Back to School – Literacy Transitions- Prof. Ellen Booth Church

Transition time is also Language and Literacy Time! It is the perfect time to introduce, explore and practice the literacy skills you teach throughout the day. In fact, these mini-language lessons can be an essential part of your program. They provide children with the opportunity to apply the skill

Poetry Power- Prof. Ellen Booth Church

Your young child probably loves to play with sounds, words and rhymes. It is one of the best ways for him to learn the language and listening skills needed for reading and writing. Let’s Play with Poetry! Preschoolers and young students find words, sounds, and rhythms delicious. Nonsense rhymes, f

A Look at Common Pre-Reading and Pre-Writing Questions

Over the many years that I have been a teacher families have asked a few common questions about early reading and writing issues they are seeing in their child. Here are a few of them and the answers I have provided. I hope this is helpful for all! – Ellen Booth Church  Trouble with Grasping

Taking Art and Math Outside

“When we teach a child to draw, we teach him how to see.When we teach a child to play a musical instrument, we teach her how to listen.When we teach a child to dance, we teach him how to move through life with grace.When we nurture imagination, we create a better world, one child at […]

“How to Teach Children to Love Learning.”- Part 3 (Classroom Settings)

Arranging Your “I LOVE LEARNING” Classroom The way you arrange your setting has a strong effect on children’s opportunities to fall in love with learning…and life. If you strictly control how children use space and spend time, you limit their chances to make decisions, and experiment with ma

Talking and Listening to Children in the Classroom- Guided by Ellen Booth Church

From the moment children arrive to the end-of-day song, two-way communication is crucial for developing language and literacy skills. Greeting Time: Getting to Know One Another Arrival is one of the best times for one-on-one conversations with children. Such talks help to engender a sense of belongi