Concepts About Print
Print Carries Meaning:
Students acquire this concept when they understand that words are used to transmit messages (ie. Stories in picture books, product names in ads, and labels on things like bathroom doors).
Directionality of English and Tracking of Print:
Students use a return sweep at the end of each line (like in cartoons when a character presses return after they finish a line of text). In books we read from the far left to the far right before we return sweep.
Sentence, Word, and Letter Representation:
Knowledge of the differences between letters, words, and sentences. Word boundaries (how many words are in a line of text) are important for a student to master this concept. They need to understand punctuation to see where sentences end and begin.
Book Orientation:
Knowing location of the book's cover, the difference between the author's name and the title, and where the story starts.
Print Carries Meaning:
Students acquire this concept when they understand that words are used to transmit messages (ie. Stories in picture books, product names in ads, and labels on things like bathroom doors).
Directionality of English and Tracking of Print:
Students use a return sweep at the end of each line (like in cartoons when a character presses return after they finish a line of text). In books we read from the far left to the far right before we return sweep.
Sentence, Word, and Letter Representation:
Knowledge of the differences between letters, words, and sentences. Word boundaries (how many words are in a line of text) are important for a student to master this concept. They need to understand punctuation to see where sentences end and begin.
Book Orientation:
Knowing location of the book's cover, the difference between the author's name and the title, and where the story starts.
Students normally acquire concepts about print at home. Those who don't need to be assessed and then explicitly taught.
Concepts About Print Assessment
Early rendition by Marie Clay measured book orientation, directionality, beginning and ending of a story, and recognition of punctuation and capital letters.
Informal Assessment by Teacher
Use a picture book with at least three to four lines of text displayed in conventional form on most pages. Ask students to perform tasks ("Who is the author? Where should you start reading? How many words are in one line?). You may also observe student behavior (Book is held in correct position, return sweep is shown, knows where to start reading, knows when the book is over).
Early rendition by Marie Clay measured book orientation, directionality, beginning and ending of a story, and recognition of punctuation and capital letters.
Informal Assessment by Teacher
Use a picture book with at least three to four lines of text displayed in conventional form on most pages. Ask students to perform tasks ("Who is the author? Where should you start reading? How many words are in one line?). You may also observe student behavior (Book is held in correct position, return sweep is shown, knows where to start reading, knows when the book is over).
Implicit Teaching: Five Ways to Teach Concepts of Print
1. Reading aloud to students:
Teaches students that print has meaning
2. Shared book experience:
Lap Reading: A parent reads to a book with a child. Potentially can teach all the concepts about print
Teachers can use big books (oversized pictures) for shared book experiences. Predicitabe books are ideal.
A shared book has the following:
a) Introduction: Look at the cover, point out features (author's name, illustrator's name, and title page)
b) Red the story with overdramatization, even pointing to words as he/she reads the book
c) Discussion throughout the book and afterwards
d) Story is reread later with: whole group, smaller groups, pairs, or individually
3. Language Experience Approach:
Student tells a story and a teacher copies that verbatim in text form. Then they display the story and reread it to the class, teaching the students about the elements of content print.
4. Environmental Print:
Printed messages that people encounter in daily living (candy wrappers cereal boxes, menus, etc)
Good for teaching lessons based on letters, words, phrases and sentences
5. Print-Rich Environment:
Examples of written language over the classroom:
a) Labels/captions: Labeling classroom items: chars, books, windows. Bulletin boards should have easy to read captions
b) Morning Message: Written in the board, in large letters and shows an overview of the day's activities. Read the morning message to students about the day and students can share their news. This can be used to allow students to see how morning messages can be used to turn into print.
c) Mailboxes (Cubbies): Use them to hold messages students and teachers can write to each of the students.
1. Reading aloud to students:
Teaches students that print has meaning
2. Shared book experience:
Lap Reading: A parent reads to a book with a child. Potentially can teach all the concepts about print
Teachers can use big books (oversized pictures) for shared book experiences. Predicitabe books are ideal.
