Preschool children are quick to absorb what is around them. When you are developing your literacy plan, think about how you can infuse literacy in everything you do. Take the time to talk to your students individually and use challenging vocabulary that causes them to ask questions. Hold topic conversations in small groups. Your language will set the tone for their learning. Ask your students to create lesson topics. For example, ask each student to select a topic and use those topics as a weekly content focus.
It goes without saying that reading encourages literacy. Children love to hear stories read by their teacher. Pick fun stories and read them more than once. Use your finger to follow the words as you read them. You will be surprised at how quickly your students will begin to recognize the words. Finally, create an activity that brings the story to life. For example, if you read a book about bears, have your students color a picture of a bear. They can even introduce their bear to their classmates.
When creating your lesson plan, always incorporate the alphabet. It is critical for preschool children to recognize letters and make connections with corresponding sounds. Start by labeling everything. For example, Susie should see her name on her cubby, her table spot and her take-home folder. Next, engage your class with activities that emphasize letter sounds. Teach the class a nursery rhyme, story or song that emphasizes a letter. Ask them to emphasize the letter when they say it aloud. Do this everyday for a week until they connect the letter with the sound.
Writing is an important part of encouraging literacy. Planning lessons that empower children to share their voice in written form helps to make connections between letter sounds and word identification. Provide a lesson that asks students to write down words without emphasis on correct spelling. For example, show your students three pieces of fruit and ask them to write down the words that best describe them. Let them know that they should write the words as they imagine them. If they are unsure, write the words for them as they describe them to you. Afterward, let everyone eat some fruit as a reward.