Children Know Reading is Everywhere

Environmental Print is a fancy term for defining the types of reading that adults, and children, find throughout the day. It encompasses food labels, posters, street signs, restaurant signs, t-shirts, and more. Children can easily identify many examples of Environmental Print, McDonald, Disney, and Tony the Tiger. The children see these images, which includes the print, and can identify the names of the object. They are reading! Connecting students with the Environmental Prints they already know and recognize with the print of the object solidifies reading skills that many of the children already have. A project that I plan on making for my students, and suggest for other preschool classrooms, is an Environmental Print book. Here, I will include 3-D identifiable objects, mounted pictures of recognizes logos and pictures of commonly seen Environmental Print. With this book, I can bring it into a classroom and ask the students to read the labels or signs to me. With some luck, each student will recognize a few of the prints, and we can focus on these words. What an interesting concept that a child can identify the exact name of the object before understanding the "make-up" of the word. This type of book allows teachers an inlet into the intelligent and memory-keeping minds of our children. With this, hopefully we can spend some quality time with each student, helping them to read the picture, image, and eventually match the words to the already identified logo.

The Third Space

The distance between literacy languages used at home and school, so often, is too large. 

Take for example, a student I recently read about, Jamie. At home Jamie is involved with technology; he loves computer games, television shows, books with his favorite television characters, remote controls, and watching DVDs on repeat. While watching television or movies, Jamie reenacts the characters with his brother. His literacy is surrounded with technology at home. When Jamie gets to school is literacy window is narrowed. The teachers provide him with the chance to listen to stories during group time, which he gets very fidgety during. After reading the book, the teachers prompt the students' comprehension by asking questions. This literacy worries Jamie and he never participates. The classroom often sings songs with hand movements, which Jamie can tolerate, but he hardly chooses to partake. Occasionally, a teacher will give Jamie enough attention for him to speak about his favorite TV shows, and he will act out some of his favorite scenes. 

There is a disconnect from Jamie's literacy experiences at home, which is his native literacy language, and the literacy opportunities he is presented at school. This is hindering his education, and keeping Jamie from deepening his literacy.

The Third Space is an idea that there is a way to integrate Jamie's native literacy language into his classroom experience. During this integration, Jamie can utilize and be comfortable with his literacy experiences from home, but also be challenged to introduce new literacies into his life. 

A great example of The Third Space includes Jamie's day on a train at school. His teachers set up a train simulation with a television monitor at the front of the train, displaying the outside of the train while they cruised along. Chairs were set up in rows, and children were invited to validate their tickets before entering the train. This is a perfect Third Space for Jamie. He was lured in by the technology, and the repetitious movie. Instead of only focusing on his technologic-based literacy, the teachers introduced a text-based literacy with the train ticket. He had to use the ticket, with text to get a stamp, that said "PAID," for example. The Third Space, in the instance, provided a gateway between home and school, and, intern, maximized Jamie's knowledge base. 

Teachers should always be on the look-out for ways to make a classroom more individualized. The only way for a Third Space to be effectively utilized is if the teacher keeps close communication with the parents. A helpful tip may be to have a brief home visit during the beginning of the year, or possibly a conference to discuss activities at home. The better understanding the teacher has of her students' home lives, the more effectively and efficiently she will be able to teach and challenge them appropriately. 

dA dJNe (Dear Johnny)

dA dl Ne l e
P U VeL BATR
I MAC U
SARAH I L U

This is a letter written from an almost five year old girl. At first glance, the letters appear to be meaningless and an imaginative form of language. After reading from p. 298, about literacy coming from an individual perspective, I gained a deeper appreciation and knowledge of children's formation of words. The article clearly described that each letter combination was thoughtfully placed on the page. I am amazed, now, looking back at the letter. Sarah wrote carefully and from her heart. I am very interested in this process. I would love to have been with Sarah as she wrote the letter, and listened to her as she carefully sounded out each word. It would be interesting to see how Sarah's letter would compare to a boy's at the same age level. Each child's process of spelling differs: children's literacy is a product of their individual lives. This portion of the article really excited me to expeience children around the age of Sarah, 4 or 5, as they begin to gain independence with their literacy.