Narrative Skills

"One out of five school children is reading impaired by the time he reaches 4th grade. 38% of our nation's fourth-grade children are reading below a basic level of proficiency."
-U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. The Nations Report Card: Reading Highlights 2003

Narrative Skills "Tell Stories" is the ability to understand stories (comprehension) and the ability to tell stories or describe events (production). Narrative Skills help children learn to read because when children understand story structure (beginning, middle, and end) and story components (who the characters are, what they do, and why they do what they do), they are better able to understand what they just read (comprehension) and predict what will happen next. When children do not understand a story, narrative skills can help children know what kinds of questions to ask in order to reach understanding.

• 3 year old children can describe what happens during recurring events (What happens at lunch time? What happens when you get dressed?). These "event scripts" are an early form of narrative skill. As they grow older, they gradually add more detail to their scripts.

• You may hear young children use story phrases like "once upon a time" or "the end".

• Early on, children can tell stories about events that directly relate to their experience. As they grow older, they start to imagine and tell stories about things they have not experienced.
  

Narrative Skills in Storytime:

• Include stories that are cumulative or sequential, and encourage children to guess what will happen next.

• After reading, recall the main events of the story, asking them what happened next: "Then where did Spot go?" Or ask clarifying questions: "Why was Sally looking for Spot?"

• Use flannel or magnet boards to tell stories. Allow children to participate in the telling of the story and the placement of the flannel pieces. Leave the flannel board and story pieces out after storytime for children over 3 to explore.

• Retell a story with props, allowing the children to help.

• Use fingerplays, action rhymes and songs that are cumulative or sequential.

• Share some books without interrupting the reading, so children can hear the entire sequence and flow of the story; this helps them learn story structure. After reading, ask the children questions about what happened and why.

• After storytime, ask children to draw pictures to go along with the book you read. Ask parents to write down the children's description of their picture.

• Act out nursery rhymes or stories with children or encourage children to act out stories with puppets. Some children may become very interested in creating a puppet show.

• Add on to favorite stories. What happened the day after Max visited the Wild Things? What else did the five little monkeys do?

• Consider offering a favorite book sequel program to encourage children to write about what happens next in their favorite books. Record what the children say in their words. Ask clarifying questions ("Why did he do that?" "How did that happen?"). Ask the children to help illustrate the sequel. "Publish" the story for the children to take home, or post the story and pictures in the room.

Narrative Skills Comments for Adults at Storytime:

• For babies and young toddlers: "When you pair a simple song with movement, such as 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider', you help build your baby's narrative skills. Seeing your child's hands come together to form the spider or his arms reach up to make the sun is evidence that he is beginning to understand the sequence of the story."

• For older toddlers and preschoolers: "To build your child's narrative skills, encourage pretend play, and play along with her."

• "Your child will understand stories and learn how to tell stories if you tell stories. Begin by narrating your day, and talking about what you are doing while you are doing it. Describe your actions using rich language and emotion."

• "While sharing a book, let you child be the storyteller."

• "After you read a book, use open-ended questions to help your child re-tell the sequence of the story. For example, "What happened when Max got sent to his room?" and "What did the monsters do?"

• "Parents, encouraging your child to talk about daily routines is a great way to build narrative skills."

• "Your child's ability to re-tell a story, or re-tell stories about special events, helps build narrative skills. Research show that this is a critical part of reading comprehension."

Summary

What Can We Do for Narrative Skills?

• Use props for poems and stories

• Have materials and do activities to extend discussion and learning from the books presented (games, puzzles, puppets, stuffed book characters, etc.)

What Can Parents and Caregivers Do for Narrative Skills?

• Narrate your life activities as you go through the day and ask your child to describe what they are doing as well. Listen patiently and add details to their descriptions

• Encourage prediction

• Act out simple stories

Suggested Books:

• Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

• Silly Sally by Audrey Wood

• Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

• Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

• I Went Walking by Sue Williams

• Dinosaur! by Peter Sis

• Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

• Chickens to the Rescue by John Hillelman
  

Vocabulary

"When mothers frequently spoke to their infants, their children learned almost 300 more words by the age of 2 than did their peers whose mothers rarely spoke to them."
-Hare, B. & Risley, T.R., 1995. Meaningfull Differences in the everyday experiences of young American children.

