up by
everywhere but

INTERACTIVE CHILDRENS LITERATURE IN A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

are they any
Education and
Treatment of
good?. School
Children, 14(3),
Library Journal,
210-226.
57(1), 26-31.
Callaghan, G., &
Madelaine, A.
(2012). Leveling
the playing field
for kindergarten
entry: research
implications for
preschool early
literacy
instruction.
Australasian
Journal of Early
Childhood, 37(1),
13-23.
Ivey, G. (2014). The Social Side of
Engaged Reading for
Young Adolescents. The
Reading
Teacher,68(3), 165171.
doi: 10.1002/trtr.1268

Scott, L.C., & And, O.

(1991).
Preschoolers
recall of object
labels in the
classroom: a
comparison of
three labelintroduction styles.

Teaching Strategies. 2012. The

creative curriculum for
preschool: phonological
awareness. Retrieved
from
http://teachingstrategies.c
om/content/pageDocs/TSCC-PhonologicalAwareness-Report_112013.pdf

Taylor, N. E., Blum, I. H., &

Logsdon, D. M. (1986).
The development of
written language
awareness: Environmental
aspects and program
characteristics. Reading
Research Quarterly, 21,
132-149.