CHAPTER 8
Literacy Development
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS
1. Students can plan, prepare, and teach if appropriate, literacy (reading and writing) lesson plans using the
model described in the text or a model presented by your instructor. Or, students can plan literacy lesson
plans using the Teacher Work Sample model described in Chapter 4. They can teach these plans in a field
work site.
2. Students plan, prepare, and teach, if appropriate, anchored units of instruction using the model presented in
the Instructor’s Manual.
3. Students create their own story, practicing the writing process suggested in the chapter. They can share
their stories, and a rubric can be created by class members to assess the stories.
SUGGESTED TEST QUESTIONS
1. The best way to improve reading skills in early childhood is to read to children and, when they are
able, encourage them to read to themselves.
2. Until children learn to read, they should not be shown written copy of what they dictate to a
teacher to be written down, because this would confuse them.
3. A concept of print is that reading goes from left to right and from top to bottom of the page.
4. The foundation of literacy is the printed word.
5. Children who are successful readers have had written language a part of their daily experiences.
6. Literature circles of small groups of children reading the same text with the teacher will scaffold
and support children’s reading.
Fill–in-the-Blank Questions
1. The integration of literacy into every part of the early childhood curriculum is called
.
2. When children write and read about their own experiences, it is referred to as the
.
3. A series published by a company with stories and activities that are increasingly
difficult in terms of reading levels is called a .
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. When children first begin composing, or writing creatively, the focus should be on:
a. their handwriting.
b. their ideas or the content.
c. their ability to write all alone.
d. how they emotionally respond in their writing.
2. Characteristics of high-quality picture books include
I. strong character portrayals.
II. an engaging and understandable plot.
III. a theme that is truthful and admirable.
IV. authentic illustration.
V. strong language.
VI. depict respect for people and cultures.
a. I, II, IV b. III, IV, VI
c. II, III, VI d. All of the above
1. Why should informational texts be included in the early childhood literacy curriculum?
2. The National Early Literacy Panel described the key components of early literacy. Describe
and discuss how they relate to the “big five” described by the National Reading Panel.
3. Describe at least four of the components of phonemic awareness.
Chapter 8