For Your Binder

For very young children, art and early writing skills are one and the same. But this changes over time! This article provides an easy to read overview of the early stages of writing and scribbling.  It also provides user friendly trips on how to encourage creativity while at the same time assisting children in learning that words are powerful and have meaning! #reading #writing #DAP #scribbling #creativity #teaching #learning

Literary fairy tales (meaning: written down, as opposed to a spoken story that was shared via oral traditions) were not at first called fairy tales and it was not until the 1690s, in France (of course) that the fairy tale established itself as a "legitimate" genre. #fairytales #stories #reading #books

There is no evidence that teaching children to read in PreK will help them be better readers in the long-run.  So how and when did we start thinking that it would? #play #pushdown #DAP #teaching #learning #reading

Many articles came out after Logan, et al published their 2019 research. In this one, lead author Jessica Logan comments as to how the vocabulary word gap in her study is different from the controversial 1992 study often called the 30 million (conversational) word gap and may have different implications for children. #DAP #reading #stories #parenting #teaching #learning

Authors write. Who the work is deemed "for" is on us. #fairytales #books #stories #reading

The American Academy of Pediatrics reminds us that the critical factor as to how a student will learn to read “is not how aggressively,” the child is given instruction, but rather their “own enthusiasm for learning” yet still, we push.  #DAP #reading #teaching #learning #pushdown #play #parenting

I found this wikipedia post interesting as I was reading up on the speakers and topics to be presented at the 2018 International Toy Research Association (ITRA) conference, 2018, Paris.  #play #toys

Dr. Johnson has seen children diagnosed with AD/HD or learning disabilities “miraculously” improve when they are taken out of “academic” kindergartens or given an extra year in a developmental kindergarten that emphasizes movement, play, and the integration of their sensory-motor systems.  #DAP #play #teaching #learning #movement #reading #writing

The reason I used this link for you is because within it you will be able to access a few other articles that give historical and more recent (2014) context to this ongoing topic. The other reason is because this website as a whole is a fantastic resource for making sure your book area is providing windows, sliding glass doors and mirrors for everyone! #books #stories #DAP #language #literacy #equity #diversity #teaching #learning #reading

Books are sometimes windows to new worlds; real, imagined or strange. Sometimes books are sliding glass doors we walk through so we can join that world in our imagination. Books can also be mirrors; reflections of our own lives and experiences. This classic article reminds readers of the importance of offering books that provide all three.  All of our children suffer when stories only mirror the dominant social group. This article might perhaps a much needed conversation about the contents of your book center! When I first read it I ended up launching myself down a very interesting rabbit hole and spent a fine afternoon reading articles that, albeit very dated, are probably still timely regarding the all white world of children's books. #reading #books #stories #teaching #learning #equity #inclusion #diversity #DAP #language #literacy

Here is the full text of the essay Tolkein presented (in an abbreviated form) in 1938 at St. Andrews, Scotland.  A couple of my favorite quotes: "If fairy story as a kind is worth reading at all it is worthy to be written for and ready by adults."  And, "It may be better for them (children) to read some things, especially fairy stories, that are beyond their measure rather than short of it. Their books like their clothes should allow for growth, and their books at any rate should encourage it." #books #stories #fairytales #reading 

In a nutshell - nope. Read it anyway and get the details! #DAP #teaching #learning #reading #play