Meeting Literacy Standards through Developmentally Appropriate Practices

Educators and researchers (e.g., Bassok, Latham, & Rorem, 2016) have described today’s kindergarten classrooms as more academically oriented. Literacy standards emphasize and many agree that students should be able to read basic texts near the end of kindergarten; a shift that has some (e.g., Carlsson-Paige, N., McLaughlin, G., & Almon, J. 2015) concerned about the swapping of developmentally appropriate practices (student-centered) for more didactic approaches (teacher-led). A review of relevant research, however, reveals that academic literacy standards can be addressed in developmentally appropriate ways. The following three activities illustrate how teachers commonly embed academic literacy standards into developmentally appropriate experiences:

• Writing Workshop: Many studies (e.g., Snyders, 2014) point out that writing standards and opportunities for student choice can be easily combined via writing workshop. From topic selection to authentic task selection, students can exercise a high level of autonomy during writing workshop.
• Dramatic Play: Thematic fantasy play, where children act out their own stories or the stories of others can teach story structure and enhance comprehension (Roskos & Christie, 2011). Stocking the classroom with materials for students to create sets and costumes brings dramatic play to life.
• Storytelling: When students dictate personal stories to teachers, as they do through Vivian Paley’s (1981) storytelling curriculum, vocabulary, comprehension and a multitude other literacy standards can be addressed within more child-directed learning experiences (Cooper, Capo, Mathes, and Gray, 2007). Furthermore, research suggests storytelling positively impacts young children’s developing vocabulary and sense of self (McNamee, 2005).

How do you embed academic literacy standards into developmentally appropriate experiences for young children? We would love to generate a longer list of possibilities as a potential resource for early childhood educators.

Bassok, D., Latham, S. & Rorem, A. (2016). Is kindergarten the new first grade. AERA Open, 1(4), 1-31, DOI: 10.1177/2332858415616358

Carlsson-Paige, N., McLaughlin, G., & Almon, J. (2015). Reading instruction in kindergarten:   Little to gain and much to lose. Retrieved December 11, 2015, from   https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/cdi/media/pdf/ReadinginKindergartenreport.pdf

Cooper, P. P., Capo, K., Mathes, B., & Gray, L. (2007). One authentic early literacy practice and three standardized tests: Can a storytelling curriculum measure up? Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 28(3), 251–275.

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (Eds.). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

McNamee, G. D. (2005). “The one who gathers children:” The work of Vivian Gussin Paley and current debates about how we educate young children. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 25(3), 275–296

Roskos, K., & Christie, J. (2011). The play-literacy nexus and the importance of evidence-based techniques in the classroom. American Journal of Play, 4(2), 204–224.

Snyders, C. B. (2014). “I wish we could make books all day!” An observational study of kindergarten children during writing workshop. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(6), 405–414.