Three Books to Help Children Learn to Read

Professional Task – Literacy Experience Plans

PART 2: Planning emergent literacy experiences for small groups of children in early childhood education services.

Book One

1. Book title, author, illustrator. Your rationale for why you chose it. Full referencing details/link to YouTube book reading if available.

Kates, A. B., & Mathieu, J. (1992). We're Different, We're the Same (Sesame Street). Random.

This book was selected from Category A as “one book supporting diversity and inclusion for children with a focus on multi- cultural inclusion.” This book is appropriate for children aged 4 to 5 years. This book specifically aligns with the EYLF’s guidelines for promoting diversity and inclusion for children in the section “Respect for Diversity” (2022). For instance, the EYLF emphasizes that all children are born into specific cultural contexts that are shaped by longstanding traditional practices, heritage, ancestral knowledge, and individual family and community values.

This book also leverages the popularity and children’s familiarity with the world-famous “Sesame Street” characters to examine the concepts of diversity and similarity in ways that young children can understand. For example, Kates describes different physical features (e.g., noses, hair and skin) to demonstrate how these attributes vary between people in ways that make them different yet still their fellow humans. This aspect of the book helps to minimize the stereotypical “others” categorization that plagues modern civilization.

To her credit, Kates also relates how such universal physical differences also relate to the manner in which people mutually understand the world around them through shared feelings, laughter and the overarching need for humans to love and be loved while celebrating and embracing their individual differences. In this regard, the book’s publishers point out that, “Elmo and his Sesame Street friends help teach toddlers and the adults in their lives that everyone is the same on the inside, and it’s our differences that make this wonderful world, which is home to us all, an interesting—and special—place” (We’re Different, We’re the Same, 2024). In sum, this book is a good selection for this category because it encourages children to appreciate diversity while recognizing their shared humanity.

Therefore, respecting diversity among children requires educators to integrate relevant cultural practices, values, and beliefs within the early childhood curriculum as well as recognizing the complex nature of families’ unique lives, including their histories, languages and traditions as well as their religions and spiritual beliefs. These are especially important considerations when teaching minority or indigenous populations which are routinely if inadvertently subjected to Western ethnocentricity in children’s literature.

2. What language/literacy skill or understanding do you want the children to learn/practise?

This well illustrated book helps children prepare for and engage in the actual reading process by learning new words by sight and understanding that words have different meanings. Likewise, this book can help improve young children’s comprehension of the inevitable similarities and differences among people of all ilk, and develop an appreciation for diversity and inclusion throughout their lives. This learning objective will also provide a valuable opportunity for young children readers to improve their reading skills through the highly relevant aspects of the storyline which have universal applicability.

3. One Language and literacy learning experiences linked to the book.

• Introduction – how will you introduce the book to the children? Give an example of what you will say. The learning experience for We’re Different, We’re the Same begins with the teacher introducing the book and conducting a read-aloud session, with appropriate pauses to ask questions and highlight key words.

• Will you plan some interactions/prompts while you are reading the book? Or after the book? Give examples. The next event in the sequence involves the teacher facilitating a discussion concerning the book’s main message, encouraging children to share what they learned concerning similarities and differences from the story.

• Describe the learning experience for the children. What will you do and say? What will the children do? The next activity involves having children engage in a “Same and Different”-type game wherein they work in pairs to nonjudgmentally identify similarities and differences between them.

• How will you conclude the experience? The learning experience concludes with a self-portrait activity where children draw pictures that highlight their own unique features.

• What questions will you ask yourself to evaluate whether the experience was successful for children’s learning? I would first consider how attentively the children listened during the read-aloud and how actively they participated in the subsequent discussion, noting their ability to grasp and articulate the book’s main messages about similarities and differences. In addition, I would also observe any changes in the children’s language or behavior regarding diversity and inclusion, as well as their use of new vocabulary from the book to identify any children who struggled with the concepts or activities, considering how to better support their learning in future sessions.

Book Two

1. Book title, author, illustrator. Your rationale for why you chose it. Full referencing details/link to YouTube book reading if available.

Brown, M. W., & Hurd, C. (1947). Goodnight Moon. HarperCollins. ISBN: 978-0064430173.

This was a category B selection for early language development and cognitive skills for very young children aged 0-2 years. This bedtime story takes place in a child’s large green bedroom. The narrative follows a young rabbit saying goodnight to various things that can be seen from the child’s room, including the eponymous moon out the window and various objects within in the room.

This is an especially soothing read since the book features age-appropriate language and depicts the room gradually darkening of the room in the illustrations which serves to reinforce the story’s calming effects, thereby promoting restful sleep (Many Happy Returns, 2007). In fact, according to Bernstein (2020), this is the iconic “going- to- bed book” that parents have read to their children for more than a quarter-century. Moreover, the story’s repetitive structure and focus on ordinary things that are familiar to children make the book particularly engaging and soothing for very young children, thereby supporting early language development and cognitive skills.

