SEEL: early literacy resource for SLPs, teachers, and parents

I have been spending a lot of time preparing speech and language sessions centered on reading and writing development.  The best part about combining speech and language with literacy...they are so dependent on one another!

In one activity focusing on phonemic awareness I can also target articulation goals (final consonant deletion, voicing errors, minimal pairs, etc.) as well as getting language goals (plural /s/, pronouns, 3rd person singular /s/, verb tenses) AND transfer the principles to comprehension strategies and prediction as I expose children to text!

And the best part...you don't even have to plan for that kind of carryover!  It will just happen as you use books and target early literacy skills.

Here is my new favorite website for teaching early literacy skills: http://education.byu.edu/seel/

The website is for the SEEL (Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy) program.  This website lists hundreds of activities for increasing literacy skills through phonemic awareness tasks like rhymes and alliteration.  Plus they add new activities frequently.

Best part:  It is totally free.  I am a huge fan of helping kids and not having to spend money for specialized programs.  Thank you BYU and thank you SEEL program.

My personal favorite page of the website is under the Lesson Plan Library: Scopes and Sequences tab.  Here you can find developmental sequences associated with early literacy.  The steps are broken down into very user friendly chunks.  Plus they have linked the steps with appropriate activities, you want to teach first developing letters?  Click on any of: M, B, T, S, O and X

*notice that the letters are not sequenced alphabetically, that is not the easiest way for kids to learn their letters!  I LOVE that they don't take the "letter of the week" approach.  (which is ok, don't freak out if that is what your pre-school is using, your kids will still learn...but evidence suggests there are better ways)

One word of advice though:  even when I have taken extra time to make sure I am hitting multiple goals with one activity I still try to focus my cueing and prompting on my top priority goals.  It is easy for kids to get overwhelmed if you slam them with too much.  So be sensitive to what you want the child to work on and for everything else offer as much support as the child needs to be successful.

Check the program out.  You will love it.

Bake a Cake Activity

Theme: Bake a Cake

Targets these skills:  following directions, final /k/ sound, early language, verb tenses, plurality, sensory play, turn taking, sequencing, wh-questions

Beginning Vocabulary-

Bowl, Stir, Milk, Sugar, Flour, Egg, Batter, Pan, Oven

Additional Vocabulary-

Pour, Bake, Measure

Take pictures of:

Individual ingredients

Adding each ingredient (breaking the egg)

Stirring the batter

Pouring into the pan

Putting pan in the oven

Finished cake

Eating (breaking) cakes

Rhyming “ake” words

take, make, cake, bake, break, shake, mistake, wake

Activity Ideas: (need pictures of the activity, they are super helpful!)

Sequence the steps to making a cake

Match vocabulary word with picture

Match each step with its picture

Fill in the blank on each step (writing)

Pretend with cooking toys

Teach Dad how to make a cake

Books:

The Little Red Hen

The Gingerbread Man

Videos:

Meet the Baker http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/food.html

1. Put the mix in the bowl 

2.  Put the milk in the bowl

3. Put the egg in the bowl

4. Put the sugar in the bowl

5. Stir the batter

6. Put the batter into the pan

7. Put the pan into the oven

 references: 

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/alpha/b/baker.htm

http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/food.html

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/index.htm

Culatta, Barbara, Project SEEL

Reading Books with Toddlers

“Babies and toddlers are enriched by books. Even more important, the relationships between very young children and their parents are enriched by books. Books (can) provide a source of mutual pleasure for parent and child that is likely to last a lifetime. We introduce infants and toddlers to books not simply because of what they will learn from them, but so that they will grow to love them. It is a gift beyond measure.”

-Jeree H. Pawl, Ph.D

When should I start reading books with my child?

Today! It is never too early to start exposing your child to books. Books are a wonderful way to introduce children to new words, increase attention, and help build a child’s understanding of the world.

