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Communication and Literacies

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119 views68 pages

Communication and Literacies

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Tungwape Miriam

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Communication

and Literacies
Professional Support Document

Form relationships
Communicative
Learn conventions of their languages
Practices
Extend ideas and take actions
using language

Use a variety of sign systems

Multimodal
Literacies
Engage in multimodal
meaning making

Co-construct literate identities

Literate Identities
Re-invent popular culture
With/In Communities
Use digital technologies

Communication and Literacies

Professional Support Document

By Sherry Rose and Pam Whitty.

Published 2010 for Social Development, Government of New Brunswick by the Early Childhood Centre.

Series Editors: NB Early Learning and Child Care Curriculum Collection: Emily Ashton, Pam Whitty, and Pam Nason.

Design and Layout: Mandy Wright

Printing and Binding: Taylor Printing Group Inc., Fredericton

Text (front matter, exemplar annotations, reflective questions and references),

design, and front cover artwork copyright © Early Childhood Centre UNB.
Individual exemplars (text, illustrations, and photographs) copyright © corresponding
children, parents, and childcare centres.

This collection copyright © Early Childhood Centre, UNB.

All rights reserved. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

Educators are permitted to photocopy the exemplar materials for teaching purposes only.

ISBN 978-1-55131-132-6

Permission granted to include the cover of Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
By Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Contributing Authors
Lynn Allen Tracey Andrews Sylvia Arsenault Donna Baisley Jill Bateman
Mandy Bernard Erin Brewer Alison Butcher Andrea Cameron Karen Clark
Gloria Collette Angie Colford Leisa Comeau Jenny Davidson Jackie Deil
Monique Doucet Elise Doucet Laurie Drew Sarah Duguid Mona Eljabi
Loo Elton Charlotte Francis Brian Gallon Jessica Gibbon Maria Gillis
Elaina Hallihan Jennifer Janes Stephanie Kelson Stephanie Ketch Gail Kierstead
Amanda Lambert Natalie Laurin Jennifer Laxton Ghislaine Lebel Gloria Leblanc
Michelle LeBlanc Suzanne Leblanc Jenna Lebouthillier Ramona Levi Angela Little
Dianna Morris Jill Murray Katie Parlee Amanda Raybould Krystle Roherty
Elizabeth Ross Amy Savoy Christina Shaw Jill Shaw Andrea Sobey
Cassandra St. Louis Brad Stewart Cara Thiessen Angela Thompson Lisa Vienneau
Grace Wentworth Tonya White

University Of New Brunswick Early Childhood Centre

Research And Development Team
Pam Whitty, Project Director, University of New Brunswick On site support facilitators:
Pam Nason, Project Director, University of New Brunswick Jennnifer Arsenault
Emily Ashton, University of New Brunswick Donna Baisley
Jan Ashton, University of New Brunswick Wanda Butt
Kembubi Christie, University of New Brunswick Jennifer Curtis
Anne Hunt, University of New Brunswick Linda Gould
Lisa LeBlanc, University of New Brunswick Tammie Hachey
Lindsay Maxwell, University of New Brunswick Sharon Hachey
Andrew Pulvermacher, University of New Brunswick Lynda Homer
Sherry Rose, University of New Brunswick Shirley-Ann Howe
Tara-Lynn Scheffel, University of New Brunswick Kelly Naish
Kim Stewart, University of New Brunswick Sue Sears
Gillian Yeomans, University of New Brunswick Avril Wood-Toner

Contributing Centres
We are inspired in our work by the commitment of early childhood educators throughout the province
and by the children in their educational care.
Angels “R” Wee Lots-2-Learn Preschool
Beary Special Daycare Inc. Millidge Avenue Tot Spot Childcare
Back Yard Treasures Moncton Montessori School
Centennial Daycare Boys & Girls Club Saint John Next to Mom Day Care Center
Centreville Child Care Passamaquoddy Children’s Centre Inc.
Chatham Day Care Center Inc. Pennfield Daycare
Chatham Day Care Centre Inc. Too Peri Winkle Blue Day Care/Preschool
Clark’s Early Learning Program PollyWogs and Little Frogs Inc.
Cochran’s Home Away From Home Precious Gems Play Centre
Congregation Tiferes Israel Preschool Robin’s Nest
Courtenay Avenue Daycare 2004 Sackville Playschool Inc.
Crafty Corner Childcare Centre Salisbury Early Learning Center
Dieppe Boys and Girls Club Day Care Silver Lake Day Care
Elsipogtog Day Care Centre Small Blessings Early Childhood
Florenceville-Bristol Playschool Springwater Christian Preschool
Fredericton Christian Preschool Sussex Early Learning Centre
Fredericton YM-YWCA Day Care and Kiddies Kollege Sunbury West Headstart Inc.
Friendship Circle / Cercle D’Amitié Sylvia Arsenault’s Playschool
Garderie Les Amis de Jessie The Parks Jr. Kindergarten
Greta Blanchard The Rhymes & Chymes Day Care Centre
Happy Hearts The Spotted Toad Daycare Inc.
Home with a Heart Daycare Totally Kids Daycare and Afterschool
Joyce Arbeau’s Learning Centre Pre-School Turning Points Early Childhood Development Centre Inc.
Just Kids Day Care Center Inc. Unicorn Children Center Inc.
Kids Korner / Au Coin Des Petits Under One Sky – Monoqonuwicik Neoteetjg Mosigisig Inc.
Kids Choice Childcare Ltd. UNB Children’s Centre
Kids Choice Toddler Centre Victoria Street Adventureland Daycare
Le Jardin des Câlins Woodstock First Nations Child Development Centre
Little Acorns Daycare Centre YM-YWCA Prince Edward Square
Little Angels Daycare Inc. York Street Children’s Centre Inc.
Little Treasures Child Care/Garderie Petit Tresors

Thank you to the children and their families

for their contributions to this curriculum document.
Communication
and Literacies
Children experience intellectually, socially, and culturally engaging
environments where their communicative practices, languages,
literacies, and literate identities are valued and supported.
Sounds, silences, pauses, gestures, movement, eye contact, and
body language — our first modes of communication — stay with us
throughout our lifetime. Children learn to express, represent, and
interpret their feelings, ideas, and questions through speaking,
listening, reading, writing, dancing, singing, drawing, moving, and
constructing. They learn these wide ranging literacy practices through
their interactions with others and within particular social and cultural
contexts throughout their lives.

What it means to be literate changes over time and place and

within and across cultures. Through their participation in various
communities, children contribute to changes. In the twenty-first century, for example,
technological innovations are shifting the meaning of being literate from a dominant focus
on language and print to a multimodal literacies approach. Multimodal literacies involve the
simultaneous use of the modes of image, print, gaze, gesture, movement, speech, and sound.

Children are active learners in the process of

making meaning of their worlds. Their creations and
productions give insights into what they are thinking
about, how they communicate, and their identities
within various communities. Children influence and
are influenced by language and literacy practices in
their home, neighborhoods, and wider communities.
Their personal, social, and literate identities are
co-constructed within a range of relationships.

Using this document

This support document accompanies the New Brunswick Early Learning and
Child Care Curriculum Framework — English. Building on the values, goals,
and intended learnings introduced in the Framework, additional ideas and
suggestions for planning and practices are offered. This document presents
possibilities, makes spaces for co-learning, and celebrates the work of
New Brunswick early childhood educators who bring the Framework to
life in their local centres. You will find examples that illustrate what some
children and early childhood educators have done using the framework.
These may inspire you or spark your own ideas — for there are many
possibilities. We invite you to join us, and join each other, in the ongoing
process of creating curriculum with and for our youngest children.

munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

2 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Images of
Communication and Literacies
Making meaning of the world is at the heart of communication, literacy
and language. We are born into relationships, activities, and routines
and it is through these relationships, activities, and routines that we
learn to communicate and learn about life and living.

Different people, different materials, different events, and different

environments allow babies and young children to call upon different
forms of communication, different linguistic repertoires, and different
conventions as they interact within their various communities.

Communities include the more local communities of home, family and

friends, and the global community we interact with through television, video
games, computers, travel, and a range of other texts. The characters and
events of popular culture often act as an entry point for young children
to explore their realities, fantasies, and ongoing understanding of
love and loss, good and evil.

Communication and Literacies

As Cultural Practices
Communication and literacies are deeply influenced by societal
expectations, practices and beliefs. These wide-ranging cultural,
racial, gendered, physical, spiritual, linguistic, social, and economic
influences shape literacy practices. Engaging with babies and young
children in their daily lives requires deep respect and knowledge of children’s
interests, communicative intentions, communicative patterns, and preferred modes of engaging
with the world. Some examples of what this means in everyday living and learning include:

• Listening carefully to children, • Having extended conversations

families and each other during meaningful routines and
• Co-learning using children’s and events
educators’ interests and curiosities • Reading, writing, singing, dancing,
• Engaging children with various kinds and re-inventing many types of text
of mark-making tools and various using all modes of communication
modes of communication • Challenging stereotypes in daily
• Seeing the literacy possibilities in aspects of communication,
daily tasks around clean-up, snack, language and literacy
greetings and leaving rituals • Using popular
• Making the most of local events, local culture and digital
places and local people for language technologies as a way
and literacy learning to scaffold and deepen
literacy learning
• Investigating home literacies unique
to families such hunting, gardening
or knitting
Madison

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 3
Communication
and Literacies
at a glance
Ben

COMMUNICATIVE PRACTICES
Form Relationships
Learn Conventions of Their Languages
Extend Ideas and Take Actions Using Language
• Recognizing and responding
to human presence and touch

• Becoming attuned to rhyme,

rhythm, pitch, tone, and vibrations
Nina
• Practicing and playing with sounds

• Initiating and responding to

gestural and visual languages

• Growing in their understanding

of the conventions of languages

• Growing in their understanding of vocabulary

• Developing confidence in using languages

• Growing in their understanding

of how others use languages
Georgia
• Experiencing and developing
diverse linguistic repertoires

• Using language to express

thoughts, feelings, and ideas

• Using language to make friends,to share

materials, and to structure, negotiate,
and create imaginary worlds

• Using language to ask for help or

information, to argue, persuade, clarify,
celebrate, instruct, or to tell stories

Colby
unication • Im Spirituality •
Co m m
agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

4 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

MULTIMODAL LITERACIES
Use a Variety of Sign Systems
Engage in MultiModal Meaning Making
• Becoming familiar with the sign systems of language,
music, math, art, and drama Moo Cow by Jason and Blaine

• Engaging in multiple forms of representation

• Transforming knowledge from one mode to another

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of language

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of music

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of math

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of art

A bird by Georgia
• Engaging with the symbols and practices of drama

LITERATE IDENTITIES
WITH/IN COMMUNITIES
Co-Construct Literate Identities • Creating texts reflective of family, local, and
global literacies
Re-invent Popular Culture
• Learning various local literacy practices
Use Digital Technologies within a range of communities

• Learning the uniquenesses and similarities of

their family’s literacies and those of others

• Transporting and transforming the literacies

of popular culture from home into the
centre

• Exploring various identities and characters

embedded in popular culture
Aubrey
• Growing in their capacity to ask critical
questions about stereotypes represented
Lauren
in popular culture

Avery Ty • Representing their experiences with

technologies in everyday life
Lydia

• Accessing and using digital technologies

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 5
COMMUNICATIVE PRACTICES
G
A DIN
RE
Form Relationships

NG
What’s involved in learning P LORI
EX
• Recognizing and responding to human
presence and touch
• Becoming attuned to rhyme, rhythm,
pitch, tone, and vibrations
• Practicing and playing with sounds
DANCING
• Initiating and responding to gestural
and visual languages

Greetings
and good-byes Describing
explorations, actions,
Holding, cradling, routines, textures,
Bringing my baby to meet the visiting baby. rocking, cuddling, sounds, and feelings
peek-a-boo

Making
Encouraging
Communicating eye contact
turn-taking with with children…
verbal and nonverbal
interactions Exaggerating
facial expressions,
Responding to vocalizations,
cries, gestures, Smiling, laughing, movements,
sounds, silences, singing, chanting, and gestures
NG
O RMI and words wondering, reassuring,
F
ER pretending,
and listening
P

Finger PLAYING
Pla s • Lime
y s• • Knock-K ck Joke r ic k gs
A c t io
n Rhym
e s n o s • Folk Son
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

6 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Perform
new poetry Chant favorite
Clean up poems during walks
to a piece
of music Connect poems,
Learning songs, chants,
Introduce language rhymes or jokes to
new picture children’s interests
throughtout
books and and/or passions
reread the day
favorites Join children’s playful
Talk, sing, perform and spontaneous games, Changing environments
action songs or chant babbling, songs, poems changes conversations
poems during routines: and jokes
diapering, meals, Rayna was playing guitar with
clean-up time and her friend and was having fun
dancing and singing her song. I
pick-up time
recorded her song as she sang it.
“Change your mind
I love to hug
and give hugs
to my mom
Tonight I’m alright
Tonight I am fine
I’m a honey princess
My name is Island Princess
And Jingle Bells Hey!
And I have a pink stocking
Yeah! Yeah!”
Rayna is developing confidence in using language
Poems, songs, chants, books and by making up her own song. Rayna is engaging with
conversations engage children with… the symbols and practices of music and drama.
…playing with rhythm, rhyme and movement Laurie Drew ~ Centennial Daycare

…expressing feelings and friendships

Books to read together
…making meaning of life experiences
…discovering new words Go Away, Big Green Monster,
by Edward Emberley
…learning words have multiple meanings
(My favorite colour is blue. I feel blue today.) Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and Other Action Rhymes,
by Zita Newcome
…learning about multiple forms of writing
Round and Round the Garden and other Action Songs,
…describing comparisons and contrasts by Caroline Repchuk
(The sand sparkles like gold.)
This Little Piggy and Other Rhymes to Sing and Play,
…exploring sounds by Jane Yolen and Will Hillenbraid
(words that make sounds – crack, hiss, sputter;
Sing a Song of Mother Goose, by Barbara Reid
repeated sounds – soundless sliding slugs;
repeated words, phrases or sentences, Noisy Poems, by Jill Bennet
rhyming words, unusual and ridiculous
word combinations) Mud, Muddelicious Mud: Verses for the Very Young,
by Shirley Downey

Lullabi
es •
Cla ock ’n Ro ntry • Jazz • es
ssical usic • R ll • Cou Hip Hop • Blu
M piritualit
munication • Im cs •
S y•Z
Com agi
nat eti est pendence • Soc
ion est
h fo
rL Inde ial
it y & I nde , io n and Caring • Liv A iv And An
d
l
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 7
Communicative Practices

Form Relationships

After some welcoming time, Granddad Jim

settles into his place in the reading area
and, in this case, reads Joseph Has a Little
Overcoat by Simms Taback. It is a folktale
based on the story Something From Nothing
by Phoebe Gilman, a favourite of both
Granddad Jim and the children.

