23.9.22

Helpful resources for preschoolers

I know most parents/educators land on this site because they have struggling older readers. However, I’m sharing this because there may be younger readers in a family who a parent wants to help get ‘prepped’ for school (e.g maybe a 4-5 year old). Also, if you have extended family with younger children in the pipeline, it is worth spreading the word about supporting early literacy skills as much as possible, as dyslexia likes to hang-out in family groups (due to genetic links.)...*See below.



READY TO READ?
A few days ago, a parent member in one of the education groups I belong to requested some pre-reading activities for younger children, for instance, early alphabet skills. (Also, a few weeks ago, there was a bit of a debate in the group about whether Structured Literacy was developmentally appropriate for preschool settings.)
In NZ preschools, it is rare to find under-5s taught any alphabet skills in a formal way, as the emphasis is on child-directed learning through free play in our national ECE curriculum. Rightly so, the emphasis is on oral language, both everyday conversations and ‘storytelling language’ (oral traditions or book ‘read alouds’), as well as rhymes, songs and word-play.
However, in NZ homes, it is common for children to be given alphabet books from birth, A-Z colouring books and alphabet jigsaws etc, and many schools have the expectation that a new entrant student can at least write their own name or names.

EARLY READING & WRITING IS OK
So, what to do, if your preschooler is not getting much exposure to alphabet knowledge in their preschool sessions (presuming they are not already home-schooled)?
Literacy expert Prof Timothy Shanahan, in his literacy blog, recently said to start exposing a young child to the ‘alphabetic principle’ (letters are code for sounds) as early as you can, provided the child is showing an interest. Even then, he said, only do in small, age-appropriate doses and keep it fun and engaging. https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/when-should-reading-instruction-begin#sthash.9SvsyKBX.dpbs

SL-ALIGNED, FREE PRESCHOOL RESOURCES
As part of Covid-19, some great resources were made freely available through Phonics International by Debbie Hepplewhite. (I’m not recommending the rest of her site here, unless you are a teacher, as there is a lot to navigate.) But these two resources are worth highlighting.
Two excellent pre-reading resources in the link are:
Phonics and Talk Time Books For Preschoolers 1 and 2 &
Teeny Reading Seeds (especially the colouring and handwriting alphabet activity sheets and the alphabet multi-skills sheets. The decoding sheets can be left until later, unless your learner is especially keen…)
Note, these activity sheets are for a child to have fun working on with the guidance of an understanding adult. They can be printed out and turned into little activity books. If the preschooler is interested, just do a little bit at a time. 
The activities combine lots of oral language to be supplied by the helping adult, so it is working in vocabulary and early phonological awareness activities at the same time, e.g. rhymes and word play.
The resources can be found here:
https://phonicsinternational.com/cv-lockdown-resources/
Or https://phonicsinternationalpreschool.com/
(Or if those links break, just search on the home page for ‘Talk Time’ or ‘Teeny Reading Seeds’.)

HARDCOPY vs APPS
From my observations, lots of younger parents now seem to use Ipads and smartphone apps as their first option for giving their young kids a learning boost. While digital games have their place, in small doses, as a teacher (and former Playcentre educator) my preference is still for an adult to be working alongside a preschool child, talking to them and assisting them to expand their skills, including their book skills or concepts about print (top to bottom of the page, ‘reading/writing’ left to right and turning real pages!) I also can’t emphasise enough how important it is to model correct pencil grip.

HANDWRITING TIPS
For very young kids, interested in colouring in activities or copying shapes or letters, consider using ‘crayon rocks’ or thick crayon sticks e.g honeysticks, to encourage the later correct pincer grip needed for pencil use. For even earlier development, before the colouring-in or copying letters phase, start with picking up small objects with fingers (such as bead threading), using playdough for strengthening hand muscles, and painting or using chalk while standing at an easel (to encourage correct strokes from the top to the bottom of a page).
For young students interested in ‘writing’ letters, e.g. their own or family member’s names, here is another useful site. It has free handwriting animations and printable worksheets, beginning with simple patterns before moving onto symbols for letters. Don’t rush this - only do a little at a time, and always supervise. If not done correctly, with correct pencil grip, it is harder to correct letter formation later on.
https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/parents.html

INTERVENTION 
* For any intervention work, because of concerns about early speech development or a strong family history of dyslexia, please FIRST see the free PA and alphabet resources by Prof Gail Gillon at Canterbury University: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/education/research/phonological-awareness-resources/

READ ALOUDS
Of course, it is also essential to keep reading storybooks and nonfiction books to our preschool (and school) children, and talking about their contents, and doing so regularly.
The Better Start Literacy Approach team that Prof Gillon works with have made a free, online parent-friendly course for those interested in knowing how to make the most out of a shared story time, by expanding on word play and building a child’s wider vocabulary.
https://www.edx.org/course/a-better-start-to-reading

YOUTUBE CHANNELS FOR BEGINNER READERS
Other options are to watch these channels with your young child or children:
  • The ‘Reading Buddies’ show for young kids (by The Reading League) on Youtube 
https://www.youtube.com/c/ReadingBuddiesTRL/about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-eg7agwXOY Season 1, Ep 1.

