The Rhythm of Literacy:
Using Story Songs to Enhance Early Literacy in Young Children
NAEYC – November 9, 2006
LuAnn Hoover Shauna Tominey
Kansas State University Oregon State University
Research-Based Early Literacy Goals:
I. Motivation
§ Create a positive attitude toward reading
§ Develop attentive listening skills
§ To understand the function and value of reading
§ Develop book familiarity/ Create interest in story structure
Teaching Strategies
o Engage children in a variety of storytelling experiences (story songs, flannel board, puppets, story actions, enactment)
o Help children listen for details of the story, retell the story in different ways
o Provide props to dramatize the story play
o Introduce children to story elements: setting, plot, characters and events
II. Listening Comprehension & Oral Language
§ Develop oral verbal reasoning skills
§ Develop strong conceptual knowledge skills
§ Develop rich language skills
Teaching Strategies
o Actively involve children when reading a book to them
o Ask predictive and analytical questions to prompt higher order thinking (“I wonder what will happen next?” “Why do you think the pig ran to his brother’s house?”)
o Encourage children to talk about the pictures (select books that have good illustrations that match the text)
o Encourage children to retell the story (provide flannel pieces, story sequencing cards)
o Discuss the children’s favorite parts of the story
o It’s the “talk” surrounding the book that gives the book power
III. Phonemic Awareness
§ Letter familiarity
§ Alphabet principles (letter identification, letters represent sounds)
§ Introduction to letter sounds (beginning and ending sounds)
Teaching Strategies
o Provide a print rich environment
o Involve children in rhyming and chanting poems and songs
o Make children aware of similarities and differences in sounds and words
o Emphasize rhyming through body movement
o Whisper poem/chant with rhyme words spoken loudly
o Clap names and familiar words
o Tap out names/words with rhythm stick or drum
o Encourage children to make up own rhymes, manipulate sounds - Have fun substituting one sound for another
o Alliteration experiences such as: Trip, trap, Trip trap: Fee Fi Fo Fum
o Guess whose name starts with “______” sound.
o Find different words with same initial sounds
o I’m thinking of a word that starts with “_____” sound
o Something in my bag starts with “_____” sound. Can you find it?
o Tongue twister with child’s names. ( Willably Wallaby Woo)
o Play Listening Games: Introduce children to listening with care and focus *Identify everyday sounds * Sequence of sounds * Locating sound sources *Whisper games * Following directions
IV. Vocabulary Development
§ Develop a broad and deep vocabulary
Teaching Strategies
o Conscientiously present new words on a regular basis
o Put new words into familiar songs (hare/rabbit; frustrated/mad)
o At “Read Aloud” times. Select 3-4 words from the book that you will read to the children. Tell them the words to listen for and have them repeat them. Give them a signal to use when they hear the word in the story as you read it. (clap, raise hand, hold up flag, etc.)
Why Story Songs????
* Music is the earliest intelligence that children utilize
* Children are naturally guided through their inner kinesthetic sense
* Music is a natural part of life and naturally engages children
* Music helps break down information into easily remembered pieces
* Music holds the children’s attention, creates a focus
* Rhythm in music provides structure
* Music is FUN!
Tips for Creating Story Songs
~ Borrow elements (rhythm, melody) from existing songs that children know.
~ Select songs that have good rhythm and will provide structure.
~ Select simple songs, short melody
~ Select key elements of the story to sing about
~ Sequence story events
~ Develop 2-4 sentences/phrases
~ Develop repetitious key phrases
~ Associate words of the song with picture cues
~ Try to find the rhythm of the story
Some Traditional Children’s Songs
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Where is Thumbkin
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
London Bridge
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
Paw Paw Patch
Frere Jacques
Here We Are Together
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Do You Know the Muffin Man
Three Blind Mice
Wheels on the Bus
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Shall We Tell a Little Story (Ella Jenkins)
Pop Goes the Weasel
A-Hunting We Will Go
Did You Ever See a Lassie
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
If You’re Happy and You Know It
She’ll Be Comin Round the Mountain
Skip to My Lou
The Ants Go Marching
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
This Little Light of Mine
Three Blind Mice
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References:
1. Greata, J. (2006). An Introduction to Music in Early Childhood Education,
Thompson publisher.
2. Hill-Clarke, K. & Robinson, N. (2004). Music, Rhythm, and Rhyme Enhance
Children’s Literacy Skills. Young Children 59:91-95.
3. Hohmann, M. (2002). Fee, Fie, Phonemic Awareness: 130 Prereading
Activities for Preschoolers, High/Scope Press.
4. Jalango, M. & Ribblett, D. (1997). Using song picture books to support
emergent literacy. Childhood Education 74:15-22.
5. Kolb, G. (1996) Read with a beat: Developing literacy through music and
song. The Reading Teacher 50: 76-79.
6. Neuman,S., Copple,S. & Bredekamp, S. (2000). Learning to read and write:
Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children.
Washington,D.C.: NAEYC.
7. Owocki, G. (2001). Make Way for Literacy! Teaching the Way Young
Children Learn. Washington, D.C.: NAEYC.
8. PreK Standards:Guidelines for Teaching and Learning. (2003). Retrieved
January, 2004 from the World Wide
Web:http://www.ctb.com/prekstandards
9. Ringgenberg,S. (2003). Music a Teaching Tool: Creating Story Songs.
Young Children 58:76-79.
10. Smith, J . (2000) Singing and songwriting support early literacy
instruction. The Reading Teacher 53: 646-651.
11. Tominey,S. (2005). Storytime Songs for Children. Retrieved November,
2005 from World Wide Web. http://www.storytimesongs.com
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