When leaving time comes around, Anjali is

still discussing the book with Granddad Jim. Why this matters:
He too carries on the conversation and points
out the song on the last page, shows her the This intergenerational relationship
musical notes and talks a bit about how to demonstrates the value of creating
read musical notations. For several minutes opportunities, on a regular basis, for
after he has left, Anjali sits at the table and young and old alike to get to know each
continues to re-read the book, page by page. other, take pleasure in each other’s
company, and learn about a range of
Michelle, one of the educators at the Centre authors and illustrators together.
describes Granddad Jim’s impact upon her
daughter, “She still runs up to him and
hugs him when she sees him around the
community”. Inez, the director, and Laura, We read books anytime of the day such
another educator, recognize: “Our Granddad as after clean-up, before lunch, waiting
Jim is a treasure to countless families in the for lunch to be prepared, quiet time,
St. Andrews area.” waiting for parents to arrive, settling
down time, or when a child could use a
Granddad Jim talks about his visits bit of cheering up or wants some special
as ‘priceless:’ He says that he gets time. We read at the reading corner, on
as much out of the visit as the a couch, at a table, in the quiet corner,
children. What began as an invi- lying upon a mat with pillows, outside on
tation to read has become a much a blanket on a sunny day, on the chair
anticipated community connection swing, on field trips, waiting for the bus
for young and old alike. or at the library.
Passamaquoddy Children’s Centre & Grace Wentworth ~ Just Kids Day Care Center Inc.
Tara-Lynn Scheffel, UNB

8 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Form Relationships

Let’s Sing and Dance.

During circle time, I asked the children

what they would like to sing. Rachel and
Kyle said, “The ABC’s.” Haley and Jaedyn
said, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” We had tons of
fun singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider, then The
Big Fat Spider, and The Teeny Tiny Spider.

I asked if there were any other songs

they would like to sing. Cheyenne did
the actions for The Wheels on the Bus, so we
sang that too!

You put your left hand in

You put your left hand out What’s next?
You put your left hand in
We could make up new songs. We
And you shake it all about
could invent new actions for Hokie
You do the Hokie Pokie
Pokie. There are many possibilities as
And you turn yourself around
we sing new songs. I always wonder
That’s what it’s all about!!!
what they want to sing and how they
might want to spice it up.

Why this matters:

The children had so much pleasure gesturing and dancing while they explored rhyme,
rhythm and pitch through singing. They playfully exaggerated their voices for each
spider. They had input on what they wanted to sing, what actions they wanted to do as
well as the opportunity to learn a new song. ~ Jenna Lebouthillier Sussex Early Learning Centre

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 9
Communicative Practices

Form Relationships

Ben’s Mailbox Flyer.

Ben got some construction paper from our
writing centre and drew his own lines and
dots and cut along each of them. He wrote One
pair For Sale
o
on two of the “tabs” he had created and A ch f wooden
ild’s snow
Price wooden sh
then taped the paper to the side edge of Plea sN sleig oes
se ca egotiable h
ll 123
one of our shelving units. He showed me his

6
- 789

6
- 789
6

6
- 789

6
work telling me, “It’s that thing you see on

- 789

6
- 789

6
123

- 789

6
123

- 789
the mailbox with the names on it and you

123

- 789
123
123
123
123
tear one off like this.”

123
123
Showing his awareness of the world around
him, Ben responds to visual languages by
creating his own pull tab ad – the kind of
advertisements that people put on mailboxes
with tear off contact details. Ben, you
never cease to amaze me!!!
~ Loo Elton Little Acorns Daycare Centre

“Nack-a-nack-a-doo!”

Sarah was working very carefully

and thoughtfully at her painting.
I noticed that she was covering
the upper part of her picture with
blue paint but leaving the bottom
unpainted. I asked what her plan
was, thinking that she might be
adding green for grass. Instead she
said “I have left it white so that I
can have room to write my name.”
~ Lynda Homer UNB

10 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Exploring A Snowy Day.
On Tuesday, I read the story of the young
boy “Peter” in The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack
Keats (1962). On Wednesday there was a
covering of freshly fallen snow. I was anxious to
learn about the children’s explorations of
their snow blanketed playground. These
are the very special comments the children
made about their morning explorations:

Hannah-Jo: “ I noticed tracks.” I was amazed and impressed by the

Ethan: “ I made the tracks that Peter was connections the children made to
making. I made the footprint tracks, Peter’s winter play. They recalled Peter’s
and the train tracks.” spontaneous explorations as they described
Maria: “ What made the prints?” their own snowy adventures. They made
Emma: “ I walked – my snow boots.” tracks, snow angels, and had so much fun
Jayme: “ I made a snow angel.” exploring. Playing in the snow provides
Maria: “ Did her snow angel get up and fly?” opportunities for walking, jumping, sliding,
Jayme: “ Yes, it did.” shoveling, scooping, shaping, and creating.
Emma: “ Snow angels can’t fly.” The children use language to express their
Maria: “ Aiden, did you make tracks in the snow?” “thoughts, feelings, and ideas.”
Aiden: “ Yes, train tracks just like Peter made ~ Maria Gillis Unicorn Children Centre Inc.
train tracks.”
Amelia: “It was cold.” (She played in the snow Other Snowy books to explore:
with a digger) The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs
Maria: “What made the tracks?” Stella Queen of the Snow, by Marie-Louise Gay
Amelia: “The tires.” Snowballs, by Lois Elhert

For Reflection
Consider the different spaces needed to tone, and tact in everyday conversations, and
communicate with infants, toddlers, and young the ways in which children learn through
children at their physical level. Think about soft modelling and imitation of non-verbal language.
spaces with blankets where adults and infants Think about extending children’s understandings
can interact in a visual, aural, and tactile way of conventions through modeling rather than
with materials and each other. correcting. Think about the range of vocabulary
you model for children through conversations,
How do educators add to their repertoires of books, songs, poems, and chants.
playful games, finger rhymes, poems, and songs
for and with infants, toddlers, and young When Braille, Sign Language, or pictographs are
children? Think about the places of planned daily used, how are they introduced to the classroom
reading/singing times and times of spontaneous community and what opportunities exist for their
singing, counting, reading, and chanting. use in reciprocal communication amongst peers?
Think about incorporating symbols from a child’s
Are adults engaged in playful conversations with pictorial communication board into the classroom
children during routines such as feeding or routines for all children.
clean-up times? Think about the use of humour,

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 11
Communicative Practices

Learn the Conventions of Their Languages

What’s involved in learning

• Growing in their understanding of language conventions

• Growing in their understanding of vocabulary
• Developing confidence in using languages
• Growing in their understanding of how others use languages
• Experiencing and developing diverse linguistic repertoires

Storytelling is the
literature of play
Paley (2009)
Children’s lives are rich with oral language
Radio commercials Movies Phone conversations
Weather reports Sports Storybooks
TV news Church Grocery lists
Cartoons Relatives Recipes
Music Brothers and sisters Friends
Skype

Tracey: “And should I write that you want to be a wrestler when you grow up?”
Hunter: “I am a wrestler. I wrestle bears.”
Tracey: “You wrestle bears!”
Hunter: “Well of course, the bear is stuffed.”
Story
~Tracey Andrews Lots-2-Learn Preschool
drawings
reveal how children soak
up story traditions – whether
from picture books, television,
movies, video games, or songs
and poems – and then mix them
up and transform them into
creations of their own
Kolbe (2005, 41)

Hunter

What story traditions are revealed in children’s play?

Buildings? Drawings?
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

12 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Longer than, higher than, same length as… Up, down, over, under, below, above, before, behind …

Square, rectangle, triangle …

Mark-making inspired by play: Taking lunch orders • Making menus The Language of
• Writing grocery lists • Posting signs • Printing tickets . . . Sand Play: Block Play:
Adults’ meaning making is ‘socialized’ by conventions. Their mean- Gritty Ramps
ing making and representations are usually shaped by rules or Grainy Floor-boards
correctness and are communicated through print. Young children’s
meaning making is informed by their experiences. Their meaning Coarse Cylinders
making and representations are shaped by their interests, purposes Fine Enclosures
and are communicated through any materials at hand. (Kress, 2003)
What are conventions of fairy tales? Dry Curves
Once upon a time, a problem, a heroine and a happily ever after Moist Cubes
What are conventions of words? Wet Towers
My name begins with an upper case letter, words have beginning
and ending sounds, my dog’s name is spelled O S C A R Pouring Rows
What are the conventions of driving a car? Filling Thick
We stop at a red light, we drive on one side of the road. What is the Sifting Thin
What are the conventions of a play? language of: Measuring Length
We have a cast, write a script, act one, two and three, intermission.
What are the conventions of a song? Cooking Smoothing Stable
Song title, chorus, stanza, sheet music. Gardening Rubbing Incline
Water play Patting Filling
Superhero play Digging Dumping
Restaurant play Tunnelling Climbing
Recycling Molding Pulling
Fairy tales… Excavating Getting inside
Balancing
Stacking
t p l a yw Designing
t ha ith Piling
s
Patterning
ok

Books to
co

Experimenting
P i ctur e bo

read together
n ve

Anneke printed all the names of Chester, by Mélanie Watt

Bridging
the children in her class at home. Propping
n t i on s :

Changes, by Anthony Browne

When she shared her list with me Tunneling
I decided to use it as an The Three Pigs, by David Wiesner
Sorting
attendance list. Meanwhile…, by Jules Feiffer
Predicting
~ Allison Butcher Sackville Playschool Inc.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 13
Communicative Practices

Learning Conventions of Their Languages

“I Want to Cross Over With Matthew!”

The Monkey Game (similar to Snakes
and Ladders) consists of two
islands separated by water and
connected by a rope bridge.
The monkeys (markers) must
in honour of their friendships.
climb a pole, cross the “scary”
Sometimes when they make
rope bridge, and descend the
it safely to the second island
ladder on the opposite island.
they frequently will swim
But be careful! The “scary”
back to the first island to start
rope ladder has four steps that
playing all over again saying, “I
send the monkeys diving into
want to cross over with Matthew!
the water, returning them to the
beginning island!
Lots of action words are generated as we
play this game because someone is always
Games involve children in the language
falling into the water -SPLASH!! and then
of number as they roll the dice, count the
has to decide how they will get back to the
dots and then move their markers accord-
island, SWIM, WALK, RUN, HOLD THEIR
ingly. Counting, adding and subtracting, the
BREATH UNDER WATER, and even TAKE A
children plan how many moves they’d like to
SUBMARINE!
get on the dice to safely cross the bridge.
The language of negotiation, turn taking,
Sometimes our markers are little cars or
and friendship readily occur as the children
different animals. Other times we talk about
encourage each other — “You’ve fallen in ten
where different islands are on our globe, or
times but that’s okay — next time you’ll make
what’s it like to live on an island.
it across!” The children even adapt the game
~ Sylvia Arsenault Sylvia Arsenault’s Playschool

Muffin Tin
Number
Recognition Game
We painted muffin cups different
colors and numbered them 1-12. The
children counted out sets of marbles
The children were introduced to the
to fill the tins. We created another
dice game Build a Bug. They played
this game many times. Soon they version of the game when we buried
understood the structure of the game the marbles in the sand table. There
and they created their own games, was lots of counting and socializing
dictated their own rules and taught as the children dug for marbles and
their friends how to play.
filled the cups. Many small items were
These children’s versions were great sorted and counted such as small
additions to our game shelf. bears and fish over the weeks.
~ Leigh White UNB Children’s Centre ~ Jill Murray The Spotted Toad Daycare Inc.

