Ways of Working with Ways of Working with Parents to Promote Early Parents to Promote Early Literacy Development Literacy Development

St Margaret CollegeSt Margaret College

The view of early literacy The view of early literacy development makes it clear that a development makes it clear that a child’s emergent literacy is child’s emergent literacy is constructed through his or her social constructed through his or her social world, and because of this it is world, and because of this it is important to look at parent important to look at parent involvement in the home involvement in the home environment (Weinberger, 1996). environment (Weinberger, 1996).

Hannon (1995) suggested that Hannon (1995) suggested that there are four main ways in which there are four main ways in which parents can help their children’s parents can help their children’s literacy development by:literacy development by:

1.1. Creating Creating opportunitiesopportunities for for learninglearning

2.2. Providing Providing recognitionrecognition of the of the child’s achievementchild’s achievement

3.3. InteractingInteracting with the child’s around with the child’s around literacy activitiesliteracy activities

4.4. Providing a Providing a modelmodel of literacy. of literacy.

OO opportunitiesopportunities

RR recognitionrecognition

II interactioninteraction

MM modelmodel

The ORIM frameworkThe ORIM framework

Four key questions to develop meetingsFour key questions to develop meetings

How can we help parents provide more How can we help parents provide more opportunitiesopportunities??

How can we enhance parents’ How can we enhance parents’ recognitionrecognition of children’s early achievements?of children’s early achievements?

How can we support parents’ How can we support parents’ interactioninteraction with their children?with their children?

Can we suggest how parents could provide Can we suggest how parents could provide a a model model of using written language? of using written language?

Parental meetings -Parental meetings -Aspects of literacyAspects of literacy

Print is all around usPrint is all around us

Sharing booksSharing books

Creative writing Creative writing

Print is all around usPrint is all around us

The importance about environmental The importance about environmental print is that young children are print is that young children are learning that words mean something learning that words mean something and that learning can be enhanced and that learning can be enhanced through positive and fun interactions through positive and fun interactions with important adults in their life with important adults in their life

Sharing BooksSharing Books

Creative Writing Creative Writing

There are strong connections There are strong connections between the reading and the writing between the reading and the writing processes, and instruction in one will processes, and instruction in one will enhance learning in the other, the enhance learning in the other, the challenge is to implement the challenge is to implement the reading writing connection by reading writing connection by integrating instruction (Smith, 1997). integrating instruction (Smith, 1997).

I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter – James Michener excellent rewriter – James Michener