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Early Literacy Checklist — Classroom

Follow a checklist of suggested activities and environments to help your child’s literacy development. This is the last publication in a series of nine.

Adapted by
Janet S. Hanna, Kayla M. Hinrichs and Carla J. Mahar, Extension Educators
John D. DeFrain and Tonia R. Durden, Family Life Specialists

StoryQUEST’s Vision: High-quality early relationships and experiences throughout their daily routines provide each infant and toddler with the tools and skills to build a strong foundation for future school readiness. Families, caregivers, and communities as a whole collaborate to enable all children to become highly competent in language and literacy. This series was developed as part of a national research project — StoryQUEST — through the California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University.

This checklist represents the kinds of language and literacy development practices often seen in high-quality early childhood environments. The checklist encompasses all children birth to age 5 and is inclusive of the needs of children with disabilities and English language learners.


Classroom/Socialization_______________________________________Date____________________


Completed by_______________________________________________________________________

Literacy-Rich Environment
Need no help in this area
Need some
help in this area
Need considerable
help in this area
Warm, rich environment is provided where children can listen to and interact with each other, caregivers, staff, and parents all day. The daily schedule includes sufficient time for self-directed activities and independent exploration.      
Listening center is available with songs and stories on tape and other listening games.      
Props and materials which build on children’s interests are provided in-house, and providers block out an area to encourage talking and listening.      

Book (library) areas:

  • Should be inviting and orderly;
  • Should be stocked with about five books per child;
  • Display books on open shelves, covers out, at children’s eye level;
  • Have books easily accessible for children;
  • Provide comfortable/soft areas for reading;
  • Offer multicultural books and print materials in languages children speak at home;
  • Offer fiction, nonfiction, alphabet and theme books; and
  • Provide enough space for adults to comfortably sit and read with children.
      
Books and/or a literacy connection are/is evident in all areas of the classroom.      
New books and print materials are added periodically to all classroom areas.      
Writing materials and tools are available throughout all classroom areas.      
Alphabet and letter/word tools are displayed and used throughout all classroom areas.      
Functional print is displayed in classroom, such as names on cubbies, pet names, menus, message boards, signs and labels, maps, etc.      
Technologies/computers are available and accessible to children.      
Staff use singing, storytelling, rhymes and, talking intentionally with children; staff document this on lesson plan/socialization schedule.      
Staff shares the strategies of imitating, singing, storytelling, and talking intentionally with children and families and document.      
A variety of children’s artwork is displayed at their eye level.      


Acknowledgment

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the 2003-2004 StoryQUEST – Central Nebraska Community Services team.

This publication has been peer reviewed.

Visit the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Publications Web site for more publications.
Index: Families
Preschool
Issued January 2010