Teaching The Reader
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   Session 6 -- Activity 3

Activity 3 ~~ Concepts About Print
and Student Surveys
(40 minutes)

Objective: Reflect on the importance of providing early literacy experiences to students.

Context: Early literary experiences help students develop basic concepts about print.

Activity A: Read "Concepts About Print" and the chart entitled, Does the Student Know?

Then review the five behaviors listed on the chart (linked above) and try to identify a student who has not yet acquired these concepts (preK, K, special education).

Once you have identified a student, select a book. A picture book, with perhaps one or two sentences per page, would be appropriate. Then rehearse the commands you will use to give the student the opportunity to demonstrate their attainment of the five concepts.

Some suggestions:

1. Work with one child. Tell the child you found an interesting book and need his/her help reading it.
2. For book handling (number 1), instruct the child to handle the book by the spine and say, "Show me where we will start reading." Provide credit if the child either opens the book to the title or first page or points at the title on the cover.
3. For tracking, once the book is opened to the first page of the story say, "Now point your finger to where we begin reading." Then say, “Now show me which way to go." Note if the child points to the first word on the left and moves to the right. If he/she stops at the end of the line, ask, "Where do we go now?" Provide credit only if the child started at the top left, moved right, and made the correct jump to the next line.
4. For speech to print match, read a sentence slowly to the child and ask him/her to point to each word you are saying. Give credit for accurate match.
5. For letter/word knowledge, ask the child to point to a word, then to a letter. Provide credit if he/she can do both.
6. To check on whether the child knows that print conveys meaning, show the child the cover and the pictures, and ask if he/she can tell you what the story will be about. Provide credit if the child is reasonably correct.

After completing the book with your student, record the information on the chart.

For Further Consideration:

Were the results surprising?
What type of instruction would convey the missing concepts?

When you're finished, please proceed to Activity 4.



 

 

 

 


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