The Significance of Storytelling and Literacy Development in Kindergarten
Kindergarten Literacy Club – Why Stories Are So Important
Do you feel overwhelmed when you leave school after a long day with your to-do list still unfinished?
Children in kindergarten judge their success based on what they can do, not how well they compare to their peers. Teachers can help them learn how to construct a sense of competence in reading and writing.
Storytelling
Stories captivate children and are an integral part of literacy development. They can teach valuable life lessons about courage, perseverance and hard work. They also help kids develop a sense of empathy through characters who experience similar emotions to their own.
Storytelling involves more than reading out loud; it also requires students to respond in other ways, such as drawing or writing. Teachers should carefully plan their storytelling activities so that children can meet expectations. For example, kindergarten students should be encouraged to retell a story they hear from a teacher or book and to connect the story to other stories.
Digital storytelling activities can be highly entertaining, engaging, theatrical and communicative. Teachers in this study used simple technology to make their storytelling activities more entertaining and dramatic.
Reading Aloud
A good read-aloud lesson allows children to explore relationships and concepts. It also nurtures interests in topics such as the environment, social issues and emotions.
Research shows that interactive read-alouds can enhance students’ background knowledge of texts and help them develop understanding of text structures and features. They can also promote disciplinary literacy learning and increase children’s comprehension through thoughtfully planned interactive questions (Meller et al. 2004).
By posing open-ended questions that do not have right or wrong answers, teachers can help children to expand their responses and make connections. They can also help children to use the vocabulary they hear in context and engage in discourse around the text. They can also encourage them to respond in a variety of ways, such as through writing and art.
Phonics
Kids need to know how the sounds of spoken English match up with letters and groups of letters in order to read. This is called phonics.
In preschool and the beginning of kindergarten, beginner reading curriculum usually starts with a focus on letter and sound recognition. Kids can also learn how to blend simple words together.
Try this fun phonics activity with your students by labeling plastic cups with different letter blends. Kids can toss a Ping-Pong ball into the cup that matches their chosen letter blend.
Get new highly-decodable reading passages, lesson plans and phonics / phonological awareness assessments each month with a Kindergarten Literacy Club membership. Save time on reading small group prep and give your kids a solid foundation for reading success.
Vocabulary
In kindergarten, your students focus on phonological awareness and phonics. Once they have mastered the alphabet and high frequency words, they can focus on building vocabulary.
You can help your students build their vocabulary with this ‘Catch the Frog’ activity. One student rolls the die, chooses a word with a particular digraph and reads it aloud. The first person to cover their frog wins!
As a club member, you will have access to professional development webinars. Brand new Science of Reading based center activities each month. Printable books and lesson plans for your small groups. A supportive community of teachers who totally get where you’re coming from. All for just $18 a month! Isn’t your well-rested, happy kindergarten teacher worth it? JOIN THE CLUB NOW!
Comprehension
For students learning to read, comprehension is as important as the words themselves. Using reading comprehension strategies that include clarifying concepts, teaching unknown words, and asking questions about stories helps children to comprehend the text.
Children can also improve their comprehension skills at home by connecting what they read to their own experiences. For example, if they see rabbits in their neighborhood, they can connect this to stories about bunnies in books.
Become a 1st & 2nd Grade Literacy Club member today to get monthly professional development webinars at your fingertips, new monthly reading passages and lesson plans for your small groups that follow the Science of Reading, and independent activities for students to use while you pull your groups! Reclaim your time and watch your students grow into successful readers.
Kindergarten Literacy Club – Why Stories Are So Important Do you feel overwhelmed when you leave school after a long day with your to-do list still unfinished? Children in kindergarten judge their success based on what they can do, not how well they compare to their peers. Teachers can help them learn how to construct a sense of competence in reading and writing. Storytelling Stories captivate children and are an integral part of literacy development. They can teach valuable life lessons about courage, perseverance and hard work. They also help kids develop a sense of empathy through characters who experience similar emotions to their own. Storytelling involves more than reading out loud; it also requires students to respond in other ways, such as drawing or writing. Teachers should carefully plan their storytelling activities so that children can meet expectations. For example, kindergarten students should be encouraged to retell a story they hear from a teacher or book and to connect the story to other stories. Digital storytelling activities can be highly entertaining, engaging, theatrical and communicative. Teachers in this study used simple technology to make their storytelling activities more entertaining and dramatic. Reading Aloud A good read-aloud lesson allows children to explore relationships and concepts. It also nurtures interests in topics such as the environment, social issues and emotions. Research shows that interactive read-alouds can enhance students’ background knowledge of texts and help them develop understanding of text structures and features. They can also promote disciplinary literacy learning and increase children’s comprehension through thoughtfully planned interactive questions (Meller et al. 2004). By posing open-ended questions that do not have right or wrong answers, teachers can help children to expand their responses and make connections. They can also help children to use the vocabulary they hear in context and engage in discourse around the text. They can also encourage them to respond in a variety of ways, such as through writing and art. Phonics Kids need to know how the sounds of spoken English match up with letters and groups of letters in order to read. This is called phonics. In preschool and the beginning of kindergarten, beginner reading curriculum usually starts with a focus on letter and sound recognition. Kids can also learn how to blend simple words together. Try this fun phonics activity with your students by labeling plastic cups with different letter blends. Kids can toss a Ping-Pong ball into the cup that matches their chosen letter blend. Get new highly-decodable reading passages, lesson plans and phonics / phonological awareness assessments each month with a Kindergarten Literacy Club membership. Save time on reading small group prep and give your kids a solid foundation for reading success. Vocabulary In kindergarten, your students focus on phonological awareness and phonics. Once they have mastered the alphabet and high frequency words, they can focus on building vocabulary. You can help your students build their vocabulary with this ‘Catch the Frog’ activity. One student rolls the die, chooses a word with a particular digraph and reads it aloud. The first person to cover their frog wins! As a club member, you will have access to professional development webinars. Brand new Science of Reading based center activities each month. Printable books and lesson plans for your small groups. A supportive community of teachers who totally get where you’re coming from. All for just $18 a month! Isn’t your well-rested, happy kindergarten teacher worth it? JOIN THE CLUB NOW! Comprehension For students learning to read, comprehension is as important as the words themselves. Using reading comprehension strategies that include clarifying concepts, teaching unknown words, and asking questions about stories helps children to comprehend the text. Children can also improve their comprehension skills at home by connecting what they read to their own experiences. For example, if they see rabbits in their neighborhood, they can connect this to stories about bunnies in books. Become a 1st & 2nd Grade Literacy Club member today to get monthly professional development webinars at your fingertips, new monthly reading passages and lesson plans for your small groups that follow the Science of Reading, and independent activities for students to use while you pull your groups! Reclaim your time and watch your students grow into successful readers. Return to the home screen