14 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Twinkle, Twinkle.
Cassidy, age 15 months, loves to sing
Twinkle, Twinkle and do the twinkle
actions with her fingers. She does the
actions all the time - when she is at
lunch, snack time, while being changed,
upon wake-up, after nap — whenever the another song. Cassidy waited till I was
singing urge hits her!! If we are singing done and sang Twinkle Twinkle again.
another song, she encourages with This went on for a couple of different
her actions that we do Twinkle, Twinkle. songs until I admitted defeat and
Cassidy has just started an action song Cassidy and I sang Twinkle, Twinkle many
that her mom has suggested — The Itsy, more times, laughing and doing the
Bitsy Spider. Good job Cassidy in expressing actions every time.
your wishes through words and actions.
~ Gail Kierstead Salisbury Early Learning Center

Cassidy and I were playing together on Why this matters:

the floor when she brought me over a doll.
I started to hold the doll and rock it Cassidy is able to communicate what she
back and forth while pretending to burp wanted using both words and actions.
it. Then I laid the doll down on the floor She confidently tries new words copying
and started to sing Rock-a-Bye Baby. the tune of the song showing she knows
singing is different from regular speech.
Cassidy stood in front of me, raised her Cassidy’s persistence and patience paid
hands, and said something. I waited off as she was able to let me know that the
for her to repeat it and to my surprise other songs were not what she wanted. She
she sang “Gingle, Gankle… to the tune of confidently stood her ground, getting me
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. I sang with her, to sing her favorite song and participate
doing the actions along with the song. in her personal strengths.
When we finished I started to sing ~ Angela Thompson Salisbury Early Learning Center

Dear Coy,
When I saw this picture of Vanessa measuring your
tall Lego creation, I was amazed at how tall you were
able to make it, especially on wheels. What a great
idea to use a measuring tape to see how high you
reached the sky. This shows great interest in math
and numeracy. This could turn into great building
skills like carpentry or architecture. I wonder what
else could be measured with a measuring tape. What
would a graph look like if you measured all your
friends, like Kayla, Michael, Tyson, Vanessa?

~ Tammie Hachey UNB & Totally Kids Daycare and Afterschool

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 15
Communicative Practices

Learning Conventions of Their Languages

A Great Day at the

Hartland Post Office.
We talked about our mailboxes both at
home and in our daycare. We discussed
the job of a mail carrier. We walked
to the end of our driveway to take a
closer look at our daycare mailbox. Next
we wrote a letter to someone at home.
This letter writing led to a trip to the
Hartland Post Office so each child could ~ Sarah Duguid Fredericton Christian Preschool
buy a stamp, stick on their envelope, and
put their letter through the mail slot.

The post office staff invited us to see what

happened in the back room. We got to
see where our letters went after they were When Ethan's mother
dropped him off, she said,
put in the mail slot. We talked about the
"Remind Mommy to pick up
mail boxes the post office had, We even Daddy. We can't forget!"
found Jordyn ’s box and looked to see
Together Ethan and I
if she had any mail. We also met mail printed 'Mom pick up Dad'
carriers. and Ethan posted the
note on his locker.
When it was time for us to go, the post
~ Elizabeth Ross
office workers gave us special Santa UNB Children's Centre
paper to write a letter to Santa. We also
got an invitation to return to the post
office to mail our Santa letters.

Why this matters:

The children had the oppor-

tunity to explore community
life while touring the post
office, mailing letters home
and meeting postal workers.
The direct experience of
writing a letter, purchasing
the stamp and mailing the
letter was educational,
impressionable and FUN!
~ Stephanie Ketch
Totally Kids Daycare and Afterschool

16 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Dear Parents,
The children love our mailboxes! It gives them the
opportunity to draw and write to their friends. We invite
your children to make mail for their friends. The mail
can be anything that your children would like to make.
Each morning the children can deliver to our mailboxes
and each evening they can take their mail home.

~ Amanda Lambert, Jessica Gibbon

and Brad Stewart Kids Choice Childcare Ltd.

Ally and Noah Share a Story.

Alley and Noah were in the story corner looking at a
book. I noticed there was lots of conversation going
on between them as they turned the pages. “Horse,”
Noah told Ally as he pointed to it. Ally pointed to a
cow and told Noah “Une Vache”. They spent a long
time looking at the book and talking to each other
about the pictures in French and English.

They are learning to support and listen

to others as they develop a friendship. Like many early childhood
They are experiencing and developing educators, Mona Eljabi of
diverse linguistic repertoires. They are Next to Mom Day Care
becoming knowledgeable and confident uses children’s home
in their linguistic identities: French languages in signs
and English. throughout the centre.
~ Angie Colford Just Kids Day Care Center Inc.

I speak my language These are some of the Charlotte Francis (1956–2006),

in front of all the Mi’kmaq words: Coordinator of Early Childhood
children. Some of the friend • nitap Services, Elsipogtog, created
French and English yes • eeg hand-made picture books that
children are trying no • môgoa valued the children's heritage
to speak it as well. play • militaamg language of Mi'kmaq.

~ Ramona Levi Friendship Circle / Cercle D’amitié

For Reflection
How do adults value and incorporate the home and heritage languages of the children’s families
within your centre and the larger community? Think about the range of languages spoken by
your families – how are their languages and communicative practices valued, and made verbal
and visible in your centre through speakers, books, images, songs, visitors, and field trips?
Recognize that bilingual and multilingual children switch languages, and express ideas differently
in different languages.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 17
Communicative Practices

Extend Ideas and Take Actions Using Language

What’s involved in learning

• Using language to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas

• Using language to make friends, share materials, and structure,
negotiate, and create imaginary worlds
• Using language to ask for help, information, argue, persuade,
do you know th
clarify, celebrate, instruct or tell stories How a t?
Where could we find out abou t this?
u learn
Where did yo that?
Inviting possibilities:
Look at that! I wonder, Discovering
what else might we do! what children know:
Tell me about your
painting, drawing,
block-building,
dance, song,
play dough sculpture…
Entering children’s play:
Play repetitive games and
make-believe, introduce
new words and ideas into
the play, join children’s
story lines, imitate children’s
actions and describe
actions, space and people.

Listening to children’s experiences of home. Froggy by Sheridan

Time For: Thinking Looking Sharing Laughing Demonstrating Investigating…

18 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Encouraging children to think about causes: Prompting experimentations:
• How did you get that to happen? How can we make the plastic
• How did you make that noise? elephant have a large shadow?
A small shadow?
• How can we get that to balance? How can we make the shadow disappear?
• How did you solve that problem?

Supporting
problem
solving:
How will
we decide
who goes first?
What do you think Making signs…
is the best thing to do? Learning about the
power of print.
How can we change the rules
to make this fair? Learning letter names
and sounds in context.
Reading and recognizing words.
Writing and spelling words.
Negotiating space, materials
and relationships.
Following instructions.
Keeping people informed.
Inviting friends to join in.
Cherishing friendship.

Encouraging
predictions and
thoughtful actions:
I wonder what would happen if we…
I notice you are using…
What if you tried this?
Promoting
Reflections:
Do you remember
what happened yesterday when you
tried that? Let’s look at your first
castle drawing. What do you notice.

Listening Exploring Reflecting Asking Playing Conversing Instructing Imagining…

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 19
Communicative Practices

Extend Ideas and Take Actions Using Language

A Visit to Play Dough Planet.

Using the hollow blocks Ben built a Superhero
car. He points to each sticker attached to one
of the blocks and explains, “This one goes to
the moon and this one goes to the sun and
THIS ONE goes to Play Dough Planet.”
“Can you take me somewhere else? What
“What is on Play Dough Planet?” about the moon?”

“It’s like Play Dough but stronger and We jumped back into the cars and pressed
bouncier and goopier,” Ben answered as he the button. “Boom!” I said pretending to
placed quarter moon shaped blocks on the have a rough landing. Ben got out of his
back of the Superhero car. “I’m taking car, looked around moving with a confused
cheese back to the planet. They only have expression. “What’s wrong?”
pudding and chicken there on the sun, all
“We landed on the wrong planet.”
the other food was taken by the bad guys.
My planet blew up and Supergirl had to help “Oh dear. Well do you think you could show
me because she had the same powers as me. me around, I haven’t been here before.”
We’re going to leave now.”
“Yep, let’s take a look around.” he walked
“Can we do anything to your car to make it over to the corner by the chalkboard and
large enough for you to take me with you? picked up a suit case, in which he found a
I’d really like to go visit Play Dough Planet. map. “That’s cool. This must be a Superhero
I‘ve never been there before.” School. I didn’t know there were maps on
this planet.”
“Nope. Ummm, but we can make you your own
Superhero car and you can be Supergirl.” “So maybe this will help since I have never
been here before. It can show me how to get
“Great, what powers do I have to use to fight
around.”
the bad guys? Can I fly like you can?
“Yeah it will and we should put it in the car
“You can do more than fly silly, you have all
in case we ever come back here,” he said as
the powers you need.”
he walked over to my car and put it in the
All of a sudden Ben jumps up and goes storage space in the back. “You know, it’s a
running to hide in the cupboard. good thing I came to this planet because I
had to find out about the space suits anyway.
“What is going on? You scared me!”
They’re on sale.”
“I’m scared too. There’s a monster over there.”
Ben suddenly took a flying leap, running
“Oh no! What does it look like?” toward the blackboard again. “’WHOA!” he
said, “The bad guys have kryptonite and it
“He is two sided. One side is black, the other side
makes you stick to the kryptonite screen.”
is white and he kinda looks like a hot dog.”
“OH NO! I think it’s pulling me now,” I said
Next Ben flew over and crashed into the black-
as I pretended to be drawn into the board.
board, pretending to be shocked.
“How are we going to get away?”
“Oh-ohh! I have to go get recharged now.
He pulled himself off with great strain and
He sat on some rectangular blocks, making
then helped me off too.
some funny noises. “There, all charged up!”
~ Krystle Roherty UNB Children’s Centre

20 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Extend Ideas and Take Actions Using Language

Baby Books.
One of our children anticipated the So we wanted to know more about how
arrival of a baby brother. This inspired they thought the whole baby thing works.
the children to talk about when they The children were asked questions like:
were babies, play babies, wash babies Where do babies come from? How do
and bring in baby pictures. The children they get out of the belly? How did they
were giving birth to all sorts of things get in there? We made a book of each
in the classroom – dolls, dinosaurs, balls child’s answers. Below are some of their
and hammers. explanations:

“Babies come from baby “Babies come from the “Babies come from bellies.
stores. Mom bought me at ocean. They catch them I came out of my mom’s
the construction store.” with nets.” ~ Josh belly. I was turned upside
~ Mathieu down so I couldn’t get
“Babies come from people. our. The doctor had to
“Babies come from The babies crawl to the cut Mommy’s belly open.”
mommy’s tummy. Doctors mommies and daddies.” ~ Cameron
do magic things to get ~ Chloe
them out.” ~ Kyle ~ Andrea Cameron YM-YWCA Kiddies College, Fredericton

Please feel free to write up Magic Moments or Learning

Moments that you happen to see throughout the room
while you are playing or observing the children. These
will be recorded and put into each child’s individual
learning binder. Please
remember to put the
date and the name of
the child being observed.
You may put them in the Angela Little of the
box in the office marked Passamaquoddy Children’s
Magic Moments. Thank Centre documents inspiring
you for your help. things children say so that
~ Lynn Allen they can be read and reread
Sackville Playschool Inc. by families.

Rachel and Jade were both in the book corner. Jade

asked Rachel, “Would you like me to read you this
story?” Rachel nodded yes. Jade began reading
Rachel her story using the pictures as cues to prompt
her storytelling. Once she finished, Rachel read Jade
50 Below Zero using her memory of the story from our
reading of it earlier in the day.

Jade and Rachel are confident readers growing in

their use of storybook language. They view reading as
a pleasurable activity to share.
~ Natalie Laurin Sussex Early Learning Centre

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 21
Communicative Practices

Extend Ideas and Take Actions Using Language

“Roxie”
Écrit et Illustré par : Writen and illustrated by:
Danika, William, Philippe, Dawson, Evan, Remi, Miles, Derek.

Il était une fois une vache qui s’appelait “Roxie”. Once upon a time there was a cow named “Roxie”.
La vache sa fait mal, elle étais en train de manger, et elle The cow got hurt. He was trying to eat and he slipped on
a glissé. Pendant quelle faisait des gros sauts dans l’air, the grass. Then he was flipping in the air and she hit her
elle sait frappe la ventre sur une roche géant. guts into the big giant rock.
Le lait de Roxie a été partout. Then Roxie’s milk went flying everywhere.
Ensuite nous avons appelé l’ambulance et l’ambulance a Then we called the ambulance and the ambulance put a
mis un pensement sur son ventre la ou vien le lait. Aprés band-aid on Roxie’s guts where the milk comes from. He had
un millions de dodo, l’ambulance a retournée pour enlevé to leave the band-aid on for a million sleeps. The Ambulance
le pensement avec une différente main. came back to take the band-aid off with a different hand.
Aprés que le pensement était enlevé, il a finalement mangé. After the band-aid was off, he finally got to eat and
Puis elle n’a jamais retomber. Ensuite, la vache a sauté he never slipped again. The cow jumped over the moon
par dessu la lune et elle a dit, “ Mooo.” Enfin elle a ronflé and then she said, “Moooo.” And then she snored like
comme ma Mémère. my Mémère.

La Fin The End

We read the children’s story Roxie back to the children. They were on
their knees leaning forward with excitement on their faces. They were
also finishing the sentences as it was being read and yelling out the end
of the sentences. When they were done reading it they all laughed.

