Early Literacy Skills….What are they?

Early literacy skills include sooooooo many things such as phonological awareness, print awareness, vocabulary development, listening, speaking, and fine motor skills. The list can seem overwhelming but the good news is…..all these skills are what young children will develop naturally given a supportive and nurturing environment. Parent and teachers can support the development of early literacy by talking to children about a wide variety topics, reading aloud from a wide variety of books, singing simple songs, doing fingerplays, and pointing out letters and sounds in environmental print. What could be easier than saying, “Oh, look at that big letter W! That starts the word Wal-mart,” as you are walking into the store with your child?

Simple Poetry Develops Literacy Skills

Learning to read in English is helped by the ability to rhyme. Research suggests students benefit from direct instruction in rhyming words and it is great to do with fun activities that target this skill.

Teaching children to rhyme can be done with familiar poems like “1-2 Buckle My Shoe.” We have used this poem as a frame and developed several variations of this poem. Here are two samples of what we have written.

These are both part of complete packets full of additional resources. There are photographs and informational text that help build background knowledge for the study of the Ocean as well as much more.

Beginning Readers Promote Literacy

Included in the packet are 2 Beginning Readers. These Beginning Readers are great for getting students to finger-match on familiar text (once they have have learned the 1-2 poem!). Send the books home to add to a Reading Box for repeated readings which builds fluency. The second book features High Frequency words in patterned sentences. These are highly supportive for students developing early reading skills as well as second language learners.

Sentence building with word cards and pictures make a great literacy center. Use the photo cards in a pocket chart or use them to build sentences with high frequency words. There are also a good variety or Interactive printables to provide even more experience with the text.

Writing is a Key Literacy Activity

Themed writing paper is fun and inspiring to young writers. Who wouldn’t want to write a little story or even just a sentence to go with their picture on some fun paper? Here is a sample of what is included in this 1-2 An Ocean For You packet. Also included is a Take-Home booklet where students trace over sentences and add missing parts to the picture. Students LOVE these take-home booklets!

Going to the Beach!

Just like the 1-2 Ocean Packet we created a 1-2 Beach For You packet with similar pieces. Click the picture to find it at our TPT Store!

Literacy Games Help Students learn in a Fun Way!

Learning High Frequency words is a necessary skill for fluent reading. What better way to learn these words than with a fun game! Here is a FREEBIE Path Game. Students roll the dice, move that many spaces, turn over a word card, and read it. If they have trouble reading it, an adult or more capable reader helps out! No one is penalized for not being able to read the word, of course! The whole idea is to learn to read new words so…..someone can help you learn them! This FREE game, Camping! What Fun path game comes in Color and Black and White with 45 High Frequency Word cards, and Go Ahead and Go Back cards. EDITABLE versions of the word cards are included so ANY words can be added! Click Here to link to this FREEBIE at our TPT store.

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