Your child will have the most success if you can make books part of your everyday routine. You can decide to read books as part of your nap and bedtime routine, in the car, at the grocery store, in the bath, and whenever you will most likely remember to make it an everyday habit.

How can I help my child become interested in books?

Try to have fun! When your child is engaged and enjoying himself he is learning. Remember that kids learn through playing, so books need to be viewed as another way to play.

Follow Your Child’s Lead: let your child decide how long you should be reading (a few minutes at a time is just fine), how much of a book you should read (you don’t have to read to the end of the story), and which parts of the book to read (you don’t have to go in order or in any order). Reading will be a lot more fun if you focus on what your child is interested in instead of what you think your child should be interested in.

Talk about the Pictures: you do not have to read all (or any) of the words to tell a story. Ask your child what he sees, look at what your child is looking at, and talk about the pictures that your child is interested in. Just asking “what’s that?” can get really boring…for you and for your child, try asking “what do you see?” instead.

Bring the Pictures to Life: pictures can be hard for a child to understand, they are a lot more abstract than the real object or action they represent. When you are reading try to bring the pictures to life: pretend to “eat” the berries, “wash” the boy’s dirty hands, “pet” the soft kitty, etc. These types of games will help your child comprehend what the picture means.

Let Children Turn the Pages: babies may not be able to turn the pages of a book but an 18-month-old will want to give it a try, and a three-year-old can certainly do it alone. Remember, it's OK to skip pages or go in any order. *Board books are especially great for encouraging a child to turn pages.

Create Books Together: your child may be a lot more interested in a book if it has pictures of him or his family. You can use basic dollar photo books and add pictures of family members or favorite toys or games to capture his attention. Another fun idea is to make a color book by having fun with crayons, markers, and paints.

Keep It Simple: For young children it is generally best to stick to books that are not too overwhelming or overstimulating. It can be confusing for a child to pick out specific objects on a very busy page of pictures, or to focus on a book and the language of the book if they are too caught up in the extraneous bells and whistles (lights and sounds).

What books are the best for helping my child engage?

It generally depends on the child’s age and experience.

Infant: 0-6 months

• Books with simple, large pictures or designs with bright contrasting colors (black and white and red are great colors for newborns).
• Stiff cardboard, "chunky" books, or fold out books that can be propped up in the crib (they also make great teething toys).
• Cloth and soft vinyl books with simple pictures of people or familiar objects that can go in the bath or get washed.

Baby: 6-12 months

• Board books with photos of other babies (babies love faces!).
• Brightly colored "chunky" board books to touch and taste.
• Books with photos of familiar objects like balls and bottles.
• Books with sturdy pages that can be propped up or spread out in the crib or on a blanket.
• Plastic/vinyl books for bath time.
• Washable cloth books to cuddle and mouth.
• Small plastic photo albums of family and friends.

Young Toddlers: 12-24 months

• Sturdy board books that they can carry.
• Books with photos of children doing familiar things like sleeping or playing.
• Goodnight books for bed time.
• Books about saying good-bye and hello (sturdy flap books are nice).
• Books with only a few words on each page.
• Books with brightly colored, engaging illustrations.
• Books with simple rhymes or predictable, repetitive text.
• Touch-and-feel books (you can talk about fuzzy, rough, bumpy, etc.).
• Animal books of all sizes and shapes (animal sounds are such fun!).

Older Toddlers: 24-36 months

• Books that tell simple familiar stories.
• Simple rhyming books that they can memorize.
• Bed time books.
• Books about counting, the alphabet, shapes or sizes.
• Animal books, vehicle books, books about playtime.
• Pop-up books, pull-the-tab books, touch-and-feel books.
• Books with humorous pictures and words.

References:

Choosing Books for Babies and Toddlers, www.zerotothree.org

Choosing Books for Young Children, Read with Me, www.rif.org

Tips for Sharing Books with Babies and Toddlers, www.zerotothree.org

Types of Picture Books to Improve Your Toddler’s Language, K. Scanlon, www.blog.asha.org