~ Elise Doucet, Mandy Bernard, Gloria LeBlanc, and Gloria Collette

Dieppe Boys and Girls Club Day Care

Derek

Danika

Evan

22 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

I Love You.
As I wait for the daycare transportation
everyday, I sit down with the children
who are waiting and read them a few
stories. Some children will tell me if
they have a book they would like me to
read. This particular day no one had
any suggestions so I was just going to
Doing sign Language with the
grab a few off the shelf. When I went to
children also made me realize that
do so I noticed the book The Kissing Hand.
the whole time I went to college I had
I had never read the book myself but I
a young woman in my class who was
had heard lots of chatter from the other
deaf. I never picked up or learned
educators at a recent institute. So I
any sign language. I wish now I had
grabbed it!
communicated with her more.

I almost broke into tears reading it to

the children. At that moment, I decided Why this matters:
that I had to buy the book for my Mama.
With me just recently moving out I think We all need to communicate and we all
she needs to read it. love somebody. What if we can’t tell them
with words how we feel? We also can’t
At the end of the book was a page with always see our loved ones every day.
a hand on it. It was the sign language This book and simple gestures helped the
for “I love you.” I taught the children children to realize we all miss and love
the sign using the picture and my own someone sometime. Also that there’s more
hands. They all seemed proud of being ways than one to tell those loved ones
able to do it, as was I. exactly how we feel.
~ Jenny Davidson Sussex Early Learning Centre

For Reflection
How do adults affirm and extend children’s questions such as: “I wonder how
language and thinking? Think about the use else we could do this?" “Do you have another
of paraphrasing, restating the child’s ideas, idea?” “Does that idea work for you?” “Can we
describing, wondering, and open-ended questions change the rules so everyone can play?”
such as: “Tell me about your building, painting,
game, etc.” or “Tell me how you solved that How do you record and honour children’s
problem.” or “What could we do next?” thoughts, feelings, and inventiveness through
multiple forms of documentation? Think about the
Consider the ways you initiate communication use of camera and tape recorder in conjunction
and respond to nonverbal children. Think about with writing down what children say. Think
how you ensure augmentative communication, about writing down their speech to caption
for example – Pictoboards or Braille – within the their paintings, drawings or three-dimensional
centre community. constructions. Extend conversations by naming,
using keywords, explaining and talking about
How do you model problem solving strategies objects and events, and discussing the recent
through out the day in all activities? Think about past and near future.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 23
Multimodal Literacies

Use a Variety of Sign Systems

What’s involved in learning

• Becoming familiar with the sign systems of

language, music, math, art, and drama
• Engaging in multiple forms of representation
• Transforming knowledge from one mode to another

From photo to painting…… From to

y to imag
e……
From voice
to print…

Materials Matter!
Paper for mark-making
Transforming Spaces for moving
Knowledge… Books for reading
Different modes Props for role-playing
Music for singing
communicate Instruments for performing
meaning Games for counting and turn taking
differently. Blocks for exploring space and shape
Paint for representing and expressiing

From experience…
to blocks… to play.

From experience…
to blocks… and onto the page.

24 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Letters, sounds, words, and sentences
speak the languages of print.
Tools • F s with playdou
i nge
rs, g k ie cutter gh, p
arlic coo lasti
presse i ns, cine
s, rolling p and
cla y!
Nmmbepz, time, shape
and size count the
languages of math.

Scissors for
s• d sta
plers for attach
ol cu
tti an ing
ers !
To

ng unch
, ta le p
pe
and sting, ho
glue for pa Lines,
shapes,
What is a space,
sign and
form,
system? illuminate
the
languages
of
art.
Tools
• Musical notation,
beat, rhythm and pitch
Pa

compose the languages

of music. colours, tem

t br

a ter pe
hw !
us

es i t ra, i cs
w Speech, f
i yl
h

n ger pain r
- di
fferent size
s
movement, t, and ac
and gesture
perform languages
of drama.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 25
Multimodal Literacies

Use a Variety of Sign Systems

Exploring Window Markers.

We introduced window markers to the two-year-old
group. It was exciting and interesting watching their
responses to the materials. We set up an area by the wall
mirror and the window. We gave them a wet cloth and
dry cloth for clean up and off they went.

Abby and Abigail enjoyed making lots of zigzags on the

window. As their markings joined together they noticed
that the yellow and blue markers made a new colour.
Once this occured they continued to explore with the
other colours to see the different shades they could make.

Abigail decided to draw herself. As she drew each thing

she’d say, “ Look, here’s my _____.” I would then label
each part of her face. When she was finished she stood
back and admired her art work with pure delight.
~ Lisa Vienneau Cochran’s Home Away From Home

Musical Melodies Why this matters:

Today as we listened to music I brought As Lexi explores the drums she is working
in some instruments and allowed the on her fine motor skills as well as her
children to explore them. Very quickly co-ordination I observed her today
Lexi picked up a drumstick and began successfully doing two motions at once
to hit the drum, gently at first until she while trying to keep to the beat of the
was banging on it loudly. She continued song that was playing in the background.
to bang the drum but decided to stand Through music children can learn
with it, holding the drum in one hand the beginning of phonics and how to
and hitting it with the stick in the other distinguish the differences between sounds.
hand. She did this for quite some time Lexi is exploring dynamics of sound by
before moving on to the maracas, which playing softly and loudly.
she also enjoyed immensely.

What’s next?

In order to allow the children access

I hope to keep instruments in my room.
I will introduce them to the Name
Game so they can count the beats in
their name. I also hope to find some old
pots and pans to use as instruments.
~ Dianna Morris Chatham Day Care Centre Inc. Too

26 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Mark-Making in the
Spring of the Year.
~ Karen Clark Clark’s Early Learning Program

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 27
Multimodal Literacies

Use a Variety of Sign Systems

“I’m Gonna Go Further.” to 40, he noticed

his paper had a
small rip. He was
On September 25th, while sitting with a group
a little concerned
of children who were drawing, Blake decided
so Jill helped him fix it
that he wanted to write numbers instead. He
with tape. He decided he would like to take
wrote from 1 to 19 only asking about how to
his work home.
write 6 and 9. When Blake got to 20 he wrote 1
10 — a clever strategy as twenty is two tens. Jill
The next day Blake arrived, collected a piece of
and Blake discussed how to write the number
paper and said, “I’m gonna go further than
20 and he continued with 21, 22, 23, 24 until
last time.” He wrote his numbers using a ruler
he got to 30. He asked how he should write 30.
to help him when he got stuck. Each day Blake
We talked about how he wrote 20 and we
spends a little time on his numbers. I wonder
decided that thirty was a 3 and a 0.
how far he will go each time.
Determined, Blake continued to write up to
32. I told Blake about the Work-in-Progress
Why this is important? Blake perseveres in
shelf and he decided to put his work there
completing his own activity revealing his deep
until tomorrow.
interest in learning number recognition and
representation. Blake’s confidence to invent a
During pick-up time, we told Blake’s mom
way to print 20 reveals his theory of numbers.
about his interest in writing numbers. She
Throughout this experience he is building
shared that yesterday Blake had been playing
relationships with adults in the room who
hopscotch and this is maybe where his interest
help him at his request and provide him with
in numbers had stemmed from.
a Work-in-Progress shelf until he is ready to
start again. ~ Tonya White UNB Children’s Centre
Upon arrival on September 26th Blake
continued his number writing activity.
When he finished writing the numbers

Meet The Parents.

The first two weeks in February the Junior
Preschool children have been talking about Owen
love and consequently families, in honour
of Valentines Day. We talked about moms,
dads, and siblings in our different families. Yesterday I had the opportunity for my
I explained my family of Mom, Dad, and parents to stop by our centre. Owen was so
brother. Not everyone believed I had a mom excited to meet them. I was surprised how
and dad because I was “big” but Owen interested all the children were in meeting
took particular interest asking me many my family and how proud I was to have
questions about them. Then sitting down at these two very important parts of my life
the art table, taking great care, he drew his come together.
interpretation of my parents. ~ Erin Brewer Sussex Early Learning Centre

28 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Documenting Jenna’s
Puzzle-Making.
The children had been colouring and
cutting out pre-made puzzles. I decided
to take this activity a step further because
I knew it would be no problem for the
children to create their own puzzles.
I provided paper, markers and scissors
and asked them if they would like to make
their own puzzles. Jenna was very proud of
the puzzle she made and she enjoyed the
challenge of putting it back together again.

I always take pictures of each step during

activities. Photos allow the children and
I to remember the steps we took and the
challenges or discoveries we experienced.

The children enjoyed challenging me to put

together their hand made puzzles. I would
like to invite the children to create their
own games. This would be very interesting
as we could take our learning to new
activity and see what we could do there.
~ Ghislaine Lebel Garderie Les Amis de Jessie

Why this matters:

For Reflection
The misconception of learning as simply What resources and sustained time do children
a question of following the children’s have on a daily basis to support their growth in
interest has been challenged through symbol-use within the five sign systems? Think
recognition that everything does not about children’s access to tools for mark-making
have to start with the children. in a range of areas in the room, props for
shaping and extending dramatic play, a range
The important thing is when and how of books, musical instruments, magazines,
educator’s ideas are enacted…most pictures, charts, labels, number play, name tags,
importantly it must take into account signs, notes, videos. How are home languages of
what kind of problem the children are all children valued in spoken and printed forms?
closest to and allow children to construct
the problem they are working on from How does the social experience gained from
many perspectives. Olsson (2009, 15) peer interaction contribute to multimodal
literacy engagement and production? Think
about how you provide for children to share
ideas, thoughts, experiences, songs, dances,
block buildings, poems, letters, lists, and jokes.
How are pleasure, curiosity, and persistence
modelled and honoured?

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 29
Multimodal Literacies

Engage in Multimodal Meaning Making

What’s involved in learning

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of language

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of music
• Engaging with the symbols and practices of math
• Engaging with the symbols and practices of art
• Engaging with the symbols and practices of drama

When Avery stated,

“I don’t know what to draw.” I challenged her to
look around the room. Avery decided to draw the
dragon the children had constructed after reading
George and the Dragon by Chris Wormell.
~ Jill Bateman UNB Children’s Centre

Add music and

sound effects!

Felt boards and

moveable parts
promote playful After a series of special
participation in pet visits, children at
story performance. Next to Mom’s are
invited to talk about,
sketch, read about
and mold their
favorite animals.
~ Next To Mom Day Care Centre

“My favorite animal

is a happy turtle.” ~ Tyler

30 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Authoring for young children
involves language, vocalization,
Children are symbol gesture, gaze, bodily action
weavers. Dyson (1986, 2001) and mark-making.
They have less cultural Lancaster (Cited in Rowe, 2003, 265)
experience and so are
less constrained by Encouraging creativity
boundaries between
sign systems. Kress (Cited in
and engaging children:
Rowe, 2003, 265)
Ask “What if?”
Instead of just listening to
The Lion Sleeps Tonight,
All modes: speech, what if the children turned
into sleeping lions?
writing, image, gesture, What if the lions took a walk?
body movement or What if the children could
3d objects communicate understand the language of monkeys?
and represent meaning What if they became other jungle animals?
partially. Learning how Can you show the idea?
to communicate and represent meaning means Let a puppet show the idea to the children.
understanding what each mode can do and which Show it in a ballet. Show it in movement.
Show it in gesture. Show it in expression.
combination of modes best work in each situation.
Can we sing it or do it as a story?
Kress (2003)
Can we turn it into a play?
Brodsky Chenfeld (2010)

My Family
On Our Boat
by Drea

Children combine writing with talk, drawing, #1 Baby sister Bree with a penguin on her shirt
#2 Mommy with her glasses on
gesture, and dramatic play. Rowe (2003) #5 & 6 Layla and Daddy doing the ‘Crazy Fool’
~ Elaina Hallihan Periwinkle Blue Day Care/Preschool
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 31
Multimodal Literacies

Engage in Multimodal Meaning Making

“The Red Book”

Angela Thompson of Salisbury
Early Learning Centre, took some
children on a community walk to
search for red items. As the
“What’s In My Pocket?”
children excitedly named their red One of Donna Baisley’s "Kids Are
discoveries, Angela took photos. Us" two-year-old children shared
his discovery of the pockets of his
“The Red Book” opens to a bit of pants with Donna. She asked him
pop culture — a red Spiderman if he would like something to put in
cap. Reading the photos, we one of his pockets, and obligingly
encounter a four-wheeler, red milk she printed a short note. He carried
crates propping up a trailer, and that note around all day and shared
a deer apples sign — all familiar it with his mom at pick up time.
icons of rural New Brunswick
culture. Red roses and red trees The next day he returned with a
are familiar sights of our natural note for Donna’s pocket. Donna
world. Many photos highlight local noticed other two-year-old children
street and shop signs and vehicle
names. The children even found a
“A Small Book” becoming interested in this note
exchange and she scribed a range
red guitar and a red quilt. Leisa Comeau of Chatham Day of notes for each child. However,
Care Centre noticed the two-year- Donna soon learned the children’s
old children‘s fondness for big real interest was in what was in
trucks on their community walks. pockets — rather than the
This reminded her of the exchange of notes.
abandoned truck in her yard that
her children loved to play in. She Donna created a three dimensional
shared a picture of this truck, telling text. She cut pockets from different
the story of her children’s play. clothing articles, with assorted
closures — some with buttons,
In response to Leisa’s truck photo, others with zippers or snaps. Using
three children brought in their a piece of rope she attached each
vehicle pictures. Their action pocket to an empty masking tape
inspired Leisa to create a vehicle roll. On the front of each pocket
book. She invited families to take she printed the repeated question:
pictures of their vehicles and ‘What’s in my pocket?”
carefully chose a photo album with
vehicles on the cover in which she Inside each pocket was a hidden
placed the children’s pictures. treasure for sensory exploration
“It needs to be small so children and conversation. On the back of
can carry it around with them.” each pocket was a verse related to
the hidden object. For example,
Leisa took care to ensure that the pocket holding steel chimes
From walking and talking to each child was represented in the reads, ‘Music for your ears to
photography and storytelling book by taking photos of those hear’; and the pocket holding a
to picture books.
vehicles children noticed on their watch reads, ‘The time we are
community walks. together goes by every fast.’
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

32 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

How to Build a Snowman
By Karlie
First you make a big ball.
Then you make a little smaller ball.
Then a small one for the top.
Then take little trees and stick them in the snow.
Then you need little black eyes.
Then make a little happy face.
Oh, I forgot the nose, you need an orange carrot,
All done!

