BUILDING LITERACY COMPETENCIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD ( DAVIDSON FILMS )

We have always wanted all children to read and write fluently. But with our growing dependence on computer based communication and the return of public interest in early schooling, much attention is being paid to the attainment of literacy. Fortunately, some of this interest has resulted in careful research into what skills, understandings and attitudes are necessary prerequisites for success in the primary grades. Filmed in several lively preschool and kindergarten classrooms, this film reviews the underlying cognitive, social and physical requirements for all formal education and then presents the literacy specific understandings and skills that are being widely cited, but not always adequately described. With instructive visuals from exemplary classrooms, serious scholarship and clever graphics are combined to introduce students to the current vocabulary and concepts of the development of literacy. Rejecting the "either/or" approach of the reading wars, this video presents an integrated vision of how the precursors of literacy grow from appropriate experiences provided by thoughtful adults to the children in their care. The film divides the literacy specific understandings and skills into two interdependent sets of competencies. The understandings and motivations that make reading an important activity are called the Communicative Aspects of Literacy. These include: Purpose of Reading, Concepts of Print and Comprehension of Text. These continue to grow throughout a reader's lifetime. The other set is labeled Literacy Skills and includes Phonological Awareness, Letter Recognition, Alphabetic Principle, Sound/Symbol Correspondence and Encoding/Decoding. With amusing animated graphics and film of busy children in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, this film illustrates and clarifies terminology like phonological awareness and sense of narrative. Skillful teachers are seen using engaging activities that foster literacy growth for their young children. Seeing film sequences of children involved in activities that foster growth in these areas enables students to put images to vocabulary that is new to them. Clever graphics and fully rendered definitions help them visualize the organization and content of the many factors involved in becoming literate. This video reviews the underlying cognitive, social and physical requirements for all formal education, and then presents the literacy specific understand and skills that are being widely cited, but not always adequately described. With Deborah Leong, Ph.D. and Elena Bodrova, Ph.D. This is a short clip from the film. Further information available at www.davidsonfilms.com.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Deborah Leong
• Elena Bodrova
• literacy competency
• early childhood
• primary grades
• cognitive learning
• Davidson Films