This practical handbook shows teachers how to nurture a kindergarten learning environment in which children feel safe, comfortable, and able to take risks. It offers innovative ways to encourage children to explore, experiment, discover, solve problems, and freely interact with one another. Based on extensive classroom practice, it demonstrates when teachers need to provide support, ask questions, and provoke thinking, and when they should step back and give children room to explore on their own. This remarkable book offers concrete suggestions for creating play-based learning in a culture of inquiry. It is committed to creating classrooms where children can learn and grow while they play.

Parallel Learning of Reading and Writing in Early Childhood explores why it’s important to provide a balanced language learning environment for young children and offers approaches for children to practice and explore language. Writing – a different but parallel process – can open the door to reading, and an effective writing approach in the home and early childhood classrooms leads to the development of phonemic awareness, understanding of phonetic principles, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Effective early childhood teachers are those that extend the knowledge children have amassed at home and use the knowledge of how children learn naturally in the world to inform their practice. This book offers the purpose, context, and outcomes of including writing right from the start in young children’s literacy learning. Through analysis of writing samples, research, and principles of best practices, Shea outlines the essential ingredients for early language learning and provides a developmentally appropriate approach to language learning. Throughout the chapters, Shea integrates discussion of assessment, classroom environment, instructional/teacher scaffolding, and differentiating instruction across developmental levels along with the supporting theory. Special features: vignettes and descriptions of Pre-K, K, and Grade 1 classrooms that incorporate writing across the day artifacts of children’s writing that demonstrate an evolution of knowledge related to both message and word construction concept labeling words and topic specific terms defined throughout the book to support the reader’s understanding of professional terminology discussion of seminal and current research as well as best practices Companion Website with lesson ideas and abundant writing samples from a wide range of demographic, cultural, and language contexts for readers to view, analyze, and discuss. This text offers pre- and in-service early childhood education teachers the content and resources to develop a deeper understanding of language learning, to prompt an examination of current practice, and to stimulate curricular re-designs that foster meaningful, joyful, and motivated learning.

How can we build a strong literacy foundation for children? This book appreciates that learning and language development start with the play episodes, oral language practices, wordplay activities, print encounters, reading events, and writing experiences that children engage in during the early years of life. Filled with rich language activities, The Cornerstones to Early Literacy shows teachers how to create active learning experiences that are essential to building early literacy. This comprehensive handbook is organized around the following topics: Play Experiences - Understanding the early stages of learning and all aspects of the play-literacy connection ; Oral Language - Supporting opportunities for child talk with suggested conversation starters and events that involve personal timelines and storytelling ; Language Awareness and Word Play - Creating a balanced approach to language learning using games and activities that involve literature, music, choral speaking, sound games, and more ; Print Encounters - Discovering, reproducing, and creating all forms of environmental print ; Reading Events - Integrating read-aloud and shared book experiences with proven strategies for supporting and observing young readers ; Writing Experiences - Identifying early writing characteristics and techniques for moving children along in their writing.