Vocabulary "Learn New Words" knowing the meaning of words and connecting the words to objects, events, or concepts in the world. (Words we must know to communicate effectively.)

• Oral Vocabulary are the words we use in speaking or recognize when listening

• Reading Vocabulary are the words we recognize or use in print

While developing vocabulary, children are also developing world knowledge, which is an understanding of how the world works and what is in the world.

Vocabulary is important to Reading Comprehension. Children use the words they know to make sense of the words they see in print. They cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean.

When children have more vocabulary, they can more easily make prediction about the words they are reading (Decoding), and apply their knowledge of the world as they try to understand what they are reading (Reading Comprehension).

• Babies usually begin babbling by 6 months

• Some babies say recognizable words by 12 months

• It's estimated that from about 2 years of age on, a child learns approximately 9 - 12 words each day.

• 3 year old children need to physically touch or explore something in order to learn the words that go along with the object or experience.

• 4 - 5 year old children use their real life experiences to bring background knowledge to what they encounter in books. The real world and the world of books build on each other, so that their vocabulary grows even faster.

• When children are very young, they may use a single word for all related objects. ("truck" may be used for all vehicles even bikes).

• Children may combine two words together to create a word to describe a concept (saying "last day" for "yesterday").

Vocabulary in Storytime:

• Talk about the meaning of words with children as they come up in books or conversation. "It's funny--the word 'flower' means two things. It can mean the pretty flowers growing outside in the garden. Or it can mean the white stuff people use to make cookies or bread." Children don't need to know that the two words are spelled differently, but understanding that there are two meanings to a word will enhance their understanding of words and the world.

• Model you won interest in words. Don't dumb down you conversations with children.

• Help children learn about the world by reading both fiction and informational books, especially about interesting places such as the zoo, park, or animal hospital.

• Encourage children's interest in new words by asking questions like, "What is that?" "What do you use that for?" "What does that mean?"

Vocabulary Comments for Adults at Storytime:

• "Did you know that hearing language actually changes the structure of babies' brains? Language builds more connections between neurons in the brain. So the more you talk with your baby, the more connections she will have in her brain."

• "Toddlers understand many more words than they say, so be sure to talk to them using rich language."

• "Books are a source of rich vocabulary that we may seldom use in everyday conversation. When you read to your child, you are building the vocabulary that will help her later when she's sounding out words, learning to read."

• "Next time you're at the grocery store, take a moment to talk with your child about the names of different vegetables and fruits. You can also talk about the shapes and colors. These conversations help build vocabulary - one of the six early literacy skills. You can also encourage this activity at the park, at a construction site, working in the garden with plants and tools, all day long!"

Summary

What Can We Do for Vocabulary?

• Words on sticks or for the flannel board

• Pictures on sticks or for flannel board

• Lots and lots of stuff (props, puppets, toys) and pictures of stuff to play with

• Props for guessing games

What Can Parents and Caregivers Do?

• Read different types of books; books are rich in vocabulary that may not be used in regular conversation

• Ask lots of questions when talking and reading to the child

• Talk, talk, talk to the child

Suggested Books:

• Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry

• Dinosaur Roar! by Paul Stickland

• A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker

• Napping House by Audrey Wood

• I Love Bugs! by Philemon Sturges

• Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

• Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor

• In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
  

Phonological Awareness

"Most reading problems faced by today's adolescents and adults are the result of problems that might have been avoided or resolved in their early childhood years." -National Research Council, 2000.

Phonological Awareness "Play with Sounds" understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds. It is an auditory skill rather than a visual skill. You don't need to see the word "d" to know that dog starts with the /d/ sound. Phonological Awareness comes before Phonics. Phonics is the predictable relationship between spoken language and written language. To understand phonics, a child must know the kinds of sounds a language makes (phonological awareness) and be able to identify the letters of the alphabet, and then link the two together. Phonological Awareness Includes:

• Awareness of Syllables: Butterfly = Butt/er/fly

• Awareness of Rhymes: The dog in the bog got lost in the fog.

• Awareness of Phonemes (smallest speech sounds): Dog = D/aw/g

• Awareness of the sounds that words start or end with: Dog starts with a /d/ sound and ends with a /g/ sound. If you take away the /d/ sound and add the /f/ sound, the word becomes fog.

