People often ask us if our Center for the Collaborative Classroom (CCC) Collaborative Literacy kindergarten curricula (Being a Reader, Being a Writer, and Making Meaning) can be adapted for use in pre-K settings. Our recommendation is that the kindergarten materials for these programs should not be adapted or pulled from to support pre-K instruction because much of the instruction can be too sophisticated for pre-K students, many of whom are still learning the letters of the alphabet. However, we can offer a few recommendations that will help to set pre-K students up for success when they enter kindergarten.
We recommend that pre-K teachers:
- Work on building a community of learners (e.g., incorporate the use of cooperative structures and daily reflections on the students’ social interactions)
- Have an academic and social focus for their lessons (The Lesson Planning Handbook would be a great resource)
We recommend that pre-K students:
- Be provided with authentic experiences that develop their oral language, social skills, and understanding of reading and writing. Activities that promote this learning include:
- Read-alouds
- Chants, songs, poetry
- Letter identification (ABC Letters)
- Oral language development
- Play
- Exploration with books and writing (using different utensils/formats)
- Tactile experiences
- Developing social skills and community
- Motor skill development
- Exploration and wondering
- Participate in interactive reading and writing activities that allow them to explore books and writing in a variety of ways:
- Teachers might use the “Stages of Reading Development” chart (found in the grade K Making Meaning Assessment Resource Book) to help them identify where their students fall on the continuum of development and consider the types of texts that would be appropriate for their students.
- Teachers might use the “Stages of Early Writing Development” chart (found in the grade K Being a Writer Assessment Resource Book) to help them identify where their students fall on the continuum of development and consider the types of writing activities that would be appropriate for their students.
What pre-K resources have you used that you have found useful? Let us know!