Concepts of print in a play-based preschool classroom

After our discussion last week about concepts of print, especially all of the elements that were discussed in the article “Look: Examining the Concept of Learning to Look at Print," I began to ponder how these concepts of print are introduced and reinforced in the 4-year-old play-based preschool classroom where I assist a few days a week.

In looking at the list of skills involved in concepts of print included in the article (p. 135), I noted that even in this play-based environment, we do touch on many of these elements. There are many daily routines involving print, we have centers devoted to print and writing, and the students incorporate print into their pretend play.

When students arrive in the morning, their first task is to sign in. The children are at different levels in their ability to write their names, but all have progressed to some extent since the beginning of the school year. For the students just learning to write their names, this arrival time offers an opportunity to sit down with the student for a minute or two and write a few letters of their name together. Students are also asked to sign the artwork they produce during the day, offering them additional opportunities to practice writing their names.

During morning circle time, student jobs are written out on the board, and our day in the classroom begins with reading through who is responsible for each job. A few of these jobs involve print directly. For example, our “attendance” person puts the pre-printed names of his or her classmates on a magnetic board. Here is an opportunity to point out the directionality of the letters (putting the names right side up, horizontally) and some letter features (Lucy and Lealia both start with the same letter). Another daily job is “math survey.” One student polls his or her classmates on questions such as “Do you have a sister?” or “What is your favorite season?” and writes tally marks for each response, reinforcing that print has a purpose. Another daily routine involving print is the time for read-alouds, which is obviously a wonderful opportunity to bring print alive by discussing the characters or setting of the story, gathering information, making predictions, and making personal connections to the text.

There are also some centers in the class that are devoted to print, either on a daily basis or periodically. One permanent feature is the writing center, stocked with markers, paper, stickers, scissors, etc… where we can often find children writing letters, lists, invitations, or whatever else they are interested in. Students often visit the writing center to fetch materials they need for their pretend play in other centers. The other day some students set up a stage in the block area and made tickets for their performance with the materials from the writing center. The book center is a cozy nook in the corner of the classroom with two comfy chairs and displays of the books that have recently been read during read-alouds. Students frequently look or read through these books on their own or ask an adult to re-read them. It is gratifying that when one child asks me to read a book, several other children will often join in to listening to the book being read.

One or two of the centers in the class also often feature a print-based concept. The other day the children put together multiple small puzzles that formed words with corresponding pictures—each piece contained one letter of a word and part of the picture (i.e. p-i-g). Journal writing is also an occasional center activity. The student tells a story (most dictate this to an adult, who writes it down), based either on a prompt or his or her own idea, and then illustrates the story he or she has created.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all of the print-based activities in the class. My point is that even in a play-based classroom, there are plenty of opportunities for children to experience print, and I would assert that since much of it involves their own play, and nearly all of it involves their own choice, it becomes meaningful for them.

Yet, looking at this list and comparing it to the list in the article, we do a more thorough job of placing print in context and giving meaning to print than we do in emphasizing concepts of print involving the alphabet. Most of the students’ work on the alphabet involves their own name. The lead teacher is highly committed to maintaining a play-based environment and letting the children fully experience and appreciate being 4 (rather than preparing them for kindergarten in an academic way), and I am wondering how to introduce more of these alphabetic concepts of print into the classroom in a playful way.

Hovland, M. R., Gapp, S. C., & Theis, B. L. (2011). Look: examining the concept of learning to look at print. Reading Improvement, 48(3), 128-138. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/913286138?accountid=11752