Enriching Early Literacy Experiences with Infants and Toddlers
Lessons
EELE Introduction
EELE Pre-Test
Pre-Test Please complete the course pre-test before continuing with the course. Failure to complete the course pre-test will prevent you from completing the course, earning your course completion certificate, and…
EELE Objectives
Objectives At the end of this training, participants will be able to: Recognize the stages of language development. Define Self-Talk and Parallel Talk and implement both strategies in classroom. Identify…
EELE Language Development
Language Development Early verbal communication between infants often consists of unintelligible sounds. It’s important to let these dialogues play out. These early experiences are teaching babies a lot about communication…
EELE Nativist Approach
Nativist Approach The Nativist approach to language development simply states that we are born with everything we need to learn and use language. This idea began in the 1950s but…
EELE Social Learning Theory
Social Learning Theory Research in the 1980s indicated that infants have the ability to differentiate any sound in any language but lose that ability by the end of the first…
EELE Interactionist Theory
Interactionist Theory The Interactionist theory is based on Lev Vygotsky’s theory of Psychosocial Development. Jerome Bruner, another American psychologist, expanded Vygotsky’s theory to language acquisition. Bruner proposed it is a…
EELE Responsive Caregiving
Responsive Caregiving Responsive caregiving involves the creation of safe, structured environments with predictable routines and interesting materials to explore, and sensitive, caring and dependable interactions with consistent adult caregivers. The…
EELE Responsive Care Giving Process
Responsive Care Giving Process Responsive care starts with the ability to recognize, read, and interpret cues from infants, toddlers, and twos. It is care that responds positively to a child’s…
EELE Strategies for Responsive Caregiving, Interactions and Communication
Strategies for Responsive Caregiving, Interactions and Communication Click on the link below to access a handout with information about different strategies that promote responsive caregiving, effective teacher-child interaction, and communication…
EELE Activity What Do Responsive Caregiving Strategies Look Like in the Classroom?
Activity: What Do Responsive Caregiving Strategies Look Like in the Classroom? In this activity, you will choose the caregiving action that corresponds with the responsive caregiving strategy and drag the…
EELE Mastering Language
Mastering Language To master a spoken language, a child must learn basic sounds, how sounds are combined to form words, how words are combined to form meaningful sentences, what words…
EELE Stages of Language
Stages of Language Let’s go over the stages of language development for infants and toddlers according to the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2000): Sounds Crying, gurgling, and grunts—…
EELE Culturally Appropriate Practice
Culturally Appropriate Practice Language is influenced by culture and the way a person is raised. Keep in mind the following helpful tips regarding culturally appropriate practices: It is important to…
EELE Language Components
Language Components Language is divided into five different components in the Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos (2011). Let’s review the standards and indicators for Communication Skills…
EELE Receptive and Expressive Language in Young Infants (0-8 Months)
Receptive and Expressive Language in Young Infants (0-8 Months) Infants begin communicating with their caregivers at birth. They are comforted by familiar and soothing sounds and intently focus on faces.…
EELE Receptive and Expressive Language in Mobile Infants (6-18 Months)
Receptive and Expressive Language in Mobile Infants (6-18 Months) Infants’ receptive language is far more refined at this age. They can understand much of what they hear. This is demonstrated…
EELE Caregiver Responses to Enhance Language and Communication Development in Infants
Caregiver Responses to Enhance Language and Communication Development in Infants *Although infants are tuned into language from birth, they learn language through interactions and imitation. A caregiver that encourages an…
EELE Activity Describing What Self-Talk and Parallel Talk Looks Like in the Classroom
Activity: Describing What Self-Talk and Parallel Talk Looks Like in the Classroom Self Talk and Parallel Talk activities help teachers and children develop their relationship. Teachers comment on a child’s…
EELE Receptive and Expressive Language in Toddlers (16-36 Months)
Receptive and Expressive Language in Toddlers (16-36 Months) With this age group there is a rapid language acquisition. Toddlers listen, respond and gain new words every day. Receptive language also…
EELE Caregiver Responses to Enhance Language and Communication Development in Toddlers
Caregiver Responses to Enhance Language and Communication Development in Toddlers *As toddlers become more verbal and begin to use simple phrases, caregivers can use techniques to scaffold their language development.…
EELE Activity Extending Language
Activity: Extending Language Consider the following sample interaction where an early care and education provider extends the language of toddlers. Afterwards, you will need to record your thoughts and share…
EELE Open-Ended Questions
Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions have many possible answers. Rather than “Do you think the puppy is sad?” which can be answered with a yes or no, an open-ended question would…
EELE Emergent Literacy
Emergent Literacy The final component of Language Development is Emergent Literacy. Emergent Literacy includes all of a child’s early experiences that contribute to their ability to eventually learn to read.…
EELE Promoting Literacy
Promoting Literacy It is important to read, talk and play with children daily. A provider who promotes lots of play, reads lots of books, and talks a lot with (not…
EELE Inclusion
Inclusion Infants and toddlers with special needs related to language can be successful in a traditional early care and education setting with the help of reasonable accommodations and supports. Making…
EELE Activity Inclusion Scenario
Activity: Inclusion Scenario After reading the following story about Kara and her son Phillip, choose two to three inclusion practices that might be appropriate for Phillip. Phillip is Kara’s quiet…
EELE Activity Creating Action Steps to Enrich Literacy
Creating Action Steps to Enrich Literacy Language development and emergent literacy are critical to success in school and life. The earlier a provider can set the course for this development…
EELE Wrapping Up
Wrapping Up Children engage adults and each other in conversation that helps them explain and describe their world. They learn to express their thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs, to problem…
EELE Resources
Resources The following resources are listed to provide additional information related to the practices presented in this course. Language Development Bridging the Vocabulary Gap: What Research Tells Us about Vocabulary…
EELE References
References Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development. From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press; 2000. Dickinson DK. Putting the…
EELE Post-Test
Post-Test Please complete the course post-test before continuing with the course. Failure to complete the course post-test will prevent you from completing the course, earning your course completion certificate, and…
Oklahoma DHS Registry Information for Enriching Early Literacy Experiences
This is the final lesson of this course. Follow these steps to complete this course and receive your certificate: Make sure that you have completed all of the lessons in this…