Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Historical overview: Changing beliefs about preschool literacy -- Stages of reading -- Program history and focus -- Strategies to promote positive literacy development -- Assessment -- Individual profile (four-and five-year-olds) -- Group profile -- Periodic assessment tool -- Writing anecdotal reports -- Portfolios -- Note about three-year-olds -- Individual profile (three-year-olds) -- Classroom Essentials -- Two foundations -- Twenty-one classroom essentials -- Effective calendars -- I'll wait timeline -- News bulletin boards -- Teacher photos -- Individual attendance devices -- Super star of the week -- Data-collecting activities -- Language experience stories -- Yearlong birthday calendar -- Helpers charts -- Words in the environment -- Song charts -- Alphabet and number charts -- Literacy centers -- Labeled bulletin boards -- Writing materials -- Word walls -- Maps -- Comfortable group meeting areas -- Classroom centers -- Field trips and resource people -- Music Of Literacy -- Importance of music for literacy development -- Use of music in early childhood programs -- Value of song charts -- Introducing a new song -- Where to find music for early-childhood programs -- Hush, Little Baby -- Pretty Colors -- Who Is Wearing -- If You Are Wearing -- This Old Man -- Ten in the Bed -- Ten Little Sailors -- Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes -- Hokey Pokey -- Alphabet Song -- B-I-N-G-O -- Old MacDonald Had a Farm -- Itsy, Bitsy Spider -- Connecting With The Home -- Successful strategies for working with families -- Sample family letter -- Lesson Activities -- Lesson Activity 1: Knows first and last name -- Lesson Activity 2: Writes first name and first letter of last name -- Lesson Activity 3: Repeats home address -- Lesson Activity 4: Knows purpose of and can dial 911 -- Lesson Activity 5: Recognizes eleven basic colors -- Lesson Activity 6: Counts form 1 to 31 -- Lesson Activity 7: Recognizes numerals 1 to 10 out of order -- Lesson Activity 8: Demonstrates an understanding of one-to-one correspondence -- Lesson Activity 9: Recites the alphabet -- Lesson Activity 10: Identifies at least ten uppercase letters out of order -- Identifies at least ten lowercase letters out of order -- Lesson Activity 11: Recognizes and names a square, circle, rectangle, and triangle -- Lesson Activity 12: Copies a square, circle, rectangle, and triangle -- Lesson Activity 13: Identifies basic body parts -- Lesson Activity 14: Reproduces basic body parts when drawing a person -- Lesson Activity 15: Demonstrates appropriate cutting skills --
Lesson Activity 16: Demonstrate appropriate pasting skills
Lesson Activity 17: Understands the concept of print: knows the difference between a letter, a word, and a sentence
Understands the concept of print: knows that print goes left to right and top to bottom with a return sweep
Understands the concept of print: knows that the print tells the story and illustrations help tell the story
Lesson Activity 18: Understands the concept of a story: knows that an author writes the story
Understands the concept of a story: knows that an illustrator creates the pictures
Understands the concept of a story: Knows that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end
Understands the concept of a story: Knows there are different characters in a story
Understands the concept of a story: Knows the story has a setting where it takes place
Understands the concept of a story: Knows that a conversation might take place
Lesson Activity 19: Predicts what comes next in a story
Lesson Activity 20: Retells a story with sufficient details
Lesson Activity 21: Differentiates and reproduces rhyming sounds
Lesson Activity 22: Differentiates and reproduces beginning sounds
Lesson Activity 23: Shows growth in writing alphabet and picture code systems
Lesson Activity 24: Reads simple stories using pictures and/or words
Lesson Activity 25: Shows growth in vocabulary and language use
Lesson Activity 26: Identifies common words found inside and outside the classroom
Lesson Activity 27: Understands and uses comparative terms
Lesson Activity 28: Shows initiative in engaging in simple reading and writing activities
Tips for families to encourage positive reading behaviors
Name sheet (Lesson Activity 10)
Dot-to-dot shapes (Lesson Activity 12)
Fix the doll (Lesson Activity 13)
Shapes to cut out (Lesson Activity 15)
Cutting lines (Lesson Activity 15)
Cutting a spiral (Lesson Activity 15)
Folding a hat (Lesson Activity 15)
Folding a cup (Lesson Activity 15)
Shapes to paste (Lesson Activity 16)
Beginning, middle, end (Lesson Activity 18)
Stages of writing (Journal writing)
Milestones for three- and four-year-olds