When children achieve phonological awareness, they are able to think about how words sound, apart from what they mean. They know that bed and head rhyme, that kitchen and cat start with the same sound. Understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds helps children "break the code" between spoken language and written language. Children who are more aware of sounds that make up words and have played with or explored sounds they can:

• Grasp that sounds can be represented by letters

• Decode (read) words

• Spell words

Check out the Language of Literacy Below by clicking on it:

Phonological Awareness does not develop "naturally". Children need to have lots of experience with different words (rhyming and those that do not) in order to become aware of sound similarities and differences (as opposed to seeing the differences in the meaning of the words).

Research has shown:

• Babies seem to recognize when speech sounds are correctly organized and when they are mixed up.

• Children (as young as 1 or 2) are able to recognize syllables in words as well as the sounds that words start with and a word's vowel sounds. They understand the difference between the words cat, hat, mat, and bat (words with the same vowel sounds but different beginning sounds and different meaning).

• Children 3 - 4 may notice and point out when two words sound the same. They can memorize and recite rhyming songs and poems.

• Children 4 - 5 may be able to tell what sound a word starts and ends with like "The word 'bat' starts with a /b/ sound". They appreciate a rhyming story, rhyme, or riddle. They might find a story funny because of the rhyme, not just because it's a funny story.

• Children who are learning two languages at once, or who are learning a second language, have greater phonological awareness. They are required to sort language sounds and notice similarities and differences on a daily basis; in order to separate the two languages.
  

• When asked to rhyme, children may make mistakes and come up with nonsense words rather than real words or claim two words rhyme when they don't. This is normal. The act of trying to find a rhyme shows that the children are becoming aware that language and words can be broken down into individual sounds.

Phonological Awareness in Storytime:

• Play with words; especially ones that make you laugh! (hullaboloo, snickerdoodle, pollywog) Show children that words can make adults smile or laugh too; enjoy words with children.

• A child's name is always a good place to start when looking for word sounds. "Hey your favorite food, mmmmacaroni, starts with the same sound as Mmmmolly, your name." Use shakers or rhythm stick to tap out the syllables in each child's name.

• Clap along with the song; clap to the beat, with each word, or with the syllables in the word. Distribute noise and rhythm makers (shakers, rhythm sticks, maracas, or tambourines) for variety.

• Recite rhyming poems. Add hand a body movements to rhymes to make them fun. Clap along with rhymes. Rhyming poems and songs don't need to make sense. In fact, the nonsense words created in these rhymes tend to bring on the giggles!

• Keep a list of the poems, songs, and rhymes that the children have learned. Post the list for Print Awareness. Repeat favorite rhymes.

• For children 4 - 5: when reciting familiar rhymes, substitute a non-rhyming word in place of the regular rhyming word (Jack and Jill went up the street..."). When the children stop you, ask what is wrong. See if anyone can identify that the substituted word does not rhyme. If not, explain to children that the poem does not sound right because a different word was used AND the poem does not sound right because the new word does not rhyme. Ask if anyone can think of other words that rhyme.

• For children 4 - 5: talk to them about alliteration. Alliteration (when the first sounds of words are similar -- wee, Willie, Winkie or bye, baby, bunting) is another characteristic of language sounds that children will start to notice. Find alliteration phrases (silly, Sally) and ask children what would happen if they changed the first sound of each word (milly mally). Let the children suggest the sounds for the changes. See if the children can make the changes on their own. "What would happen if we changed the /s/ sound in silly Sally to the /m/ sound? Can anyone do it?"

Phonological Awareness Comments for Adults at Storytime:

• After chanting a rhyme like "Heckety Peckety Bumblebee" share this message with parents: "Breaking words into syllables is an important part of Phonological Awareness. Playing with sounds now will make it easier to learn to read later."

• "Chanting rhymes and singing with your children helps them understand that words can be broken down into smaller parts. That skill is called Phonological Awareness and it is an important part of learning to read."

• "Sometimes people get confused between Phonological Awareness and Phonics. Phonological Awareness is an auditory skill. It's your child's ability to hear the smaller sounds in words. Phonics is a more complex skill that combines sounds with letters. That skill comes later."

Summary

What Can We Do for Phonological Awareness?

• Rhymes to read and props to see

• Clapping songs

• Use Nursery Rhymes and other rhymes or poems

• Use different sounds to make and hear like participation sounds; for example: farm animal sounds that are part of the story, so kids can identify the animal and become part of the story

What Parents and Caregivers Do for Phonological Awareness?

