Language Rich Environment
Art Center
This center is set up so that children can easily access the materials that are located on low shelves as well as participate in a teacher directed activity. “Art making is often a social activity for young children where language is developed.” (Johnson, 2006) Children are given the chance to communicate socially with their fellow peers and teachers by talking about their projects using descriptive words. By providing many open ended materials the children can use their imagination to create a multitude of projects. Also, Teachers can plan activities that will further foster the development of language and creative activities in art based on their observations. The role of the teacher is to encourage oral language between children, asking many open-ended questions, and to impose the importance of safety with materials and turn taking.
Materials
Glue
Paper
Scissors
Markers
Pencils
Crayons
Paints
Brushes
Rulers
Stencils
Play Dough
Rolling Pins
Cookie Cutters
Trays
Smocks
Easels
Drying Rack
Tape
Hole Punchers
Stapler
The activity I would have the children do would be color mixing. Before doing a color mixing activity I would read a book during circle time about colors and what happens when you mix them. A great book that depicts this is Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Wash. This book is about three white mice that discover jars of red, blue, and yellow paint. It demonstrates what happens when these mice dip into one color and then another. The activity would include having the children paint their hands different colors placing them on a white piece of paper. Then the children rub their hands together, mixing the colors. Then they place the new color between the first colors on the paper. This is a great way for children to use many different learning styles to make this idea of color mixing tangible. To assess the effectiveness of this area on language development would be through observations. Each teacher could write down their own anecdotals about what language was being used and then discuss it with other teachers to see if any changes needed to be made.
Math Center
This area is set up by providing lots of manipulative items that children can use to build mathematical skills. Things like peg boards, sorting objects like counting bears, puzzles, scales, Legos, and pattern making cards are some things that will help children develop language skills in math. Skills that children can build on are one-to-one correspondence, number sense and counting, classifying, shapes, mathematical operations, time, measurements, and patterns. This center is a great place to hang the daily schedule as it gives children the chance to build on the concept of time. This area also supports language acquisition by giving children the words to use when it pertains to math. Unlike other areas, this center has a language all of its own “…with the emphasis on processes of problem solving, representation, communication, reasoning, and making connections in mathematics.” (Charlesworth, 2004 pg. 148) The role of the teacher here is to give children the guidance and vocabulary needed to describe and explain what they are learning. For a math activity I would use Shape Bingo. Instead of just using the same of the shape I would use descriptive language to describe the shape. For instance I would say, “This shape has three sides and starts with the letter ‘T’.” To assess the area of language development again I would use teacher observations.
Dramatic Play Center
In my opinion this area is the best place for fostering language development. “Almost all children enjoy playing make-believe or fantasy games, and they benefit in two important ways. First, this type of play helps develop the imagination by giving children the opportunity to think about the past and integrate it with the present and future, thus helping to increase memory capacity. Second, these games provide the opportunity for children to use language that is not bounded by the immediate environment or the present—they begin to decontextualize language (i.e., begin to use it for abstract representation). (Piper.2012 Ch. 9.1)This area can be set up in so many ways. For instance, last week at my center we had the “Bob Van” come to our school. This van is a moving doctor’s office that helps those without medical insurance get the treatment they need. Our children were able to take a look inside and ask the nurses questions. After that visit we noticed the children using pretend play to talk about doctors and all sorts of medical things like shots. We then turned their play house into a doctor’s office. This gave the children the chance to act out anything that was on their minds. The play went from getting bandages to shots for those children getting ready for kindergarten. The role of the teacher here is minimal. I think it is important for teachers to step back and let the natural course of their play to happen without the interference of an adult. This area encourages language acquisition by allowing the children to express themselves in a stress-free setting.
Library Center
This center is important for building language as it pertains to the interest of books, letter and word knowledge, concepts about print, and phonological awareness. This area contains shelves for books that are at the children’s level allowing the cover of the book to face outward. There are also different types of furniture for the children to sit on depending on their preference. This is a quiet place for children to read books with their peers or with teachers. “Acquiring literacy is built on a foundation of oral language, but it is also interdependent with it.” (Piper, 20012 Ch. 9.2) That is why the literacy is located next to circle time. After hearing their teacher read to them, that book is then placed in the library so children can interact with the book in their own way. Books in this area range from basic picture books to simple chapter books that may be appropriate for children entering into elementary school. This area provides ample support for language acquisition. Children learn new words through books and this in turn helps them to build on their current vocabulary. To asses this area a tool that I use on a daily basis is the California Department of Education Desired Results Developmental Profile, or DRDP. This is a tool that we use to help us to see where each child is developmentally. There are forty-three measures that they are assessed in and five of the measures directly correlate with literacy and letter and word knowledge. By seeing where currently child is so we can work on ways to improve their current level of comprehension is this area.
“The important take-away for preschool teachers is that learning should be embedded in activities that are reflective of children's prior experience of learning and that are embedded in the process of socialization. Such activities need to be appropriate to children's stage of development and natural rather than instructional.” (Piper 2012 Ch9.1)
References
Piper, T. (2012). Making meaning, making sense: Children’s early language learning. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.