~ Jennifer Laxton
Little Treasures Child Care / Garderie Petit Trésors

Corey’s Sticky Snowman

Kinda like a snowman at first. You know
what those things are on the brown?
Actually the brown is hair. Those sticky
things they stick on flies. Now it’s a sticky
person. He helps people. If the flies fly around
them he sticks his sticky things on the fly.

~ Maria Gillis Unicorn Children Center Inc.

Corey Karlie

Other Snowman
texts to enjoy together:

The Snowman,
by Raymond Briggs

Snowmen at Night,
by Caralyn Buehner

The First Day of Winter,

by Denise Fleming

Stella, Queen of the Snow,

by Marie-Lousie Gay

Winter Friends,
by Sylvia Panteleo

Stranger in the Woods,

by Sylvia Panteleo

~ Photos by Karen Clark

Clark’s Early Learning Program

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 33
Multimodal Literacies

Engage in Multimodal Meaning Making

“A Beat of His Own”
Over the weeks that Tristen has been
with us, Vanessa and I have noticed
that Tristen really enjoys to beat
around and make music. He will pick
up any item and explore it to see if
it contains any musical potential.
For instance, Tristen found an
old chocolate tin in our “basket of
treasures”. He started hitting it, alter-
nating hands while I was reading the
book “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. playing it. Soon he discovered our water
On another day he used some mallets he found drums and began keeping a steady beat on
on a canvas drum to keep the beat of the music them. When I turned on the music he began
that was playing in the room. We even observed following it — resting when it rested. He even
him pausing when the music stopped. seemed to be keeping the beat in the air as
drummers do while waiting to enter the
Today Tristen picked up a mallet and a song again.
circular piece of wood. He walked around

What’s next? Why this matters:

In order to foster this learning for Tristen, As Tristen playfully explores and investigates
Vanessa and I plan to research various different objects around our rooms, he is
early childhood musical learning and growing in his understanding of rhythm,
play activities as well as making sure repetition, and the properties of objects.
there is always a variety of materials in ~ Dianna Morris Chatham Day Care Centre Inc. Too
the room at his disposal.

Before Georgia created

this sketch, two groups
of children were on two
separate walks. Georgia
found a leaf on her
walk. She picked it up. Georgia
While she was picking up the leaf the other
group of children saw her group coming so
they hid. Suddenly, they popped out at the
approaching group. Gavin who was in front
Blaine’s three-dimensional mosquito. got quite a scare. “Can you see his surprised
“It’s a nothing blood bug… he, he, he, it’s a ‘squito’. eyes? “asked Georgia looking at her sketch.
This is a driller thing cause ‘squitos’ drill for blood!” ~ Leisa Comeau Chatham Day Care Center Inc.
Sussex Early Learning Centre

34 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Performing In Our Community.
This week we went to the Turnbull Nursing Brian, tell us more about Alexander’s recital of
Home to visit with the senior citizens. When “Goldilocks and The Three Bears”.
we first arrived, we went into the activity In the mornings I usually ask the children
room where the residents were doing their if anyone wants to tell a story or hear a
fun and fitness program. As soon as the story. When it’s my turn, I tell the fairy tales
seniors saw their children their faces lit up. that I learned when I was growing up. I act
Violet sang, You are my Sunshine. Then the them out; perform them with sound effects,
other children joined in and they sang the actions, and change my voice for each
ABC song. It was awesome! character. I tell what I know. I don’t know
anything about Johnny Nitro for example,
After they finished singing, Alexander told so the children have to tell those stories.
the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. What surprised me about Alexander is that
He did a fantastic job and got a round of he used actions, voice changes, and sound
applause. After we left the activity room, we effects – just like I did.
went on a tour of the facility and visited
with some of the residents who were in their And the children in your group know the words
rooms. The seniors loved it and so did the to “You Are My Sunshine”…
children. Yes, well, when Violet’s grandmother heard
the children were going to visit the nursing
Our tour finished in the dining room where home, she taught Violet, You are my Sunshine
the kids were given a snack of chocolate because it is a song she loved and thought
chip cookies and apple juice. This was a very that the seniors might love it as well – and
beneficial outing for the children and the they did – as did Violet who sang the song
seniors; it was a very social experience and twice.
one that is definitely worth doing again. ~ Brian Gallon YM-YWCA Prince Edward Square

For Reflection
What methods does your centre have for documenting children’s
language and literacy growth within the five sign systems?
How does that documentation honour children’s experiences,
knowledge, skills and playful explorations?
Breaden’s bird nest with ten eggs.
Think about how your documentation honours children’s invention “Daddy Bird is finding eggs.”
of stories, songs, poems, maps, three-dimensional structures,
and drama. How does that documentation inform your responses
to children’s learning in individual and collective ways?

How are children supported in their multimodal literacy learning?

Think about how you help children connect and extend talk,
mark making, constructions, performances, and reading. How
do parents and educators share their collective knowledge about
multimodal language and literacy growth?

Lauren’s birdnest with lots of eggs.

“The eggs are ready to hatch.”
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 35
Foregrounding the language,
tools, and practices of…

P rint

Printed materials which hold meaning

for children — names, words of personal
importance, charts explaining the daily
routines and notices dictated by children
for displays – all contribute to children’s
growing awareness of words and how
they work. What ever their age, children
learn that print sends messages, that
it is organized in a particular way and
that it is comprised of clusters of letters
which they will later come to recognize
as words. All of these understandings are
taken for granted by adults but need to
be acquired by children. Bromley (2006, 13)

Highlight Letters, Words, and Sentences in the environment…

Favourite poem
In s•p
n g s • c ictu ds •
a ils • so o mics • re book
s • bi r t hday car
m note
•e s • si
gns • recipes • puzzles…

a ckages • shelf l
ers•p ab
el
On

st
T-
sh ks • po s
ir ts • backpac
•t
oy
s…

n’s talk
h ildre •s
C t or
Of yi
ng

s…
of

rie

en ies • painte
theor
ev

ts, , d st
to

questions orie s
s • block
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

36 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Marks communicate a message.
Plan for children to encounter and
playfully explore print through:
• signs in the block corner,
the dramatic play centre and
the rest of the room
• letters to home, other children,
friends, guest speakers, Santa
• lists, cards, surveys, rules,
directions, maps
• books, poems, songs, recipes
• notes, reminders, invitations,
shelf labels
• sign-in, nametags, placemats
Learning to
Mark read and print
• documentation of learning such
as questions, descriptions,
Making favourite words ideas, and theories
Materials:
Thin markers
Thick markers
Crayons
Pens
Coloured pencils
Lead pencils
Sticks Facilitate meaning making and extend
children’s encounters with print by:
Chalk • Providing opportunities and resources for children to interact with print.
Finger paints • Supporting children’s comments about text and mark-making.
Tempera paints • Asking questions about meaning and extending learning when appropriate.
Watercolors • Helping children to achieve what they are unable to do on their own
Water through reading, talking and creating printed text with them.
Clipboards • Sharing experiences with printed text.
Chalkboards • Showing how text is used.
Whiteboards • Recognizing children’s efforts to gain meaning from text. Different Texts
Feltboards • Talk about the shapes and sounds of letters and words. Communicate Meaning
Fingers • Documenting carefully which texts the children respond to Differently
Sticks
and how these can be built upon. Hallet (1999, 65)
Stamps
Staples inspi
re mark making
:
Scissors a t
s th
Glue ok
Bear Hunt, by Anthony Browne

Tape Bo Ish, by Peter H. Reynolds

The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds
The Shape Game, by Anthony Browne
Angel Pavement, by Quentin Blake
Harold and the Purple Crayon,
by Crockett Johnson

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 37
Foregrounding the language,
tools, and practices of…

M ath

Early childhood mathematical literacy

refers to the mathematical knowledge,
understandings and skills used in the
everyday as children play, describe,
and think about their world.
Ashton (2007)

Number Narratives…
How many people live at your house?
How many blocks in your building? Language of numbers:
How many crackers do we need for snack? Number: one, two, three, four…
Order: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth…
How many cubes wide is the door? Addition: add, in, altogether, total, one more…
How many windows in our building? Subtraction: take away, how many left, one less…
MULTIPLICATION: Tallying, counting equal sets…
Where do you see numbers at your house? Division: How many will we each get,

What number stories can we create together? the same amount, fair share…
Sand pla
y
Board games Finding, investigating,
and making patterns:

Number • 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,1, BLAST OFF!

Finger plays
Orientation • 
Counting po
ems Size •  
Shape patterns • 
Infants and toddlers Block play Colour • red, green, green, red, green, green, red…
explore shape with Auditory • clap, clap, stamp, stamp, stamp, clap, clap, stamp…
their hands, feet, eyes, Putting away toys Visual • zig-zag, stripes, spotted, checkered…
ears and mouths
Cooking

Nesting toys Counting so

ngs steps to the…? How many
Recording recycling How many markers long is…?
Target games How many blocks are in your tower?

Books with patte rns How many more cups do we need?

How many paper clips to make a necklace?
Pouring drinks
ble
Setting the ta
Recording plant growth

Puzzles Water play

38 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

em ent: Heavier than
Me asur uch Longer than
H o wm
? ng
? Ho
w lo
r
Shorter than
w fa Naming Describing
? Ho w i de Fin
d in mi ng Sorting
w g Transfor
? Ho h e avy
w
? Ho gh
H o w hi t
Work with ?
o w shor
children to make ? H ll
w ta
picture graphs, bar ? Ho What
graphs, and tally sheets. shapes
roll,
slide,
or stack?

Model:
Counting objects
Guessing how many
Counting fingers

r o u t ines te
ach 
over Daily
to the A sens
e of tim
below right of
Discuss:
e

Describing
space, directions,
Time it takes
and locations: beside
to get somewhere
inside Discuss:
between
next to above outside Time it takes
behind for events
under to happen

MIN ATE MATH CONCEPTS Discuss:

:
t ILLU Seasonal Changes
a
s th Ten Black Dots,

ok
by Donald Crews
Collect,classify
Bo Anno’s Counting Book,
by Mitsumasa Anno and represent
Color Zoo,
information to
by Lois Ehlert ask and answer
Tumble Bumble,
questions
by Felicia Bond

   
▲ ❚  ♥ 
Circles / Squares / Triangles / Rectangles / Cubes / Cylinders / Cones / Hearts / Stars / Diamonds / Hexagons
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 39
Foregrounding the language,
tools, and practices of…

Music

Children should have many opportunities

to explore, examine, share, listen, sing,
move and respond to music they create
themselves or that others create.
Manners & Carroll (1995, 24)

Mona's Music Project

• Explore new instruments
• Listen to books and cds
• Invite children to sing their favorite songs
• Move a parachute to music
• Make you own shakers
• Investigate water bottle scales
• Invite a mom and dad in to tango
• Celebrate a child’s ballet lessons
Explo r e

• Listen to a child’s passion for the harmonica

• Grand finale - dress up for a ballroom
waltz to Strauss.
~ Mona Eljabi Next To Mom Day Care Center
er
P

cu
ssion
: hands and feet, rattles,
po
ts Unfortunately, we tend
a
not to think of children
nd

as composers ofmusic
pans, ma

because we make
judgments of their
ll e

compositions based Jam Session

on adult standards. Children love to express themselves

for dr

through music. Setting up a real

Upitis (1990, 3)
set of drums with microphones and
m
u

s, speakers gives them the opportunity

rh
y t hm sticks, egg to be creative while also giving them
Music and Rhythm sh
responsibility of using real equipment.
ak

~ Suzanne LeBlanc Le Jardin des Câlins

are everywhere!
ers, tambo

• Clash and crash of pots and pans

• Ring of wind chimes in the garden
uri

• Whoosh of wind in the leaves

• Crunch of walking in the snow
ne s

• Whisper of rubbing our hands

, ji n

• Instrumental music in the mall

g le b e

• Rattle of seeds in a container

• Swish of windshield wipers
lls, t r i

• Rustle of leaves in a pile

• Rain beating on the roof
• Bird song in the morning
a

gl
n

e s,
c a st
a n e ts, m s.
aracas, xylophones, and tone block
munication • Im Spirituality •
Com agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

40 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

The most supportive action is to
encourage baby’s love of musical
company by becoming part of it.
Trevarthen & Malloch (2002, 15)

Play any rhythmic music. As you play the

music move to it. The babies will watch you.
Keep your eye on the babies they will show
you the music they like. Brodsky Chenfeld (2010)