• Sing songs, repeat rhymes, and play rhyming word games
  

• Have fun with silly words

• Read rhyming books

• Say tongue twisters together

Suggested Books:

• Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

• I'm Bad! by Kate and Jim McMullan

• Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward

• My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie

• I Ain't Gonna Pain No More! by Karen Beaumont

• Can You Growl Like a Bear? by John Butler

• Chuck's Truck by Peggy Perry Anderson

• Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
  

Print Motivation

"When the interaction around a book is negative (harsh language), the young child likes reading and books less. He associates the negative interaction with the book!"
-Adam Payne, Grover Whitehurst, and Andrea Angell. The Role of Home Literacy Environment in the Development of Language Ability in Preschool Children for Low Income Families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly v. 9 issue 3-4 1994.

I thought I'd break down the Six Early Literacy Skills starting off with the foundation Print Motivation or "Love Books".

Print Motivation is a child's interest in and enjoyment of books. A child with good print motivation enjoys being read to, plays with books, pretends to write, asks to be read to, and likes trips to the library. Children who are motivated by print are excited about learning to read. They will be more likely to persist and succeed when they encounter difficulties or stumbling blocks while learning to read.

Print Motivation in Storytime:

• Make storytime FUN! Let the children know that you think books are special and that the time you spend with them in storytime is special. Use funny books and get everyone laughing. Let the children know that you love to read and that one day they will know how to read books all by themselves.
  

• Make storytime interactive. Involve the children as much as possible. Children learn the most from books when they are actively involved. Use participation books or books that have a repeated refrain or chant they can chime in on.

• With babies: Include a book-sharing time by surrounding the babies with board books. Let them handle the books and don't worry if they chew on them! This is a baby's way of exploring and learning about books. Make a fuss over the books. Show the adults how to share books with babies: Point to the pictures and talk about them. Relate them to the child's world ("That bear has a red shirt, just like yours!")

• Take book requests sometimes.

• Put out books for the early birds to read while they are waiting for storytime.

• Don't be afraid to stop reading a book that isn't working!

• Give children access to writing materials, if possible.

• Create positive memories by reading special books at certain times of the year (at the change of the season, after a snow storm, when the first flower emerges).

• Follow the lead or the interests of the children.

• Read with great expression, but be careful not to overdo it.

Print Motivation Comments for Adults at Storytime:

It is important to relay early literacy information to parents and caregivers. Providing a literacy tip to parents and caregivers is an essential part of a literacy-enhanced storytime. Here are a few comments you can try: (It might seem awkward at first, but you'll pick up a flow.)

• "Researchers say that children learn more from books when they are actively involved, so be sure to ask questions while reading."

• "Let your child see you reading and know that reading is fun. Find interesting child-friendly articles in the newspaper and read parts of a story aloud."

• "It's important to let your child see that reading is functional. You can share maps, recipes, newspaper articles, or other useful bits of information with your child."

• "The desire to read is an important factor in children becoming skilled readers, so be sure to follow your child's interests."

• "Every positive experience with books builds the literacy foundation that will help your child achieve in school. So, make reading a fun and special time by reading funny books, cuddly, books, whatever your child likes."

Summary

What Can We Do for Print Motivation?

• Enjoy the materials and the group: smile and laugh generously

• Pop-ups, toy books, books of all sizes that are fun for kids to see and touch

• Encourage parents to enjoy books and enjoy them with their kids

• Storytime Signs: for example, using a stop sign when it is time to stop talking and pay attention to something else

What Can Parents and Caregivers Do for Print Motivation?

• Make sharing stories a big deal; a pleasant, part of every day

• Read with voice inflection and excitement

• Let the child be a part of choosing books to read

Suggested Books:

• Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

• Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horácek

• Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

• Where's Spot? by Eric Hill

• Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

• Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

How the Six Early Literacy Skills Contribute to Skilled Reading

"The science is clear: children need responsive care and attention during their earliest weeks, months, and years to build cognitive, social and emotional skills necessary for healthy growth and development." - www.ounceofprevention.org

What is a "Skilled Reader"?

The two primary aspect of learning to read are:

• Decoding: putting together letters and sounds to make a word. For example, the letters and sounds /c/ /a/ /t/ make the word "cat."