This text also closely aligns with the EYLF’s guidelines concerning the importance of providing developmental opportunities from birth. For instance, the EYLF notes that, “From before birth children are connected to family, communities, culture and place. Their earliest learning, development and wellbeing takes place through these relationships, particularly within families, who are children’s first and most influential educators” (p. 6). Therefore, Brown’s book is an optimal selection for this reading category.

2. What language/literacy skill or understanding do you want the children to learn/practise? Among other emergent literacy skills, this book facilitates the development of print awareness and general knowledge about books. Therefore, these emergent literacy skills will focus on learning about print and book structures.

3. One Language and literacy learning experiences linked to the book.

• Introduction – how will you introduce the book to the children? Give an example of what you will say.

The sequence for this learning experience begins with the teacher first creating a calm, cozy environment for reading, typically as part of a naptime or other regular routine. The teacher introduces the book by showing it to the children, allowing plenty of time for children to look at the cover and touch and explore its contents in order to foster tactile engagement with this and other books.

• Will you plan some interactions/prompts while you are reading the book? Or after the book? Give examples. As the teacher reads, the corresponding pictures and words are pointed out, thereby enhancing print awareness. Likewise, the rhythmic, repetitive nature of the book’s text should be read slowly and the words articulated clearly to support early language development.

• Describe the learning experience for the children. What will you do and say? What will the children do? Throughout the reading, the teacher encourages engagement with the child by asking simple questions such as “Where's the mouse?” or “Can you see the moon?,” promoting additional engagement and early comprehension skills.

• How will you conclude the experience? Following the reading – and depending on the children’s state of sleepiness, the teacher may also encourage them to mimic saying “goodnight” to objects in their own classroom, reinforcing vocabulary and making the story especially relevant and therefore engaging by connecting it with the children’s unique environment.

• What questions will you ask yourself to evaluate whether the experience was successful for children’s learning? In order to evaluate the success of this learning experience with "Goodnight Moon," several key questions should be pondered. The first question would involve a reflection on how well the children engaged with the book physically during the introduction, noting their interest in touching and exploring it. Likewise, I would also take into account how attentive they were during the reading and their responses to the rhythmic, repetitive text. For instance, were the children visibly calmed or actively engaged by the reading? In this regard, I would evaluate their participation in identifying objects and characters when prompted, which would indicate their comprehension and engagement.

Beyond the foregoing, I would also evaluate their understanding of print awareness - did they show any recognition of the connection between the words I pointed to and what I was reading? For very young children, even small signs of this awareness would be significant. In addition, I would reflect on their attempts to mimic saying “goodnight” to various objects in the classroom, taking into account whether this activity helped reinforce vocabulary and make personal connections to the story. Further, I would also consider any spontaneous responses or questions from the children, as these could indicate deeper engagement or understanding. Similarly, observations concerning whether the experience seemed to foster a positive attitude towards books and reading would be valuable for evaluation, as well as whether the children seemed to enjoy the experience and if they asked to read the book again.

Finally, I would also consider whether the calm, cozy environment effectively supported the children's wellbeing during the reading experience and reflect on how well this experience aligned with the EYLF guidelines, particularly in providing developmental opportunities from birth and recognizing the importance of early learning experiences.

Book Three

1. Book title, author, illustrator. Your rationale for why you chose it. Full referencing details/link to YouTube book reading if available.

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the Wild Things Are. Harper & Row. ISBN: 978-0060254926.

This book lends itself well to dramatization and is appropriate for children aged 4 to 5 years. In sum, this classic children’s book features many young people’s dream of shaking off the mantle of childhood and becoming the sovereign of their own lives where they call the shots. This is what happens when Max dresses as a mischievous wolf and is punished by his mother for his misbehavior by sending him to bed without his dinner. This book makes it clear that the world of young people is still full of magic and mystery, thereby fully engaging young readers. Fully imbued with youthful imagination, Max sets sail for a distant island that is populated by scary “Wild Things.” Still smarting from being what he regards as being unfairly punished but unafraid, Max is proclaimed king and proceeds to participate in various Wild Thing adventures, but pragmatism outranks even the best imagination and Max smells something good to eat, remembers his home and returns just in time for a redemptive dinner provided by his forgiving mother.

This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children in 1965 (Lystad, 1989). Describing it as “this exquisite book of only around 200 words,” de Meric (2018) enthuses that Wild Things is ‘an entirely deliberate and beautiful use of the psycho-analytic journey of anger” (p. 372). In fact, Max’s flight of imagination was fueled in large part by his initial anger over being punished, and Sendak’s story makes is clear that strong family bonds can even triumph over the fearsome Wild Things. In this regard, one Newsweek critic observes that, “Max has a tantrum and in a flight of fancy visits his wild side, but he is pulled back by a belief in parental love to a supper ‘still hot’” (Where the Wild Things Are, 2024). Taken together, the Wild Things’ simple but compelling age-appropriate narrative allows children to explore complex emotions in a safe, fantastical setting, encouraging emotional intelligence and empathic development. In other words, this book was selected because it is a proven classic in helping young children gain literacy skills.

2. What language/literacy skill or understanding do you want the children to learn/practise?