Language and literacy strategies to support English language learners - post

Educators applying evidence-based language and literacy strategies to support English language learners.

What Is Print Knowledge?

Knowledge of:

• Letter names
• Letter sounds
• Concepts of print

Successful educators combine explicit letter instruction with visual aids and gestures to teach print knowledge to support English learner students.

When teaching print knowledge, using gestures and visual aids can help English learners understand letter names, sounds, and print concepts. When instructing the entire class, posters of the alphabet and letter cards can serve as visual aids. Name puzzles, materials for letter tracing, and word and letter tiles are additional examples of visual aids. At learning centers, visual aids like magnetic letters can help English-language learners participate in center activities. Gestures include pointing to the letter on a card or poster as you teach it and referring to the letter, word, sentence, or punctuation you're teaching during a read-aloud. All children can benefit from the use of gesture supports and visual aids like these.

Interested in learning more about print instruction's benefits and classroom strategies? Register for one of the following courses today at H&H Child Care Training Center.

• Understanding Print Knowledge in Preschool 2 hours online
• Letter & Number Planning in Child Care 3 hours online