• Lullabies
• Skipping Songs
• Rhymes and Chants
• Favorite Movie Theme Songs
• Country • Love Songs • Classical Move to the tempo:
Books that inspire
• Remembered Songs from Childhood March to the beat.
MUSIC making: • Folk • Commercial Jingles on TV Moving fast, moving slow.
Round and Round the Garden
and Other Action Songs,
• A Cappella • Campfire Songs Sing a tune, explore a pitch:
by Caroline Repchuk • Marches • Carols • Jazz
• Popular Tunes • Rock
Singing high, singing low.
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
and Other Action Rhymes, • Reggae… Listen for the dynamics:
by Zeta Newcome Play that note loud and fast,
The Wheels on the Bus, Now play it soft and slow.
by Maryann Kovalski • Sing old favorites and introduce new tunes Making up the lyrics,
This Old Man, • Move with children to music
by Carol James Or use vocal play to scat.
• Perform actions of a song, chant or story
This Little Piggy and Other Rhymes • Use music during routines (clean-up songs)
Clap out a rhythm:
to Sing and Play,
• Change lyrics of familiar songs Repeat lively patterns
by Jane Yolen & Will Hillenbraid
• Invent new rhymes Of sound and silence,
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed
a Fly, by Nadine Bernard Westcott • Read books that are songs Play and pause to applause!
• Author songs with children
Barnyard Dance!, by Sandra Boyton
• Record children’s made up songs
Knick-Knack Paddywack!,
by Paul Zelinksy
• Make sound-makers for and with children
• Explore musical instruments with children
The Wheels on the Race Car,
by Alexander Zane • Highlight musicians in your community
Old MacDonald,
• Respond to children’s discoveries of sound
by Rosemary Wells • Add sound effects to stories and poems
Lydia
m m unication • Im s • Spirituality •
Co agi tic Zest
nat he pendence • Soc
ion est
fo
rL Inde ial
it y & I nde , io n and Caring • Liv A iv And An
d
l
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 41
Foregrounding the language, Line
tools, and practices of… Colour
Texture
Art SPACE
Pattern
Shape
Sometimes art might be finger painting on a
table that gets washed off later, or a picture
drawn in the snow or mud. We can share this
process with parents by taking pictures and
describing children’s language, their actions
on the materials and the effects they produce.
I always prefer to ask, “Tell me about your
picture” rather than “What is it?” This opens up
the conversation to focus on the process. If we
focus on the process children might be braver Hanging paintings
about trying. It takes away the pressure of at floor level for
having to produce. the youngest
artist’s gaze!
Jill Bateman, UNB Children’s Centre
Kid’s Choice Toddler Centre

Communicating to expand and Modeling &

value visual art experiences:
Molding
• Watching in respectful silence
– smiling, exchanging glances Balls
• Learning from children Coils
– what have they discovered Bridges
or noticed? Columns
Snakes
Cookies
Holes
Squeeze
Roll
Bend
Twist
Flatten
Pound
Press
Pinch
A Collage Stroke
Buffet Squash
Poke
Bos (1978)
Carve

Textures
Prickly Silky Stony
Hairy Satiny Rough
Rolling Pins Smooth Feathery Gritty
Cookie Cutters
Wooly Furry Bumpy
Garlic Presses
Popsicle Sticks Velvety Knobbly Grooved

42 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Lines & Patterns
Spiraling Painting Inviting children to tell you
about their representations:
Swirling Stroking You’ve painted this very carefully;
Spidery Sweeping How did you start? I see you’ve
Bold Jabbing made many dots. I wonder what is
happening here; Can you tell me?
Thick Dabbing
Observing and/or narrating
Thin Swirling children’s techniques: I notice
Fine Scrubbing your curly lines.
Sharp Splattering Posing a challenge: How will
Jagged Layering you show those whiskers?

Pointed Splat Expressing curiosity: I wonder

how you made that texture?
Piercing Patterns Colour? Shape? How did you
Diagonal lines Shapes make that stand up? How did
you join those pieces?
Horizontal lines Colors
Printing their words and
Up and down Wash displaying their work.
Back and forth Tints
Around and around Shades

Models inspire painters from four Experimenting

to ninety-four. with shape,
Choose objects and visual works motion, and
that interest children and are close colour
to the shapes children are able to
draw or paint.
Exploring
Remember children may:
• simply enjoy touching, looking
materials
and talking about the object
• interpret and represent the Expressing
object in their own style emotions
• choose to ignore the object and
represent other ideas
• choose to focus on one part Representing
Kolbe (2007, 2005) a person, place,
object or event

Investigating
a technique

t in spire ART making:

s tha
ok
Bo Beautiful Stuff,
by Cathy Weisman Topal & Lella Gandini Words can be part of visual
Rapunzel’s Supermarket, vocabulary before they are part
by Ursula Kolbe
of a child’s verbal vocabulary.
It’s Not A Bird Yet,
by Ursula Kolbe
Kolbe (2007, .17)

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 43
Foregrounding the language,
tools, and practices of…

Dra m a

What do educators learn when

they play/perform with children?

They can “enter those worlds not

to observe but to participate with
children, not only to listen but to
interact and shape meaning, and not
only to enter imagined space-time
but to explore possible ways of acting
and identifying with other people in
the world.” Edmiston (2008, 12)

C hildren perform cultural

and imaginative narratives
from experiences, books,
movies, video games, tv…

Through performance they

enter into roles where they
can author understandings
and identities, take on other
perspectives, explore languages,
and solve problems collaboratively.
Costumes
Props
Children love to perform to an Puppets
appreciative audience of friends, Dress up clothing
families and educators. Signs
As they perform, Masks
children can move in and out
of authoring and performing. Dance scarves

44 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

d Drama

Sleeping Beauty
Once upon a time, there was a princess
named Sleeping Beauty. She died,
the Prince came and she woke up.
The King and Queen said “You have
woken up everyone in the Kingdom.”
They went to get some stones so
everyone would wake up. They had
a wedding and then Sleeping Beauty’s
dress went pink blue. The End

Children in Jill
Bateman’s room
sign up for parts in
a play they wrote
about “Sleeping
Beauty”. How can we face that unknown
creature of unpredictable strength?
Performing stories of possible actions
and reactions satisfies our desire to
understand the power and mysteries of
life and death; love and hate; and good
and evil. Playing out events we identify
with allows us to construct meaning,
The key is curiosity, and it is curiosity not ask questions about the unknown,
answers, that we model. As we seek to learn explore how we might act or react and
more about the child, we demonstrate the acts of understand the range of ways power
observing, listening, questioning, and wondering. might be used. Edmiston (2008)
When we are curious about a child’s words
and our response to those words, the child feels
respected. The child is respected. Paley (1986, 127)

Superheros trying to avoid fiery lava.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 45
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Co-Construct Literate Identities

What’s involved in learning

• Creating texts reflective of family, local, and

global literacies
• Learning various local literacy practices within
a range of communities
• Learning the uniqueness and similarities of
their family’s literacies and those of others

Nanny, mommy, poppa, and

Lily participating in Run For
the Cure in Nova Scotia, Brooke

Fall 2009.
Lily and her family support “There’s Daddy. There’s Brooke.We need a
this fundraiser yearly in bus ticket. The cars are red. This is the road.”
honor of Lily’s Aunt Kelly, Brooke said as she drew her Daddy and herself
traveling to Unicorn Children’s Centre by bus.
a cancer survivor. ~ Maria Gillis Unicorn Children’s Center Inc.
~ Maria Gillis
Unicorn Children’s Center Inc. Lily

Many questions about bugs inspired a visit from an entomologist.

His passionate presentation about bugs along with some important props
transformed our dramatic play centre into an bug laboratory.
UNB Children’s Centre

The language, practices and symbols of Animal Hospitals… ~ Gail Fournier Millidge Avenue Tot Spot Childcare

46 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

“I am going to draw the airplane. Know what
the airplane landed at? A round airport. They
had special seats. There was another airplane
coming to pick us up. That’s the picture of the
big plane. We went to New York City.
“I am going to add a little more people.”
Anderson said as he dotted the page.
“We saw a little Kitty in a cage
Anderson with a zipper to open and close. It’s just like a
big piece of ribbon and the people who make
food walk through it,” Anderson said as he
drew five or six vertical lines. Look at all the
people, Maria, there’s all kinds of people.”
~ Maria Gillis Unicorn Children Center Inc.

What are your families’ literacy practices?

At “Next to Mom Day Care Center”…
• A dad who is a sous-chef invited the I am motivated by
children to make their own pizzas; the creativity and
• A mom and dad taught the tango imaginative ideas
during a music project; that are born each
day in our art centre!
• A mom shared her career as a Most materials
paramedic and left paramedic are recyclables
supplies for the children; complimented by
• A mom shared her talents as a cake
necessities like glue,
decorator on special days;
tape, and mark-
making tools.
• A dad who is a carpenter helped
children construct picture frames. With the accumulation of master-pieces,
I thought, “What better way to share them than
What are your families’ passions, an Art Show!” So I invited families to a potluck
interests, hobbies, ways of and art gallery premiere on Friday at 5 pm.
celebrating… ?
We all voted to pitch in on pizza and it was a
success! We had a ten minute slide show of
children’s pictures from September to now
and each child had a wall space “Featuring.....
Like many educators, Amy and her husband so-and-so! ”
share their home interests with children. In
this care they brought in an abandonded nest Every family was present and expressed
and a trunk gnawed by beavers. sincere thanks for the family time and the
chance to get to know other families too!
~ Amy Savoy Chatham Day Centre Inc. Too
I provided t-shirts and fabric paint so each
child and their family could design t-shirts.
A great success overall and well worth the work
and extra time! I plan on hosting an event at
least quarterly to show the parents how
important community is in my daycare!
~ Cassandra St. Louis Precious Gems Play Centre

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 47
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Co-Construct Literate Identities

Community Inspires Circus Curriculum

As we walked down Water Street in St Andrews,
I witnessed the children’s excitement as they
stopped to watch a Juggler. Noticing the
children‘s absorbed attention and delight in
the Juggler’s performance, I experienced an
A-Ha moment. This unpredicted event could
inspire a circus project. I decided to invite Eric Eric teaching us how to juggle.
to our centre to share his circus passions with
the children.

Learning
to do
cartwheels
and flips.
Eric showing children how to
contort their bodies.

Our ticket booth

Creating
clown Serving
puppets food

Our concession stand

48 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Buying and selling ice Some of our
cream and cotton candy. performers.

Transforming
Charlee the clown
selling ice cream.
Our Classroom Space

A face-painting book, a price list, a

volunteer mom, Simone Kitter, costumed
as a painter, a tablecloth, a mirror and
some festive decorations transformed this
table in to a Face Painting Booth. Kaylee lion and Aidan
elephant sneak into our
Loïc invents circus tent.
a balancing
game using
our juggling
balls and a
concession
stand tray.

Why this matters:

As Early Childhood Educators, the I now trust that through careful observation,
compassion, dedication, and joy in our determination and getting to know my
profession has multiplied through the new children better, our curriculum will unfold
Curriculum Framework. My mind and heart before us. Though there are many challenges,
were always set on program planning the excitement of the children telling me
through themes until the excitement arose what they want to learn is exhilarating.
in my three-year-old children while on a
routine neighbourhood walk. Seeing how ~ Angela Little Passamaquoddy Children's Centre Inc

this local juggler inspired a month long

circus curriculum was my “A-Ha” moment.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 49
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Co-Construct Literate Identities

Making a Christmas Wreath.

On Monday we went outside our play fence
to explore fir trees with the children. We
explained that you can use the fir tips to
make a wreath. We described how to snap
the tips off the tree showing that the tips
should be approximately 1 – 1½ feet long.
The children collected many tips and put
them in our shed. We explained that we had
to leave the tips in the cold or they would dry
out and all the spills would fall off. Then we
showed them what spills were.

On Tuesday we brought the tips inside,

placing them on a newspaper covered table.
I showed the other wreath making supplies:
a ring and wire. Demonstrating how to
break the tips, I placed them on the wreath
ring, holding them in place by winding the
wire around them. The children took turns
winding the tips onto the ring until our
wreath was finished.

On Wednesday we decorated our wreath.

I showed the children how to attach the
decorations with the extra wreath wire.
The children finished our wreath with a big
red bow. Thursday we hung our wreath on the
front door. The children were all excited to
tell their parents who were equally thrilled
to see their children’s wreath.
Did you know? New Brunswick is the largest
wreath-manufacturing province in Canada!

Why this matters:

Together we explored local wreath making in the context of the children’s day care. The children
are introduced to the language of wreath making – fur tips and spills, the characteristics of a fir
tree and the process of constructing a wreath. Wreath makers in the community continue to
contribute to our centre by saving the wire spools for our children to explore in other ways.

