WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the overview

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on Preschool Language
and Literacy.

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As an educational administrator,

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I know that preschool
education is critical

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for a child's long-term
success, but I need to know more

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about what a high-quality
preschool education looks like.

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How are other schools developing
preschool language and literacy?

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I need to see it in action
before I can take steps

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to improve quality.

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I've been teaching for a while

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so I understand skilled teachers
are essential in preschool.

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It seems to me that how
preschool teachers develop a

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child's language and literacy
skills is key to quality

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and is closely related
to success in reading.

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What I need are specific
teaching practices

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that have solid research
behind them.

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You're in the right place.

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Research has shown us

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that preschool children learn
foundational pre-reading skills

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when they had explicit
instruction

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in phonological awareness
and are engaged in talking

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about books and telling stories.

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Children learn these skills
through a variety of individual

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and group activities when
the instruction is matched

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to their stage of development.

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Phonological awareness
is the ability

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to hear the sounds in words.

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Preschool children learn to
say sounds, blend sounds,

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and orally take words apart.

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When phonological awareness
training is combined

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with letters, children learn
letter sound combinations,

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which helps them
read and build words.

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The website's expert interviews
explain the importance

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of helping children progress
along a range of skills.

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During interviews, teachers
show how they work phonological

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awareness into fun activities
throughout the day during

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instruction, indoor and outdoor
play, games, and routines.

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When talking about books
or telling stories,

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teachers guide children
through the story.

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These dialogues build
oral language, vocabulary,

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and comprehension as well as
knowledge of how print works.

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They are best used
several days a week

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with small groups of children.

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The teacher guides children
in discussing the story

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so they can become
the storytellers.

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Use the materials on this site
to see how teachers select books

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and prepare for interactive
reading sessions.

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Hear experts tell
how to ask questions

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at increasingly challenging
levels

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to develop children's oral
language and comprehension.

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Use the templates provided

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for professional development
plans and lesson planning.

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That's great information.

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But as a school administrator,
I have learned

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that teachers need support
when learning new practices.

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How can I help them
become skillful?

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You will find materials on
this site for both practices

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that will help you train
and support your staff,

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including tips on setting
up coaching, mentoring,

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and professional development
programs for preschool teachers.

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When deciding where to begin,
gauge the background information

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that your staff has about
phonological awareness

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and the interactive
and dialogic reading.

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For those who are
unfamiliar with the practices,

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begin with the multimedia
overviews and expert interviews.

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But if they already know
about the research background,

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they may want to proceed
directly to the tools

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from different preschools.

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This type of professional
development is important

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to avoid misunderstandings
about these skills.

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For example, you will find

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that some preschool teachers
think young children will just

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pick up everything
they need on their own,

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if surrounded with enough books.

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But research has proved

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that most children need explicit
instruction in sounds and print

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and the vocabulary words
that are found in stories.

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Of course, that instruction
must be tailored

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to the way young children learn,

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which is through active
exploration, fun activities,

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and individual and small group
interactions with caring adults.

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Remember, there are
materials for educators

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at all levels of
experience here.

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Explore them for yourself and
then use them as you begin

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to implement these
research-based practices

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for preschool language
and literacy.

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[Music]