Project EASE
Early Access to Success in Education
A Parent-Child Program

 

5. Talking About the World:
A Nonfiction Text Unit

 

Background Information for Parents

At the heart of the activities you have been doing in Project EASE has been the building of language activities that build the structure for literacy. As we have stated in earlier units, your child's ability to make sense of what they read will be heavily influenced by the ability to understand and use language. The way written language is used in books is different from the way we use language in general conversation. It is different from the language we encounter in television. It does have some relationship to some kinds of oral language experiences, but those experiences are unique.

The type of discussions we have with our children which help build literacy skills are ones that are hard to have these days. These types of discusssions are longer, have fewer interruptions, and are focused on a single topic. The reason these types of discussions are less likely is because we have less time available to talk, we are usually trying to do at least three things at once, and we often forget how important we are in the process of building background knowledge of our children. Fortunately, our children have that irrepressible need to ask us millions of questions about the world. Their never ending supply of "Why... questions forces us to provide them with the type of discussions that are critical for their development. We need to be aware of how important we are in building the background knowledge for our children and how critical we are in helping them sustain their curiosity about learning.

Why does this matter? As your child becomes a reader, he or she will be asked to read different types of materials for different purposes. Sometimes the material will be about imaginary stories (often referred to as fiction) and sometimes it will be about specific information (nonfiction). Your child's ability to understand the material will be shaped by how much they know about the world around them. Whether the book is about a character with a problem or about a concept or idea, your child will benefit from a rich store of information about his or her world. In addition to the specific knowledge he or she acquires, they also assemble a store of words related to the ideas. Those words are critical to understanding. Background knowledge and extended vocabularies are essential, but there is another interesting benefit from the type of extended discussion you have with your child. The very process that you engage in while explaining information to your child is critical to the success in literacy. It is those extended and explanatory discussions which will be at the heart of this unit in Project EASE.

 

Parent Education Session

Parents meet with the Project EASE teacher who gives them background information on the different structure of exposition and the role that engagement in explanatory talk plays in developing language.

Concepts Covered:

  1. Nonfiction text will be a predominant style of text used in the upper grades.

  2. Early experiences in rich language interactions help facilitate the unique language competence used in understanding exposition.

  3. Parents can help their children develop their language competencies by engaging them in elaborated and explanatory talk.

  4. Exposition requires sustained attention around a single topic. Children can benefit from early language experiences through book reading and discussions which develop and describe scientific concepts.

  5. Text centered on a single topic introduces rare and specific words which help develop their vocabulary.

  6. Children can acquire a rich set of concepts about the world by active engagement in hands on activities that allow them the opportunities to observe and explore.

  7. Curiosity about the world around them encourages children to be life long learners.

 

At School Activities

Parents engage in one-on-one hands on activities with their child. The activities gives families a chance to discuss topics and observe scientific concepts.

  1. Children play at a magnet table which has a variety of magnet activities.

  2. Children engage in wind and air experiments.

  3. Children engage in experiments with music and sound.

  4. Children engage in activities with water.

 

At Home Activities

Children bring home a book activity once a week for three weeks which contains a nonfiction text, scripted parent guide, a hands on activity, and an evaluation sheet.

Children engage in text which models extended and explanatory talk, has descriptions of scientific concepts, and contains domain specific vocabulary.

 

Books Used in Unit:

Branley, F. (1986). Air is all around you. New York: Harper Collins.
Branley, F. (1996). What makes a magnet? New York: Harper Collins.
Ling, M. (1992). See how they grow: Butterfly. New York: Dorling
  Kindersley.
Martin, T. (1996). Why does lightening strike? New York: Dorling
  Kindersley.
Jordan, H. (1992). How a seed grows. New York: Harper Collins.

 

See Other Activity Units: