Linking Literacy with Healthy Behaviors and Early Learning Standards (ELS)

1. Linking Literacy with Healthy Behaviors and Early Learning Standards (ELS) Anabelle O’Malley Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood

2. Learning Objectives • Understand the importance of literacy recommendations for young children’s school readiness. • Become familiar with state and national early learning standards. • Learn how you can integrate healthy eating and physical activity with literacy while using early learning standards to plan meaningful activities for young children. • Understand that hands-on, cross-domain activities increase engagement and learning in many areas.

3. Most Important Early Literacy Skills • Knowing the names of printed letters • Knowing the sounds associated with printed letters • Rapidly naming a sequence of letters, numbers, objects, colors • Writing one’s own name or isolated letters • Being able to remember the content of spoken language for a short time

4. Making Connections • Connect literacy skills with healthy eating, physical activity and screen time concepts • Many commonly used books can be extended beyond their initial intent

5. WHY are these connections important? • Helps children make connections across content areas • Fosters higher level thinking skills • Links literacy with activity, impacting multiple domains • Physical activity can facilitate learning • Improves children’s awareness of healthy habits • Incorporates the Early Learning Standards (ELS)

6. What are “early learning standards”? • A lens for planning appropriate daily learning experiences • The opportunities young children need across all domains in order to develop the skills, abilities and concepts they need to be successful in school and life-long learning • Foundation for school readiness

7. National early learning standards • The Head Start Child Development & Early Learning Framework, Revised Sept. 2011 • Physical health & development • Social & emotional development • Approaches to learning • Language development • Literacy knowledge & skills • Mathematics knowledge & skills • Science knowledge & skills • Creative arts expression • Social studies knowledge & skills • Logic & reasoning • English language development

9. States’ early learning standards • All 50 states have developed early learning standards for preschool-age children. • Most states have developed – or are in the process of developing – standards for infants and toddlers. • Generally, standards are modeled after the Head Start Framework and aligned with states’ K–12 standards. • Kudos to Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and New Jersey! Not all states explicitly address children’s health, wellness and acquisition of healthy habits in their ELS, but these do.

10. Arizona • Infant & Toddler* • Social & emotional development • Language development & communication (including literacy) • Cognitive development • Physical & motor development *In draft form and under review • Ages 3–5 • Social emotional development • Language & literacy • Mathematics • Science • Social studies • Physical development, health & safety • Fine arts

11. Florida • Ages 0–5 • Physical development • Approaches to learning • Social & emotional development • Language, communication & emergent literacy • Cognitive development & general knowledge • Math • Art • Social studies • Science http://www.fldoe.org/earlylearning/perform.asp

12. Indiana • Ages 0–5 • English/language arts • Math • Social & emotional development • Physical development • Personal care • Science • Social studies • Fine arts http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/curriculum/indianafoundations1.pdf

13. Kansas • Ages 0–5 • Physical health & development • Social & emotional development • Communication & literacy • Approaches to learning • Science • Math • Social studies • Fine arts http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3321

14. Missouri • Preschool • Literacy • Science • Math • Social & emotional development • Physical development, health & safety State is currently developing 0–3 standards. http://dese.mo.gov/eel/el/PreK_Standards/index.htm

15. New Jersey • Preschool • Social & emotional development • Language arts literacy • Social studies, family & life skills • Visual & performing arts • Mathematics • World languages • Health, safety & physical education • Science • Technology State is currently developing 0–3 standards. http://www.nj.gov/education/ece/archives/code/expectations/expectations.pdf

16. Making connections: an example • Read Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert • Literacy Activity: • Identify letter S in the context of the book. • Search for letter S around the room • Related Healthy Eating Activity: • Wash vegetables and cut if needed. • Cook vegetable soup with teacher. • Examine corn, onions, broccoli, green beans and potatoes in their pre-cooked and cooked states. Use senses to observe and discuss the differences. • Eat and enjoy the soup!

17. Preschool Early Learning Standards Addressed: • Physical Development and Health: • Develop and use eye-hand coordination to perform tasks • Experience and learn about healthy lifestyle practices • Language and Literacy: • Increase vocabulary • Identify and name letters of the alphabet • Shows comprehension by answering questions • Social and Emotional Development: • Be a helpful member of a group or household through sharing tasks or chores • Participate in activities that are challenging but within reach • Be a part of a classroom community so that each child feels accepted and gains a sense of belonging

18. Preschool Early Learning Standards Addressed: • Approaches to Learning: • Participate in a variety of tasks and activities using all five senses • Begin to develop the ability to focus and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects and experiences • Science: • Use senses in purposeful ways to gather information • Provide their own explanations for how and why things happen • Social Studies: • Perform simple tasks within the home, early childhood group or community • Participate in group decision making

19. Healthy Habits Booklist Booklist is organized by topic, and includes: • healthy eating • fruits and vegetables • physical activity • limiting screen time • healthy beverages • breastfeeding Look in the binder for many fun-to-read books on the Children’s Booklist! Share with families, along with Reading Rockets, age-specific tip sheets about reading with children (in Family Resources section of your CD)

20. Table Activities • Review the books on your table • Reflect: • What cross-domain activities could be developed to increase healthy eating or physical activity? • How can the activities be modified to fit your program and your children? • What other activities might be done with the book to promote healthy eating? • Which Early Learning Foundations are focused on in the activities? • Use the handout (on your tables and in your binder): • To support your intentional planning and ability to target multiple domains of development: Integrating Healthy Behaviors and Early Learning Standards into Planning • To help you edit your lesson plans that you brought today