A shared book has the following:
a) Introduction: Look at the cover, point out features (author's name, illustrator's name, and title page)
b) Red the story with overdramatization, even pointing to words as he/she reads the book
c) Discussion throughout the book and afterwards
d) Story is reread later with: whole group, smaller groups, pairs, or individually
3. Language Experience Approach:
Student tells a story and a teacher copies that verbatim in text form. Then they display the story and reread it to the class, teaching the students about the elements of content print.
4. Environmental Print:
Printed messages that people encounter in daily living (candy wrappers cereal boxes, menus, etc)
Good for teaching lessons based on letters, words, phrases and sentences
5. Print-Rich Environment:
Examples of written language over the classroom:
a) Labels/captions: Labeling classroom items: chars, books, windows. Bulletin boards should have easy to read captions
b) Morning Message: Written in the board, in large letters and shows an overview of the day's activities. Read the morning message to students about the day and students can share their news. This can be used to allow students to see how morning messages can be used to turn into print.
c) Mailboxes (Cubbies): Use them to hold messages students and teachers can write to each of the students.
Explicit Teaching of Print Concepts
Direct lessons for students unable to learn implicitly. Use any of the techniques to teach implicitly and apply it on an individual basis.
Direct lessons for students unable to learn implicitly. Use any of the techniques to teach implicitly and apply it on an individual basis.
Letter Recognition
Letter recognition: Ability to identify lowercase from uppercase letters
Letter production: Ability to write uppercase and lowercase letters
When teaching letter recognition, teach students the names of letters, not the sounds letters make.
How to assess letter recognition and production:
a) Letter recognition: Mix letters around and ask students to identify a letter
b) Letter production: Call out letters and ask students to write them. Legibility is important (Encoding-in-context task)
Associating Names and Things with Letters
Ex) Use shoe boxes to represent each letter and have students put things associated with those letters in that box (ie. Pencils can go into "P" shoe box)
Singing the Alphabet
Ex) ABC song while pointing to each letter
ABC Books
Ex) Read aloud books organized by alphabet
Practice Writing Both Uppercase and Lowercase letters
Children learn letters of names as they practice writing them
Tactile (Touch) and Kinesthetic Methods:
Tactile refers to students being able to touch or manipulate objects. Kinesthetic methods refers to using body movements.
ex)Tactile: Make 3-D letters out of modeling clay or trace letters out from sand.
ex) Kinesthetic: Write letters in the air that are big with their fingers.
Letter recognition: Ability to identify lowercase from uppercase letters
Letter production: Ability to write uppercase and lowercase letters
When teaching letter recognition, teach students the names of letters, not the sounds letters make.
How to assess letter recognition and production:
a) Letter recognition: Mix letters around and ask students to identify a letter
b) Letter production: Call out letters and ask students to write them. Legibility is important (Encoding-in-context task)
Associating Names and Things with Letters
Ex) Use shoe boxes to represent each letter and have students put things associated with those letters in that box (ie. Pencils can go into "P" shoe box)
Singing the Alphabet
Ex) ABC song while pointing to each letter
ABC Books
Ex) Read aloud books organized by alphabet
Practice Writing Both Uppercase and Lowercase letters
Children learn letters of names as they practice writing them
Tactile (Touch) and Kinesthetic Methods:
Tactile refers to students being able to touch or manipulate objects. Kinesthetic methods refers to using body movements.
ex)Tactile: Make 3-D letters out of modeling clay or trace letters out from sand.
ex) Kinesthetic: Write letters in the air that are big with their fingers.
