Communication, Language and Literacy in the Early Years Foundation Stage

Helen Bradford

• Editore: David Fulton Publishers
• Anno: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781136032387
• Edizione: 1
• Argomento: Education
• Categoria: Education General

The Practical Guidance in the Early Years Foundation Stage series will assist practitioners in the smooth and successful implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Each book gives clear and detailed explanations of each aspect of Learning and Development and encourages readers to consider each area within its broadest context to expand and develop their own knowledge and good practice.

Practical ideas and activities for all age groups are offered along with a wealth of expertise of how elements from the practice guidance can be implemented within all early years settings. The books include suggestions for the innovative use of everyday ressources, popular books and stories.

Children's early communication needs careful nurturing and support. Practitioners will be both challenged and supported by this book which focuses on the skills needed for language and literacy and all aspects of children's interaction with others.

The learning opportunities for children need to be relevant for their age group, realistic and challenging. This book gives readers clear explanations and practical ideas to help them establish firm foundations on which children can grow in confidence and become skilful communicators.

1

Language for communication

From birth–20 months

Development matters

Communicate in a variety of ways including crying, gurgling, babbling and squealing.

Make sounds with their voices in social interaction.

Take pleasure in making and listening to a wide variety of sounds.

Create personal words as they begin to develop language.

Key words

communicate, interaction, sounds, pleasure

Main story: Baby Touch Noisy Book

(Justine Smith and Fiona Land (2007), Ladybird, London)

A bright, colourful first play board book with interactive features. Each page is entitled, ‘Baby, touch’, ‘Baby, say’ or ‘Baby, listen.’ Baby is invited to touch and investigate different textures such as the fur on ‘the furry caterpillar’. A button can be pressed throughout on each ‘Baby, listen’ page to hear a musical version of ‘I’m a Little Teapot.’ The text invites discussion with the top end of the age range that will link in with some of the children’s first experiences of living and learning.

Activities

Have a good look through the book before you use it with babies and toddlers to find out what may be appropriate to concentrate on with them. You are aiming to encourage verbal responses from each page – either sounds or words depending on the age of the child.

Press the ‘noisy’ button and listen to the rhyme. Press the button again and sing the rhyme. You can do this as many times as the baby or young child seems interested! Children nearer the top of the age range can sing the rhyme with you, or independently. Be prepared to hear the same tune again and again as very young children will be drawn to the novelty feature of the musical button in the book. In fact, through general reading, the book invites six opportunities to use the button and sing along noisily to the tune!

Open the book and be guided by the text. Use the words on the page as pointers to investigate opportunities for potential responses from the children. For example, the first page suggests they ‘touch the furry caterpillar’. Place baby’s hand on it and use a stroking motion whilst saying ‘ah’. Use words to describe how it feels such as ‘soft’ and ‘silky’. What response do you get? Look for non-verbal clues such as smiles, gurgles and other noises and eye contact with the page. Ask the children at the top end of the age range to describe themselves how the furry caterpillar feels.

Say the simple rhyme on the first page, ‘The peas in the pod go pop, pop, pop’, and clap your hands once for every ‘pop’. Encourage older children in the age range to join in.

Sing the octopus’s noisy song on the second page (press the button and sing ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ loudly). Do this for every noisy song on every ‘Baby, listen’ page as you progress through the book together.

Use visual aids alongside the text such as a train on a track that you can model moving along as you read the fourth page together. Older children will be able to move the train for themselves. Say ‘Clickety clack, clickety clack’ as they do so.

The seventh page is entitled ‘Baby, say....