~ Christina Shaw, Jennifer Janes, Stephanie Kelson Pennfield Daycare

50 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Adventureland Daycare
and the Library
Your centre goes to the library regularly —
can you talk about what is involved in taking the
children to the library?
Every Tuesday twenty-two children and
and each other. We have bookshelves in every
three educators take a forty-minute walk to
room and we read throughout the building at
the public library. The three and four year
different times of the day.
old children walk together holding hands
while the educators hold the hands of the Before I read with the children, I read the
two-year-old children. Sometimes we borrow a book myself – as much as I can – to get an
red wagon for them because it is a long walk. idea of the story and of the expression and
Our walk takes us on less heavily traveled tone to use when I read aloud. Sometimes
roads — on the trail to Sobeys, up Carleton we do follow-up that is spontaneous and/or
Street and through the graveyard. The planned. For example, when I read The Twelve
children always recognize the Sobey’s sign. Hats of Tara, making a hat with material was
Once we reach the graveyard, they know we spontaneous. Another time when we read
are almost there. Bubble, Bubble by Mercer Mayer I planned for a
bubble table so that the children could make
When we arrive we usually meet children from
their own bubbles.
other childcare centres. We browse through
board books, listen to the librarian read and
sing some songs together. Then I take the
What do you notice about how
children up the picture book aisles where they
children interact with the books?
can choose two or three books to take back to The fours tend to retell the
the centre for the week. stories and they use the same
expression and tone that I
What happens with the books when you return? use. The threes look at the
How do you decide what to read? pictures. They love to read
The Monster at the End of this
Back at the centre, the library books are
Book: Staring Loveable, Furry Old
placed in a library bin. In the morning the
Grover by Jon Stone. Over
helper of the day chooses two stories that
time they memorized the
will be read. This works well because I have
whole book. We have started
five children and there are five days in a
the Scholastic books program
week. Everyone gets his or her turn! In the
and the parents pick out books for home.
afternoon, I get to choose the story. It takes
There are also lots of chances for the centre
fifteen to twenty minutes to read the stories.
to buy books.
Children spend time with books on their own
~ Cara Thiessen Victoria Street Adventureland Daycare

For Reflection
Become knowledgeable about the artistic and cultural life of your children, their families, your
community, and beyond. Think about your own participation in events and communities – do you
convey your excitement and interest to the children and build upon theirs?

Think about how you recognize children as readers, writers, musicians, artists, performers, and
mathematicians in their own right in their daily lives. Documenting with photographs and drawings
is a way of showing that children’s representations are taken seriously while honouring the many
identities of children and their families.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 51
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Re-invent Popular Culture

What’s involved in learning

• Transporting and transforming the literacies

of popular culture from home into the centre
• Exploring various identities and characters
embedded in popular culture
• Growing in their capacity to ask critical “Optimus Prime”
questions about stereotypes represented in by David

popular culture

Pretending to be
Other People, Animals,
or Destructive Monsters
allows children the opportunity to explore identities,
complex ethical situations and other perspectives.
By authoring understandings and identities children can
explore themes that might preoccupy and disturb them
even if they have not encountered them in everyday
reality: birth, death, hatred, anger, love, injury, war,
violence, fear, being left alone, good and bad,…
cell phones com
oks put
In play we can start and stop it. Everyone playing
es c o mics bo ers
am
needs to be emotionally and physically safe play g vid
so remind children that when someone r role e o
fo
says “no” they need to stop. ts Learning the
ac

‘Hoe-DownThrow-Down‘.
rtif

When safety is established children can

think and feel deeply about imagined

th e

events that would be more violent, Hannah Montana has been playing a huge role in
clo

traumatic and horrific in real life. our room. With her new movie out, the Hoe-Down
ry

Edmiston (2008)
Throw-Down has become very popular. Laura and
e lle
ew

rds
j Emma took great pride in displaying
i cker s ca the moves to this dance. The girls
st
ral rhymes jokes raps radio
television o used teamwork to execute how
things would happen. They
displayed a huge amount of
respect for themselves
and others as they
involved everyone.
~ Aimee Olsen
Beary Special
Daycare Inc.

52 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

When children bring in
their cherished toys we can
see it as an opportunity to take
children’s theories, hypotheses,
dreams, and fantasies seriously,
instead of seeming not to have
heard anything or telling chil-
dren that they should not talk
about these things. As an adult player be ready
Dahlberg Cited in Dahlberg, Moss & Pence (1999, 52) to co-create imaginary worlds
in blocks, paints, sand, water,
gesture and performance.
Be ready to explore possible
selves, invented worlds and
what if… scenarios.

v ision oral rhymes jo

ic tele kes
us raps radio sticker s ca
rds
sm

jew
e ller
ine

y cloth
es
g az
ma
rs

rink toys clothes

food d
ste

es shoe o
gam s film video p
eo
vid
Respecting and learning
about children’s knowledge,
experiences and ideas can be
balanced with counter-images
that challenge cultural stereo-
types such as “Yes, girls can be
pirates … or hockey players”

Popular culture can

inform the literacy
curriculum of early years
settings when educators recognize
and build upon children’s popular
cultural pursuits.
J. Marsh (2003)
unication • Im Spirituality •
Co m m
agi cs • Zes
nat eti tf pendence • Soc
ion C a r sth or Inde ial d
it y & I nde , io n an d ing • Li Ae Liv And An
l v
ivid
ua pend
enc o
ss
mpa C
ing
D a g ination, Creativit ing
e ness
Ind e• C reat • emo Im y &P A nd L iv
So ivity And Play cr a • lay earning • Inclus d
it y cia tica lity g an
Inclusiveness and Equ lR io n l ly • Indi vidua • Sp
iritu Livin
esp icat al it y • Ze s t f or
onsi n
bility • Commu

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 53
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Re-invent Popular Culture

Keertan’s Superheroes.
The blue and red one is Spiderman.
The Blue one is a Power Ranger.
The green one is the Incredible Hulk.
The black one is Batman. Keertan
The yellow one is Superman and
the yellow one with claws is Wolverine.
The orange one is Johnny with Fire.
~ Jill Shaw One afternoo
Centreville Child Care n you both w
“Transformer ere
s! I’ll save yo playing and I overheard yo
grew. “Chich, u!” As I listene u saying,
chich, chich, d on
asked. “I was chooch, chew , your imaginations
changing into .” “What was
a car,” replied that? “ I
Daniel.

~ Mich
“I'm a Figure Skater!” elle LeBlanc
Little Trea
sures Child
Care/Gar
derie Petit
Trésors
When Gabrielle arrives each morning we figure skaters, three hockey players, a
never know if she is Gabrielle, Dorothy, dog, and a cat. During our story time the
Lisa, Barbie Princess, Gossamer Fairy, or children performed Gabrielle’s play.
Alisa. This morning she arrived dressed as
a Figure skater. She told me she needed to Gabrielle had been talking
make figure skates. She cut the paper into about he Olympics all week.
four pieces, put one piece under her foot, Drawing from the media
one on each side and a strap over the top. coverage of the Olympics,
She taped them all together around her Gabrielle chooses her
foot. As she was doing this she looked at me clothing, creates paper
and said, “China won the gold.” She then skates and authors a play
made her second skate, stood in front of me for her and her friends to
and said, “Look, I ‘m a figure skater.” perform. We will continue
to support Gabrielle’s
Later, that morning, Gabrielle decided to desire to write plays,
write a play about a figure skater. It was create props and perform
called, ”The Figure Skaters at the Olympics.” them during group time.
She went around the class asking who ~ Tonya White
wanted to be in her play. She needed two UNB Children’s Centre

54 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

“Somewhere
Over the Rainbow.”
Gabrielle, you surprised us
when you arrived disguised as
Dorothy from ‘The Wizard of Oz’!
From your ruby slippers, to Toto in a
basket, to the perfect braids, you looked just
like Dorothy and even signed in as her. When
I asked you if you wanted to write the play
about your character you didn’t hesitate for
a moment. You dictated the whole story to me
from the part where you sing “Somewhere Over
the Rainbow” to your chant of, “There’s no
You became
place like home.”
concerned at one
point that you
Soon other children wanted to be a part of
would need a yellow brick road. Luckily Kim
your play. You were busy, with the clipboard in
noticed the large sheet of painted cardboard
one hand and Toto in his basket, in signing up
in the hallway. You and your friends paraded
children for parts in the play, helping decide
it around the room until you decided that the
costumes and locating a yellow brick road.
play was going to happen on the large steps so
the yellow brick road was to be below it.
Paige knew she wanted to be a witch. When
she heard that there was a good and a bad
Before the play was performed you felt it
witch she decided to be the good one. Ava
necessary to warn the class about the scary
asked to be the bad witch. Paige made a
scenes and suggest children could cover
witch’s hat but couldn’t decide how to make it
their eyes if they get scared. You started the
stay on her head. I suggested a band to staple
show by descending the stairs and singing
it on similar to our birthday crowns and she
your song so beautifully. From then on you
decided to use a birthday crown instead. The
acted, directed and organized this amazing
beautiful yellow dress that she found in the
performance. You had a definite idea of how
dress up clothes was a perfect costume. Ava
the show was to be performed and encouraged
wanted a mask. She drew a face on black
each actor to fulfill his or her role in the way
paper that was quite scary. Tonya helped her
you saw it.
cut out eyeholes and put pipe cleaners on the
sides to hold it onto her head.
There was a moment of worry when the Tin
Man, Scarecrow and Lion were to receive their
It was obvious that Spencer was to be the Lion
gifts and you remembered that we hadn’t cast
as he loves to play lions. Braedon put his
anyone as the Wizard. Alexandra stepped up
name down as the Tin Man and in the mean-
and did a fine job. You ended the show with the
time wrote a play of his own about the dog he
line, “There’s no place like home” three times.
had brought from home. Trent agreed to be
What a great job!
the scarecrow and Jibril, Grace, Alexandra
and Tonya were to play Munchkins.

Why this matters:

Gabrielle brought this powerful story that she knows so well to life in her
pretending and performing. She was charismatic in her enthusiasm and
attracted many other actors, eager to perform in her play. She was challenged
to think of ways to act out her story in the environment. Other children used
their imaginations as well to create the costumes they needed.
~ Jill Bateman UNB Children’s Centre

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 55
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Re-invent Popular Culture

“This is Mickey. I saw him at Disney. “Mickey and Donald. You know what!
He says hi, but not talking, just with his hand.” Mickey is black and white and his shoes are yellow.”

Mickey Mouse
Later that afternoon, you decided you
During free play you decided you were wanted to make Mickey again and guess
going to draw Mickey Mouse. Ever since what! After making three pictures of Mickey
you got back from Disneyland you like to Mouse you were finally happy with your
talk about Mickey Mouse a lot. After your picture. It had a nice round circle for his
first try, you said you could not draw face, and two smaller circles for his ears.
him and you gave up. You did not give up and you kept trying.
If you put your mind to it, you can do it.
The next morning when I came to work
Martha showed me a wonderful picture
you made of Mickey Mouse. I was so happy
that you did not give up. Then you showed Why this matters:
me another picture you made of Mickey
Mouse. You did a great job, but you still • You are learning to extend ideas and
were not happy with it. You did not think take actions using language.
it looked much like Mickey Mouse. • Developing a sense of appreciation for
human creativity and innovation.
• Developing a sense of self.
• Developing a disposition for flexible
and fluid thinking.
• Learning to test your limits.
• Developing your fine motor skills.
• Transforming the literacies of popular
Swazey culture into the centre.
~ Michelle LeBlanc
That’s Jane and Michael and the big one is Mary Poppins. Little Treasures Child Care / Garderie Petit Trésors
Practically perfect in every way! That’s me too.
~ Jackie Deil Springwater Christian Preschool

56 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Maddison

Alex

“My Favourite Superheroes”

“My favorite superheroes are Batman, Spiderman
and Superman,” Alex explained after I admired
how he was dressed from head to toe as Spiderman.

“Look,” he whispered as he pulled up his pant leg,

“These are Mr. Incredible socks.”
Connor
Alex and I played a Spiderman game. I used the
dinosaurs to attack his train track and he, as
Spiderman, shot his sticky webs at the attacking
dinosaurs to keep them trapped for 5 days!

While we played Alex taught me the following facts

about Spiderman:

• Spiderman climbs walls.

• Spiderman shoots webs from his wrists.
• Spiderman jumps very high.
• Spiderman is invisible at night.

Later in the morning Alex painted a picture of

Spiderman. This gave us the perfect opportunity to
sing the theme song and to think about how we
write the word Spiderman.

What’s next? Connor

I look forward to learning what Alex

knows about Superman and Batman and
exploring different ways he can represent For Reflection
his knowledge of superheroes.
Ask children and their families about
children’s favourite characters from TV, books,
videos, video games and comics, and music
Why this matters: or sport celebrities. Think about how taking
on these different identities informs children’s
Alex is using language and pop culture, literate play, and can be extended to other
one of his passions, to create imaginary sign systems such as painting or print.
worlds in his play. He recreates his
knowledge of Spiderman through painting, Explore media representations by asking
play, dress, singing and conversation questions that challenge representations,
creating a connection between his home such as, “What toys do you think both boys
literacy practices and those in his centre. and girls would like to play with? How come
~ Sherry Rose UNB Children’s Centre you think that only boys can be Ninjas?”

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 57
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Use Digital Technologies

What’s involved in learning

• Representing their experiences with

technologies in everyday life
• Accessing and using digital technologies

Using digital technologies to

make books with children.

Children may be eager to document their

own experiences and perspectives through
photos and videos. They are eager to
include words they would like to be part
of the documentation process.

Including digital tools in play gives children the opportunity to share

what they know while they are creating imaginary worlds.

Providing children, families and educators with a camera can be an active,

accessible, and flexible way to welcome participation and value creativity.

58 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

S-S-Snakes
Bernadette caught us a couple of snakes
which we named Blade and Eel. Check-
ing on line we found out that snakes are
reptiles and enjoy eating worms and slugs.
Gabriel checks on his snake friends daily.
He enjoys helping to feed them. Gabriel
is checking to see if the snakes are done
their breakfast.

Checking online we found

out about our snakes!
Sussex Early Learning Centre

Andrea used digital technologies to record the children’s

millipede project. Transferring the display into a book
form allows the educators and children to celebrate a
history of their learning while keeping the interest
alive for those who have a deep interest in millipedes.
~ Andrea Sobey & Amy Savoy
Chatham Day Care Centre Inc. Too.