13. Mr. Show teaches first grade. He has become frustrated with his attempts to use the Language Experience Approach (LEA) with his students. He does LEA with some of his students in Spanish, which is their first language. For his English speakers, he does the LEA in English. He is frustrated because his students don't seem to say very much. Thus, he has little to write. This could be because:
a. For almost all of the LEA sessions, he insists on selecting the topics; for example, yesterday's topic was, "Why should we work together to keep our classroom clean?"
b. His students have not mastered the initial consonant sound-symbol relationships.
c. His students speak very little English.
d. He doesn't use the 10 x 14 inch newsprint paper with room at the top of each sheet for his students to illustrate what they have dictated.
14. Mr. Kennedy teaches kindergarten. He wants to help his students understand that print carries meaning, so he has decided to construct a learning center featuring examples of environmental print. He will include all of the following except:
a. Old cereal boxes
b. Big books
c. Bumper stickers
d. Candy wrappers
15. It is the sixth month of school and Mr. Giant is concerned. Five of his kindergarten students don't understand that the words in a story are read left to right, top to bottom. He should:
a. Rely on environmental print, a print-rich environment, reading aloud, and shared book experiences to teach this concept.
b. Refocus his attention on phonemic awareness.
c. Use a variety of instructional strategies to teach his students to use context to decode words that they do not know.
d. Plan and implement direct, explicit lessons to teach directionality.
16. Chris is a seventh-grade student. His language arts teacher has planned several literature-based units around genres. For each unit, the teacher reads aloud one book and bases many literary analysis lessons on that book (e.g., for his unit on high fantasy, he read aloud A Wizard of Earthsea). The teacher also brings to a class a wide selection of books within the genre, so each student can read something at his or her independent reading level. Chris is a strong reader - his instructional reading level is eighth grade. However, he had difficulty with a science fiction novel that had a readability level of fifth grade. What should Chris' teacher do?
a. Teach Chris the features of science fiction, including the characters, settings, plots, and style unique to that genre.
b. Help Chris find a science fiction novel written at a lower readability level.
c. Teach Chris how to generate questions after he has read the first paragraph of a new chapter.
d. Have Chris read a book in the Star Wars series because the films will make it easier for him to comprehend what he is reading.
a. For almost all of the LEA sessions, he insists on selecting the topics; for example, yesterday's topic was, "Why should we work together to keep our classroom clean?"
b. His students have not mastered the initial consonant sound-symbol relationships.
c. His students speak very little English.
d. He doesn't use the 10 x 14 inch newsprint paper with room at the top of each sheet for his students to illustrate what they have dictated.
14. Mr. Kennedy teaches kindergarten. He wants to help his students understand that print carries meaning, so he has decided to construct a learning center featuring examples of environmental print. He will include all of the following except:
a. Old cereal boxes
b. Big books
c. Bumper stickers
d. Candy wrappers
15. It is the sixth month of school and Mr. Giant is concerned. Five of his kindergarten students don't understand that the words in a story are read left to right, top to bottom. He should:
a. Rely on environmental print, a print-rich environment, reading aloud, and shared book experiences to teach this concept.
b. Refocus his attention on phonemic awareness.
c. Use a variety of instructional strategies to teach his students to use context to decode words that they do not know.
d. Plan and implement direct, explicit lessons to teach directionality.
16. Chris is a seventh-grade student. His language arts teacher has planned several literature-based units around genres. For each unit, the teacher reads aloud one book and bases many literary analysis lessons on that book (e.g., for his unit on high fantasy, he read aloud A Wizard of Earthsea). The teacher also brings to a class a wide selection of books within the genre, so each student can read something at his or her independent reading level. Chris is a strong reader - his instructional reading level is eighth grade. However, he had difficulty with a science fiction novel that had a readability level of fifth grade. What should Chris' teacher do?
a. Teach Chris the features of science fiction, including the characters, settings, plots, and style unique to that genre.
b. Help Chris find a science fiction novel written at a lower readability level.
c. Teach Chris how to generate questions after he has read the first paragraph of a new chapter.
d. Have Chris read a book in the Star Wars series because the films will make it easier for him to comprehend what he is reading.