FINE MOTOR, LANGUAGE AND SCHOOL READINESS CHECKLISTS AND CHARTS:
These checklists and charts (below) help both parents and educators get an idea of ‘typical’ development stages by age for kids. Although individuals obviously vary, these checklists can help us understand where a child sits on a continuum of learning, from easy to more complex tasks:
  • 0-3 year old: Fine motor/visual motor developmental milestones
  • 0-8 year old: Language milestones and possible implications for delays

DON'T COMPARE US WITH FINLAND!
Another good article (alongside Shanahan's one) about the benefits of early instruction, and putting the often touted ‘Finnish later school start is OK’ in context, can be found here: 
https://fivefromfive.com.au/blog/when-should-reading-instruction-begin/

In short, early literacy development is important for all children and early intervention is essential for any child struggling with these skills.

I know there are lots of other resources available, but the ones I have selected are here because they are aligned with SL and they are FREE! I hope someone finds these resources helpful. :) 

Nga mihi,
Miss Anon :)












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20.9.22

Bronze: doing 'half-hearted' Structured Literacy isn't SL

Training in shifting mindsets results in gold standard results.

Alas, a tale of a tarnished dream...

The informative, evidence-based Science of Reading noticeboard that I created in the teachers' workroom at my school late last year has been removed to make way for...nothing!

This is possibly a sign that all is not as golden as it might seem, when deemed a 'whole school Structured Literacy school'.

You see, after my presentation to staff and backroom/workroom chat last year, I helped persuade the school leaders to adopt a SL approach in 2022. I also recommended a gold standard PLD provider, with lots of supporting resources, so that fellow teachers could get up to speed ASAP. This came to pass.

Alas, it appears that the SL programme resources are warmly welcomed - some teachers are reporting 'loving' the streamlined package.

But, and this is the catch, some of them still say the are stumped, yes stumped, when THEY HAVE STUDENTS WHO CAN'T KEEP UP!

So the display about tiny steps, being a dyslexia-friendly school and digging deeper to get to the why of a behaviour was all for nought.

Being diagnostic and using a Response to Intervention model, across all three tiers, has been largely ignored. The school has kept its same, limited teacher-aide assisted programmes and has ruled out any intensive intervention due to cost. When questioned about this, the Senior Leadership Team said: "SL in the classroom will take care of that" or some such platitude.*

As someone wiser than me recently said (Dr Nathan Swain in his Cognatorium blog), making progress with the Science of Reading using a 'programme' is only about 20% attributable to the resources itself and the remaining 80% difference is made by the knowledgeable teacher. So, conversely, if the teacher (or school leader) is not knowledgeable, the progress will be slight, not matter how snazzy or streamlined are the programme resources.

Why then, do I suspect, was the display removed? Partly it just got in the way of a revamp of the teachers' workroom, which had some new storage shelves added. However, that it was discarded in a pile of rubbish speaks volumes about how the Science of Reading and Learning is viewed at my school. The WHY is not seen as ESSENTIAL and at the forefront of what we are doing. A SL programme is, sadly, seen as a nice 'add-on', a tool for getting something done. It is not being seen as a whole school mind shift, as a whole school APPROACH.

This mindset disconnect is important to highlight as we enter Term 4 and the Ministry of Education gathers its expert panel of educators to design a Common Practice Model for literacy education in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As educators, we must continue to hold fast to the prioritisation of teacher professional development around the Science of Reading and Learning, and not just around Structured Literacy programmes. We need to ensure that future curriculum content and training decisions are based on evidence and not ideology. When new, tested and more effective methods are advanced in the future, likewise we will need to adapt, but never just on a whim.

Teachers need good training, good support and good access to resources, and students across the country need equitable access to an education, no matter which year level they are in.

I shall use eyesight as an analogy. I have a vision, a direction for where I see my students heading with their learning. That comes from my head (and my heart). If I pick up resources from a programme, that is like lifting up a pair of glasses to help me focus on the immediate task at hand. But the long term view and direction for the learning journey comes from me, the teacher. 

(And, if I am sensible, I refer to a map and guidance from other teachers who have previously taken this journey. I prepare myself for possible hazards or detours, but I always plan ahead to ensure we will not get lost!)

To borrow an old phrase from NZ researcher John Hattie, famous for popularising measuring 'what works', we need 'clarity in the classroom'. (Maybe we also need to have a moral compass!)

I literally lie in bed at night worrying about what direction, what clarity the MoE and its expert panel is going to give NZ teachers in the proposed Common Practice Model. 

The 'personal is political' and I can't bear the thought of another generation of my family suffering from a substandard education as a result of unmet educational learning differences. Our story is shared by hundreds and thousands of other families across NZ. 

Dyslexia alone is the most common learning disability, but so far in NZ is one of the most poorly addressed inequities in our education system. This costs us all hundreds and thousands of dollars in lost opportunities, lost productivity and immeasurable loss of school enjoyment.

Thankyou if you have read my rant so far. I really had to get this off my chest. 

I also hope it serves as a warning to other teachers and parents: don't assume that your school is teaching Structured Literacy if it is following a 'programme', or says it is 'doing' SL. 

To be true to the principles of SL, the approach has to be embedded in the school vision and strategic planning. 

Teachers need to know the 'why' and not just the 'how'.

Ask them: Is our whole school approach diagnostic, explicit, systematic and cumulative? Is it equitable for ALL learners?

Good luck going for gold. 

I'm currently unhappy that bronze looks on the cards for my lot, unless we get some serious mind shift training underway.

(*Footnote: The Senior Leadership Team are hardworking educators, but in this instance, 'they do not know what they do not know'.)

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