Gaming with friends••••

What events might children,

families and educators document?
special trips, family pets, favorite
stories, songs, hobbies, treasures…

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 59
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Use Digital Technologies

Watch This…
Alia used two pieces of paper to create two
TV’s for our loft area. Our new small red couch
may have inspired her to think about making
TVs. She looked for tape and taped the TVs in
front of the couch.“One for the children and
this one for the adults,” she told me.

Then she had another inspiration and ran back

to the art area returning with a ‘clicker’ she
had created. She had cleverly used the pack “Say Cheese!”
of stickers that were slightly puffy to create
realistic buttons on the clicker. Rachel was playing in the dramatic play centre
taking pictures with a prop camera. She was
“Now, who likes princesses?” she asked the taking pictures of the windows, doors, plants,
children playing in the area. “Me,” yelled shelves, etc. Rachel then began taking pictures
Swati and Alia answered, “Okay, watch this of children, going from person to person
princess movie.” snapping pictures. "Don't forget to smile!" She
would remind them.

Then Rachel gathered some children together
Why this matters: to take a group picture. She adjusted each
child fixing their hair, and
Alia loves artwork and is often inspired to use
telling them to sit up and
it in her play. Her handmade TV and clicker
to look at the camera.
fitted in perfectly with the couch in our room
“Say 'Cheese' everybody!”.
and other children were excited by the idea of
playing that they were watching TV. Rachel really loved snapping
pictures, making sure she
Alia had brought stickers to school for a few had everything lined up
days and used them in various ways in her the way she wanted before
artwork. Today they were perfect as the raised taking the picture, paying
buttons on a remote control. It is interesting close attention to every
that she makes connections between home detail before clicking the
and school by bringing items that she plans to final picture.
use with her school projects.

This particular play situation also shows how What’s next?

relevant media experiences are to children
today. They have a familiarity with various We have been adding more digital prop
forms of media and use it with ease in their equipment to explore with technology in the
play. Her great idea could give us a chance to daycare. We understand technology is always
discuss media issues and impressions with this a part of home life and we have been adding
group of children. props to act out home living.
~ Jill Bateman UNB Children’s Centre ~ Katie Parlee Sussex Early Learnin Centre

60 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Brian noticed the children performing into the
full-length mirror in the dramatic play centre.
Thinking about their local experiences at the
Saint John Museum TV Studio, Brian added
a hand made camera as a play prop to the
dramatic play centre.
~ Brian Gallon YM-YWCA Prince Edward Square

Educators have hung photos of local landmarks

from the children’s community in the block
corner. Children’s drawings of these landmarks
are hung on the adjacent wall.
Sussex Early Learning Centre

By including cell phones, telephones, remote

controls and keyboards in the dramatic play centre
Mona Eljabi recognizes and values children’s daily
experiences with digital technologies.

Mona Eljabi of Next To Mom Day Care Center

documents the seasonal changes of a tree
outside the daycare. “If I do this two years in
a row I wonder what the tree would teach us?”

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 61
LITERATE IDENTITIES WITH/IN COMMUNITIES

Use Digital Technologies

Who is the illustrator Beth Geddes? Tell me
about how the illustrations were created.
Stained Beth Geddes, the illustrator, is exception-
Snow. ally shy but very imaginative five-year-old.
Furthermore, Beth was moving to Scotland
in 8 weeks and was feeling apprehensive
about the big change in her life. “I am
going to miss my friends and the snow
The children were excited to squirt the in Canada.” I was also thinking of large
snow with coloured water. I supplied the “hole” Beth would leave in our class. I
children with a range of containers – a thought this would be a nice project for her
few squirted while others sprayed. Some to share with her new class in Scotland. I
children were so excited by the cause and also made a copy for our bookshelf.
effect of spraying snow while others took
great care:sharing colours, expressing The process was very easy. I first printed
ideas and combining their efforts. the pictures on regular computer paper
and presented them to Beth. I gave her one
What inspired you to turn the children’s mark snow stain at a time. She illustrated it on
making on the snow into a book? her own and then told me what she would
like to say about it. My original idea
The inspiration for our book was the was to have her use her own penmanship
illustrator Beth Geddes. It was a cold in the book, but she was hesitant about
day and after our bottles full of coloured that. “I want it to look like a real book.” I
water were empty, many of the children explained to her that real books look like
wandered off to play with other things. whatever the author wants, but decided
I had not even thought to take pictures to go with her vision of what it should
of their snow stains until I saw how look like. After she illustrated the snow
important Beth thought they were. She was stains with colouring pencils, I took the
very sad that the snow would melt, or more illustrated papers and scanned them into
snow would come and the snow stains my computer and added the text that Beth
would be gone and no one would know and I had written together.
their stories.

62 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

How did the children respond to the book? Is each child. I also think it could be a
there anything else you think I should know? partner project, with one child illustrating
and another thinking of the text.
The children were ECSTATIC about the
book. They were very proud of their It may seem bizarre that I only worked
friend Beth and excited that children in with one child on this project. The reason
Scotland were going to look at THEIR snow I decided to do that is because Beth was
stains. The children take turns choosing moving away shortly, she articulated
our daily reading material and Beth’s the vision for the project, and she worked
book is chosen most days. independently on it.

I regret not including a picture of Beth ~ Amanda Raybould Moncton Montessori School (2008) Inc.

somewhere in the book because the

children always appreciate seeing what
an author looks like. Last year was my
prototype and this year I hope to make
a larger book with one illustration from For Reflection
What new technologies are available for
use in your centre? How is this technology
used to document children’s learning, as a
way to communicate thinking, interests, and
growth between home and the centre? How
is documentation used for planning? Think
about how you engage children in rereading
documentation.

How do educators, families and children

use technologies in and beyond the centre?
Think about access to a range of cultural
experiences and digital technologies.

NEW BRUNSWICK CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK For Early Learning and Child Care ~ English 63
Works Cited
Ashton, Emily. 2007. Children’s mathematical thinking. New Brunswick Curriculum Framework for Early
Leaning and Childcare ~ English. Fredericton, NB: Early Childhood Centre, University of New Brunswick.
Bos, Bev. 1979. Don’t Move the Muffin Tins. Turn the Page Press: Roseville, CA.

Brodsky Chenfeld, Mimi. 2010. The performing arts: Music, dance, and theater in the early years.
Young Children. 65(2): 10-13.
Bromley, Helen. 2006. Making my Own Mark. The British Association for Early Childhood Education: London.

Dahlberg, Gunilla, Peter Moss, & Alan Pence. 1999. Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and
Care: Postmodern Perspectives. Falmer Press: London

Edmiston, Brian. 2007. Forming Ethical Identities in Early Childhood Play. Routledge: London.

Kress, Gunther. 2003. Perspectives on making meaning: The differential Principles and means of
Adults and Children. Handbook of Early Childhood Literacy, 154-166. Sage Publications: London.
Kolbe, Ursula. 2007. Runpunzel’s Supermarket: All About Young Children and Their Art. 2nd ed.
Peppinot Press: Byron Bay, NSW.

Kolbe, Ursula. 2005. It’s Not a Bird Yet: The Drama of Drawing. Peppinot Press: Byron Bay, NSW.

Manners, Hazel, & Margaret E. Carroll. 1995. A Framework for Physical Education in the Early Years.
Falmer Press: Washington, DC.

Marsh, Jackie. 2003. Early childhood literacy and popular culture. Handbook of Early Childhood
Literacy, 112-125. Sage Publications: London.

Olsson, Liselott Mariett. 2009. Movement and experimentation in young children’s learning: Deleuze
and Guattari in early childhood educations. Routledge: New York, NY.

Paley, Vivian Gussin. 1986. On listening to what the children say. Harvard Educational Review, 56(2)
122-131. March.

Paley, Vivian Gussin. 2009. Valuing Children’s Stories and Play. Seminar held at the University of
New Brunswick, Fredericton.

Rose, Sherry. 2007. Reading. New Brunswick Curriculum Framework for Early Leaning and Childcare
~ English. Fredericton, NB: Early Childhood Centre, University of New Brunswick.

Trevarthen, Colwyn, and Stephen Malloch. 2002. Musicality and music before three: Human vitality
and invention shared with pride. Zero to Three, 23(1): 10-18.

Upitis, Rena. 1990. This Too is Music. Heinemann Educational Books: Portsmouth, NH.

Professional Resources
Schickedanz , Judith A. & Renee M. Casbergue, 2004. Writing In Preschool: Learning To Orchestrate
Meaning And Marks. International Reading Association Inc.

Schickedanz, Judith A., 1999. Much More than the ABC’s: The Early Stages of Reading and Writing.
National Association for the Education of Young Children: Washington, DC.

64 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Picture Books Support Literacies In Every Goal

AUTHORS / ILLUSTRATORS Search these authors at http://vision.gnb.ca/ to find other great books.

Jez Alborough Lois Elhert Tana Hoban Helen Oxenbury Rosemary Wells
Mollie Bang Sheree Fitch* Mike Inkpen Peggy Rathman David Wiesner
Anthony Browne Mem Fox Ezra Jack Keats Barbara Reid* Brian Wildsmith
John Burmingham Marie-Louise Gay* Dennis Lee* Eric Rothman Mo Willems
Eric Carle Pheobe Gilman* Leo Lioni Maurice Sendak Audrey & Don Wood
Donald Crews Kevin Henkes Jean Little* David Shannon Tim Wynne-Jones*
Doreen Cronin Shirley Hughes Arnold Lobel William Steig Jane Yolen
Tomie dePaola Pat Hutchins James Marshall Martin Waddell Charlotte Zolotow

* Canadian author

What other book genres can we explore? How do they work?

Fairy tales, number books, folk tales, poetry books, song books, trickster stories….

What separates a good book from a bad book is I think the main thing when reading to children
often the reader. My favorite books are clever and is to make sure the books are varied in style, age,
gentle with beautiful, simple illustrations. They and subject matter. On our bookshelf, there are
leave room for imagination, encourage discus- less than 50 books that are changed monthly to
sion and use new and unlikely words. It’s fas- include seasonal books, books with real pictures,
cinating to see the books that the children are information books, books with beautiful art work,
drawn to and interesting to hear what they like and reference books.
about certain books. Amanda Raybould Moncton Montessori School

Alphabet Books Kinds of Alphabet books:

Read and re-read alphabet books to: Word-picture: one clear picture per letter - often with unusual choices.
• take pleasure in reading John Burningham’s ABC by John Burningham
• examine the names and A,B See! by Tana Hoban
shapes of letters Animal Alphabet by Bert Kitchen
• point and name objects
Simple narratives: rhyming or poetic text.
• investigate information
Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming
about one topic
On Market Street by Arnold & Anita Lobel
• engage with an artistic style
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
• solve puzzles
• explore rhymes, new Riddles and puzzles: pages invite the children to find objects on the
vocabulary and alliteration page, or predict what will appear on the next page.
• discover the world - locally The Z was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg
and globally A is for Salad by Mike Lester
• encounter languages in
Theme or topic:
bilingual and multilingual
A Farmer’s Alphabet by Mary Azarian
versions
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth & Stephen Gammell
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

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Communication and Literacies

Uploaded by

Communication and Literacies

Uploaded by

Communication

Use a variety of sign systems

Co-construct literate identities

Communication and Literacies

By Sherry Rose and Pam Whitty.

Design and Layout: Mandy Wright

Printing and Binding: Taylor Printing Group Inc., Fredericton

Text (front matter, exemplar annotations, reflective questions and references),

This collection copyright © Early Childhood Centre, UNB.

All rights reserved. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

University Of New Brunswick Early Childhood Centre

Thank you to the children and their families

What it means to be literate changes over time and place and

Children are active learners in the process of

Using this document

2 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Different people, different materials, different events, and different

Communities include the more local communities of home, family and

Communication and Literacies

• Listening carefully to children, • Having extended conversations

• Becoming attuned to rhyme,

• Initiating and responding to

• Growing in their understanding

• Growing in their understanding of vocabulary

• Developing confidence in using languages

• Growing in their understanding

• Using language to express

• Using language to make friends,to share

• Using language to ask for help or

4 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

• Engaging in multiple forms of representation

• Transforming knowledge from one mode to another

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of language

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of music

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of math

• Engaging with the symbols and practices of art

• Learning the uniquenesses and similarities of

• Transporting and transforming the literacies

• Exploring various identities and characters

Avery Ty • Representing their experiences with

• Accessing and using digital technologies

6 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

…expressing feelings and friendships

Making Friends With

After some welcoming time, Granddad Jim

When leaving time comes around, Anjali is

8 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Let’s Sing and Dance.

During circle time, I asked the children

I asked if there were any other songs

Next, I invited all my friends to stand

You put your left hand in

Why this matters:

Ben’s Mailbox Flyer.

Sarah was working very carefully

10 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Hannah-Jo: “ I noticed tracks.” I was amazed and impressed by the

Learn the Conventions of Their Languages

What’s involved in learning

• Growing in their understanding of language conventions

What story traditions are revealed in children’s play?

12 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Square, rectangle, triangle …

Anneke printed all the names of Chester, by Mélanie Watt

Changes, by Anthony Browne

Learning Conventions of Their Languages

“I Want to Cross Over With Matthew!”

14 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document

Cassidy and I were playing together on Why this matters:

~ Tammie Hachey UNB & Totally Kids Daycare and Afterschool

Learning Conventions of Their Languages

A Great Day at the

The post office staff invited us to see what

Why this matters:

The children had the oppor-

16 Communication and Literacies Professional Support Document