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b^=n Beyond Lettert ^---- of flre Week

(indergaten teachers often ask me whether it's a eood idea to use alcner of rie ueck progrrm. I repty Lhar alrlough ir],irll;. i, inlpor-tanr ftrr children to know leRers rnd sounds. I beUeve thar tocusine onone lerler rt d bme tor an exrend€d period doesn\ suDporr children inmer urcracy oevelopmenr; tJ)ar hrtrns a le(er or $e wcek scnds Lhe

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TadGtrer;fGEilph-;6Ei=outd direc( and suide che cu,riculum.

20 rects, and thereforc limirs, cuniculum cont€nr and th€ warr rhat chil,

dren and teachers generate curriculum, rhus restricting children,s de,vr lopmenr :s i felong learner. .

Lett€rs and Sounds Throughout the DayHow then do we help children iearn about lefters and sounds in akindergarten rhat do€s nor do lefter ofrhe week? How do we expardthe Literacy growth of the children who dreadv know letters andsounds or who de readingt How do wc generate meaningnn curricu-lum lor everyonel The following vignenes describe holv chil&eo invarying degrees of literacy dev€lopment inreract with leners in nlean-ingirl cont€xrs in my kindergarten, ard how I respood ro and evaluatetiem during rhese ruLhenric lireracy evenrs.

. It i: 8:a0 and $e ihildren begrn to enrer rhe classroom. Marl puts ,r, nore in rhc basker l€lIng me 6r' <he will be pickcd up after school. I

read ,L wirh her rnd;9qSg!4!L6S4 in N,tr!. Fisher ltajrs tike hernrme. steue gels hjllnamc strip ro copyk he signs in. I acknowledgetnal h€ ls wntrne a lowercasc I

\44ren I siart singing ,,The Wleels on the Bus,', the childrengathcr on the rug. Througlour group time, I point to rhe er argedtexts of songs, poems, and big bool$, I ask childr€n to reise thcifhands if rhey havc a 3 et thc begiDning of rlcir namc. Billy and TomBloirrr r€spond. Dcbby sa)s rhat shc has a l within hcr namc. For aminur€ or cwo therc is chanet about lcncrs in namcs. The gloup rcfo_cuses as we sing "If I Had a Hammcr.,, I ask dlc childJen what lhevnotice and ca! on individuals so we cnn all hear what is raid. Sam noltices th€ piclures of ihe hammet and we poin! !o thc correspondingword. I ask €vcryone to count the numb€r oflrs on thc chart. There iisilcnce. I raise my pointer and thc childrcn wtrisper the answcr. Then Imovc it along &\c t€xr and wc say the sound of, €v€ry lime we com€rc r word beginning wirh ,:nd we say rhe word.

Someone asla if we will be going ou$ide for recess, and I refcr thcclass ro the day's schedule on the board. Rya_n has le*ned to read Lheschedrne. Reces is imporranr io him. We ralk jbout lookins for rb€ /for recess. Nexr. r,he leadcr for r-he dav pick rne big book thi Eno,nowwaterm.ton \rztks dr smilh) ro read ro rhe clas. Ias a fivorite mdwe've read it many tim€s. I focus on lhe tirte for a f€w minutes, then ask.-If v99 )v€Je +e aurhor, whar word could vou rc itrF,,r 6f p,,/-

-4!!! &\ | wnre rhe suggesrjons on rhe board, we ral( :bour rhe;meaning and spelling. We decide to reid rhe storv substitutina the .word

sganit and I wirc ft on a to.r ir. *hich I mov;6om pase ;o pase.