2.2 Recognise subtle differences & levels in literacy and
numerical learning & development according to age, ability, culture, &
social circumstances
WEEK 8 - PARTICIPANT – What does this mean to me?
TAGS The Very Hungry Caterpillar, counting, ascending order,
emergent literacy, indigenous and non-indigenous, culture, children, Vygotskian
theory, rhyme, repetition, poetry, social circumstances.
This week
I wanted to explore how I can introduce young children to participate in
literacy and numeracy activities, within the classroom.
WHAT?
The first
article I have chosen is Using Picture Books To Support Children’s Learning by
Janis Strasser and Holly Seplocha (2007). I chose this article because it
was interesting and looked at how children can be participants using emergent
literacy.
The
second article I found was titled Numeracy in the early years: Project good
Start by Sue Thomas (2004). I chose this article because it was an
interesting case study comparing indigenous and non-indigenous children and
their ability with numeracy and literacy, what they have learnt at home before
starting preschool and school. The article also gave some practical
suggestions on how to introduce numeracy concepts within the classroom.
This page has been updated with additional information from
This page has been updated with additional information from
Kaye Plowman, (2011). Everyday Play – in association with playgroup Victoria – play experiences for young children Australia. I found this information very useful in supporting my writing.
SO WHAT?
Reading
picture books to very young children is very important because it enhances
their developing literacy skills, which can be embedded when using an engaging
book. Infants love to be held while someone reads aloud to them (Plowman,
2011). Children are learning to listen to sounds and are becoming
familiar with words. As children become older they also start to learn
about phonological and phonemic awareness the ability to hear sounds of words
and letters. They also learn that letters can make a variety of different
sounds. Picture book reading incorporates these skills together instead
of focusing on skills in isolation alone, for example some picture books have
rhymes, some have poems some are repetitive, some even have numbers
incorporated into them allowing young children the ability to count etc.
Children
of preschool age are able to recite the books they love. They enjoy
hearing the same story over and over again. Research has shown that
additional props and tools added to the centres can help to further develop children’s
cognitive abilities of understanding and children’s conversations on what they
have learnt.
Vygotskian
theory supports the notion that through interaction with adults reading texts
aloud children transfer their understanding and skills they have heard and make
meaning of their world around them (Strasser and Seplocha, 2007.
The
numeracy reading explored children’s backgrounds such as geographically
isolated, rural locations, socioeconomic and urban areas. It even looked
at children from indigenous communities, and how their home experiences shape
their classroom experiences in particular their experiences with numeracy.
Stage 1
of the study found that a fourteen-item list of assessment instruction was
administered to the children to ascertain their cognitive level ability in
three key areas these included:
· Copying
of geometric figures, squares, circles, diamonds triangles etc
· Symbol
recognition – letters numbers, words and the ability to count.
· Drawing
picture of self.
Stage 2
of the study looked at how clearly a child can write their own name, taking
into consideration level 0 was the child produced nothing. Level 1 the
child scribbled with no recognisable letters from their name. Level 2
found that the child could produce some recognisable letters from the name,
letters were poorly formed and the child's name was often incomplete.
Stage 2 concluded that most children in the study were at level 3 - could
recognise and produce their name, but the study found that letters were poorly
formed, or their name was written in reverse. Level 4 found letters
became clearer over time with only some letters written in the reverse, as the
child grew older and their cognitive ability grew and developed so did their
ability to write clearly.
The
majority of the data indicated that indigenous children performed lower than
their non-indigenous peers. However they only made up for less than one
quarter of the preschoolers sampled. The study also found there was a gender
difference too, with boys performing better in areas such as number and
measurement. Girls performed better with space concepts. The study
also found that children that came from homes with English as a second language
also performed less well in areas particular measurement and space.
The study
then focused on females performed better in areas such as language and fine
motor skills were better nurtured in girls than boys, researchers wondered if
educators are more comfortable teaching and communicating with girls and this
further develops their language and fine motor skills with girls than working
with boys
The
article then focused on the importance of play and that children’s growth
develops through socialisation and development. Children developed
confidence, independence, curiosity self-control, communication skills as well
as cooperative behavior by working with others.
NOW WHAT?
Picture
books are important to young children’s learning. They provide
opportunities for cognitive learning, one way this can be achieved is when
reading the story of “The Three Little Pigs” to young children and asking them
to compare the house made of sticks to the house made of straw to the house of
bricks.
The
teacher is also able to plan open-ended art projects that build on and
synthesizes knowledge gained for example the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to
a butterfly in “The Very Hungry Caterpillar", by Eric Carle.
The
teacher may even find some silk worms and have the children watch the silk
worms grow and change over a period of time from egg to caterpillar, pupa to
butterfly.
The
Numeracy in the early years paper had some great practical ideas for the
classroom. One, which I found of particular interest, was the way that
numeracy was incorporated into the classroom. Some of these ideas were
subtle such as measuring water with pots and pans rice or pasta, this gave the
children opportunities to explore numeracy through play.
Having
children sit down as a whole group activity and look at odd and even numbers,
by asking what number their house was.
Another
idea was introducing books such as “The very hungry Caterpillar” by Eric
Carle. The children made a collage of The Hungry Caterpillar out of paper
plates and then drew what the caterpillar ate. A second piece appears to be
a storyboard made out of felt with perhaps Velcro on it. The children are
able to tell the story in their own words, and place the foods that the
caterpillar ate in ascending order. This is a great book for introducing
both literacy and numeracy to children, and with ideas such as storyboards the
children become the participants within their learning world. Even young children can place felt
items on the storyboard and make their own story about “The very hungry
Caterpillar”.
Image
source: http://www.storyboardthat.com/userboards/17ksane/the-very-hungry-caterpillar
REFERENCES
Plowman,
K., (2011). Everyday Play – in association with playgroup Victoria – play experiences
for young children Australia, Victoria: Five Mile Press Pty Ltd.
STRASSER, J. and SEPLOCHA, H., (2007). Using Picture Books To
Support Young Children's Literacy. Childhood Education, 83(4),
pp. 219-224.
Thomson, S. (2004). Numeracy in the early years: Project good
start. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 9(4), 14-17. Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/61906121?accountid=10910
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