• Comprehension: understanding the meanings of the works and the meaning of the story.

How do the Six Early Literacy Skills contribute to the concept of a "Skilled Reader"?

Foundation for Skilled Reading

• Print Motivation

Contributes to Decoding:

• Phonological Awareness

• Print Awareness

• Letter Knowledge

Builds Reading Comprehension:

• Vocabulary

• Narrative Skills

"In Colorado, in a 2001 Educare Survey of Kindergarten and First Grade teachers, it was found that teachers believed four out of 10 children (40%) entering the classroom were not prepared to learn." - Colorado Department of Education

Early Literacy

"Children who have not developed basic literacy practices when they enter school are three to four times more likely to drop out in later years." -National Adult Literacy Survey, 1993

What is Early Literacy?

Early literacy is what children know about reading and writing before they learn to read and write. This reading readiness begins at birth. The experiences throughout the early years (before starting school) profoundly affect the development of literacy. Research shows that children need to have six basic skills as a foundation prior to learning how to read.

The Six Pre-Reading Skills:

Sue has posted this information earlier in the comments, but here's another overview with Mary Kuehner and Jefferson County Public Library's terminology in purple quotations:

• Print Motivation "Love Books"- is an interest in and enjoyment of books.

Why is it important?

Children who get pleasure from books will want to read more and will learn to read more easily.

• Phonological Awareness "Play with Sounds" - is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.

Why is it important?

Being able to hear rhymes, beginning sounds, ending sounds, and syllables is critical to later reading success.

• Vocabulary "Learn New Words" - knowing the names of things.

Why is it important?

Children need to know the meaning of words in order to understand what they are reading. The more words they hear and know, the stronger their reading comprehension.

• Narrative Skills "Tell Stories" - is the ability to describe things, sequence events, and tell stories.

Why is it important?

Good narrative skills will lead to good comprehension! Writing abilities will be supported as well.

• Print Awareness "Use Books" - is noticing print everywhere and knowing how books work.

Why is it important?

It relays the message that print is meaningful and that books are made up of words and pictures. We read from front to back and left to right. We hold the book upright and turn pages in order.

• Letter Knowledge "Know Letters" - knowing letters look different and that each letter has a name and makes sound(s).

Why is it important?

To read written words, children must know how to quickly identify and decode letters.

"According to the National Academy on an Aging Society, 73 billion dollars is estimated annual cost of low literacy skills in the form of longer hospital stays, emergency room visits, more doctor visits, and increased medication."
- "Toward a Literate Nation," Luis Herrera, Public Libraries, Jan/Feb 2004

Every Child Ready to Read Training

"The single most significant factor influencing a child's early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school."
- National Research Council, 2000

Wow, what a session to motivate us! Sue (the trooper!) and I had a terrific time with our Every Child Ready to Read Trainer, Mary Kuehner, from Jefferson County Public Library and the ECRR Grant Coordinator, Patricia Froehlich, from Colorado State Library.

The training entailed:

• The understanding Early Literacy.
• The understanding the Six Early Literacy Skills and how these contribute to skilled reading.
• How to support children's early literacy skill development in storytime.
• The importance of sharing and how to share early literacy information with parents and caregivers.

What's empowering is that we already intuitively do Early Literacy Stroytimes, but now we have new tricks to add to our bags, research and statistics to back up what we do and emphasize how important it is, and a more structured direction for our storytimes.

This blog is set up for the purpose of expanding our knowledge of Early Literacy and enhancing our storytimes around these principals. Sue and I will share what we learned in our training session and the Grand County Youth Services Librarians can promote Early Literacy in each of our storytimes. In communicating, we can share our ideas and experiences with each other regarding Early Literacy storytimes. Hopefully, this will not only promote new ideas, but give a support basis and provide a strong foundation for us to continue community education through our programs.

The information for this blog is provided by the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy with Colorado State Library for the LSTA Storytime Grant Training Manual & The Discussion Guide of Enhancing Library Storytime with Early Literacy Skills and Messages from the Multnomah County Library.

"By the time they were two years old, the children whose parents had a high level of speech with their children had a vocabulary five times as high as those children whose parents had a low level of speech."
-Huttenlocher, Janellen et. Al. Early Vocabulary Growth: Relations to Language Input and Gender. Developmental Psychology v. 27 no. 2 March 1991