Classroom Implications

Children need knowledge and understanding of their own world to make sense of what they read. Children need to be exposed to content in science, history, and geography from an early age to give them a context for understanding what they read. Experiences with print (through reading and writing) help preschool children develop an understanding of the conventions, purpose, and functions of print. These understandings have been shown to play an integral part in the process of learning to read.

Classroom experiences that offer children opportunities to write for real life reasons include having children write letters to parents and other community members to visit their classrooms, or writing letters of thanks to individuals and organization that have contributed to their school. Children write to record newly acquired information, to reflect on what they are learning and to organize their ideas. They also work in groups to write reports on special topics.

Classroom experiences that offer children opportunities to read, listen and speak for real life purposes include the reading of "everyday" notes, news, messages, lists, labels, and the reading of compositions and reports written in the classroom. In such classrooms, reading, writing, listening, and speaking become important and meaningful to every child.

Children expand their speaking and listening skills, their background and vocabulary knowledge in formal and informal activities as they engage in storytime discussion, journal keeping, wide reading, and purposeful writing.