Week 7 Reading Blog

User – What do I do with this?

2.3 Sources further information; developing &/or collecting resources for literary & numerical teaching & learning 

Keywords: Numeracy, Toddlers, Infants, Technology, Picture books, Oral language, literacy development,

What?

The two reading I have selected for my third week are the following two articles:

·      Using Picture Books to Support Young Children’s Literacy

o   Janis Strasser, Holly Seplocha 

·      More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way

o   Jan Greenberg

I chose these articles because

So What?

Using Picture Books to Support Young Children’s Literacy

Janis Strasser, Holly Seplocha 

This article highlights the importance of classical and new picture books and reading aloud to children in supporting literacy during their early years. “The single most important activity for building . . . understandings and skills essential for reading success appears to be reading aloud to children” (p8) (Neuman, 2000). They define picture books as books where text and pictures are of equal value; you cannot have one without the other. (Norton, 1999). Picture books, whether factual, fictional, historical or cultural have the potential to weave interesting stories that can stimulate children’s minds and make them reflect, ponder, and laugh. Pictures may take the form of photographs, paintings, drawings, black and white line drawings, unusual designs, woodcuts or collages. Oral language in the form of text is another valuable aspect of literacy development. Reading and encouraging young children with activities on expressive language, phonological awareness and high level thinking is critical for emerging skills and traits necessary for reading and writing. 

More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way

Jan Greenberg

This article highlights that within a child’s first year of life, math concepts, ideas and skills has begun to develop. Math is everywhere and a vital feature is language. We may have been using math and math language without being aware of it. Young children know to sort and classify, when they differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar faces, spatial relationships and patterns, when they sing songs and repeat reading stories aloud. Components of Math are; Number and operations, shapes and spatial relationships (geometry), measurement, patterns, relationships and change, collection and organizing information. Infants and toddlers use math to make sense of their world, parents and families are their main and primary teachers, the more talk math and share they experience the higher their chances of a optimistic attitude towards math and learning in general.   

Now What?

Implications for Practice

I enjoyed reading the two articles. Both are informative and practical. The article; “Using Picture Books to Support Young Children’s Literacy has strengthened and backed up the belief of reading aloud of picture book to infants and toddlers. While “More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way” has reinforced how infants and toddlers might develop math concepts etc. The concepts in both articles are easy to understand and practical to incorporate and conduct with young children and their families.

Bibliography

Greenberg, J. (2012). More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way. Young   Children , 67 (3), 39.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/1019288580/fulltext/1408C0B8DCD5B078B5/6?accountid=10910

Neuman, S. B. (2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. National Association for the Education of Young Children .

Norton, D. E. (1999). Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children's literature (5th edition ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.

Strasser, J. a. (2007). Using Picture Books to Support Young Children's Literacy. Childhood Education , 83 (4), 219-224.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/210390785/fulltext/1408C58F411B4DEE82/11?accountid=10910