Charlesworth, Rosalind, PH.D. (2004) Experiences in Math for Young Children, 5th Edition. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers
Johnson, Margaret (2006) Art Talk: Developing Visual and Verbal Literacy. www.communityplaythings.com. February 17, 2013 Retrieved from https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/artwithchildren/arttalk.html
Art Center
This center is set up so that children can easily access the materials that are located on low shelves as well as participate in a teacher directed activity. “Art making is often a social activity for young children where language is developed.” (Johnson, 2006) Children are given the chance to communicate socially with their fellow peers and teachers by talking about their projects using descriptive words. By providing many open ended materials the children can use their imagination to create a multitude of projects. Also, Teachers can plan activities that will further foster the development of language and creative activities in art based on their observations. The role of the teacher is to encourage oral language between children, asking many open-ended questions, and to impose the importance of safety with materials and turn taking.
Materials
Glue
Paper
Scissors
Markers
Pencils
Crayons
Paints
Brushes
Rulers
Stencils
Play Dough
Rolling Pins
Cookie Cutters
Trays
Smocks
Easels
Drying Rack
Tape
Hole Punchers
Stapler
The activity I would have the children do would be color mixing. Before doing a color mixing activity I would read a book during circle time about colors and what happens when you mix them. A great book that depicts this is Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Wash. This book is about three white mice that discover jars of red, blue, and yellow paint. It demonstrates what happens when these mice dip into one color and then another. The activity would include having the children paint their hands different colors placing them on a white piece of paper. Then the children rub their hands together, mixing the colors. Then they place the new color between the first colors on the paper. This is a great way for children to use many different learning styles to make this idea of color mixing tangible. To assess the effectiveness of this area on language development would be through observations. Each teacher could write down their own anecdotals about what language was being used and then discuss it with other teachers to see if any changes needed to be made.
Math Center
This area is set up by providing lots of manipulative items that children can use to build mathematical skills. Things like peg boards, sorting objects like counting bears, puzzles, scales, Legos, and pattern making cards are some things that will help children develop language skills in math. Skills that children can build on are one-to-one correspondence, number sense and counting, classifying, shapes, mathematical operations, time, measurements, and patterns. This center is a great place to hang the daily schedule as it gives children the chance to build on the concept of time. This area also supports language acquisition by giving children the words to use when it pertains to math. Unlike other areas, this center has a language all of its own “…with the emphasis on processes of problem solving, representation, communication, reasoning, and making connections in mathematics.” (Charlesworth, 2004 pg. 148) The role of the teacher here is to give children the guidance and vocabulary needed to describe and explain what they are learning. For a math activity I would use Shape Bingo. Instead of just using the same of the shape I would use descriptive language to describe the shape. For instance I would say, “This shape has three sides and starts with the letter ‘T’.” To assess the area of language development again I would use teacher observations.
Dramatic Play Center
In my opinion this area is the best place for fostering language development. “Almost all children enjoy playing make-believe or fantasy games, and they benefit in two important ways. First, this type of play helps develop the imagination by giving children the opportunity to think about the past and integrate it with the present and future, thus helping to increase memory capacity. Second, these games provide the opportunity for children to use language that is not bounded by the immediate environment or the present—they begin to decontextualize language (i.e., begin to use it for abstract representation). (Piper.2012 Ch. 9.1)This area can be set up in so many ways. For instance, last week at my center we had the “Bob Van” come to our school. This van is a moving doctor’s office that helps those without medical insurance get the treatment they need. Our children were able to take a look inside and ask the nurses questions. After that visit we noticed the children using pretend play to talk about doctors and all sorts of medical things like shots. We then turned their play house into a doctor’s office. This gave the children the chance to act out anything that was on their minds. The play went from getting bandages to shots for those children getting ready for kindergarten. The role of the teacher here is minimal. I think it is important for teachers to step back and let the natural course of their play to happen without the interference of an adult. This area encourages language acquisition by allowing the children to express themselves in a stress-free setting.
Library Center
This center is important for building language as it pertains to the interest of books, letter and word knowledge, concepts about print, and phonological awareness. This area contains shelves for books that are at the children’s level allowing the cover of the book to face outward. There are also different types of furniture for the children to sit on depending on their preference. This is a quiet place for children to read books with their peers or with teachers. “Acquiring literacy is built on a foundation of oral language, but it is also interdependent with it.” (Piper, 20012 Ch. 9.2) That is why the literacy is located next to circle time. After hearing their teacher read to them, that book is then placed in the library so children can interact with the book in their own way. Books in this area range from basic picture books to simple chapter books that may be appropriate for children entering into elementary school. This area provides ample support for language acquisition. Children learn new words through books and this in turn helps them to build on their current vocabulary. To asses this area a tool that I use on a daily basis is the California Department of Education Desired Results Developmental Profile, or DRDP. This is a tool that we use to help us to see where each child is developmentally. There are forty-three measures that they are assessed in and five of the measures directly correlate with literacy and letter and word knowledge. By seeing where currently child is so we can work on ways to improve their current level of comprehension is this area.
“The important take-away for preschool teachers is that learning should be embedded in activities that are reflective of children's prior experience of learning and that are embedded in the process of socialization. Such activities need to be appropriate to children's stage of development and natural rather than instructional.” (Piper 2012 Ch9.1)
References
Piper, T. (2012). Making meaning, making sense: Children’s early language learning. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.
Charlesworth, Rosalind, PH.D. (2004) Experiences in Math for Young Children, 5th Edition. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers
Johnson, Margaret (2006) Art Talk: Developing Visual and Verbal Literacy. www.communityplaythings.com. February 17, 2013 Retrieved from https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/artwithchildren/arttalk.html