Key Approaches to Early Childhood Literacy
Step 1: Choose ONE teaching approach
Pick one of the following approaches to focus on:
- Emerging Literacy
- Constructivism / Whole-Language Instruction
- Explicit Instruction and Phonics
- Balanced Comprehensive Approach
Step 2: Create a short lesson plan
Design a lesson for an early childhood classroom (Pre-K – Kindergarten) using the approach you selected.
Your lesson should include:
- Lesson Title
- Age Group
- Learning Objective (What will the children learn?)
- Materials Needed
- Activity Steps–Explain what the teacher and children will do.
- Assessment–How will you know the children understood the lesson?
Write a short reflection (1–2 paragraphs) answering:
- What are the strengths of this teaching approach?
- What are some limitations or challenges?
Example (very short sample)
Approach: Emerging Literacy
Lesson Title: Letter Hunt
Age Group: Pre-K
Objective: Children will recognize the letter B.
Activity:
The teacher reads a short book about bears. After reading, children search the classroom for pictures or objects that start with the letter B (ball, book, bear).
Assessment:
Children share the items they found and say the letter sound.
Reflection Example:
A strength of emerging literacy is that children learn language naturally through play and reading. A limitation is that some children may need more direct instruction to recognize letters and sounds.
Textbook : Literacy Development in the Early Years: Helping Children Read and Write
