ECRR @ the Cedar Lake Branch

 

  Before PLA, the branch already incorporated Every Child Ready to Read into every storyhour. For the past few years, the library system's monthly newsletter has included a short monthly column on some aspect of ECRR. At the branch we coordinate the skills and practices we emphasize with those discussed in the newletter. We provide a handout with each storyhour that explains the practice and related skills, offers tips for parents, and includes a coloring activity for the child. We always make extra and have them available with crayons in the Children's area. That way we hope we are reaching parents and children who don't attend storytimes. We also display books that coordinate with the practice and related skills 'of the month'.

      After PLA, I was anxious to incorporate directed play into our ongoing early literacy activities. We decided to add each practice a month at a time and change activities on a monthly basis. In April the library newsletter column talked about Writing.  We developed activities to encourage writing--drawing, scribbling, and lacing so far. We had handouts available and a sign describing each activity and its early literacy components. We started with a big lion puppet we already had and made a mailbox. We put out paper, crayons, and colored pencils and asked children to 'write' (or scribble or draw) a letter' to the 'Library Lion'. We set the mailbox, lion, crayons, and paper on a table. Next to it we put a short board to display the 'letters' on. Some of our volunteers and staff composed short responses from the Library Lion and posted those, too. It has been popular with some children even writing 'stories' for the Library Lion.
      We also put out blank books for children to draw and write their own books. We set out a paper explaining the importance of sequencing in the development of Narrative Skills and encouraged children and parents to tell and draw or write a story in sequence in the boxes provided on the page. We recently put out a lacing activity.
      This month we are emphasizing reading together so we have begun adding more activities. We are encouraging children to write to the Library Lion about a favorite story. We also set out books about using imagination and encouraged children to use a variety of materials (all provided) to retell a story, create a character from one, or create something unique and tell about it.
We displayed books for shared reading that help parents teach the ECRR skills through the practices of Writing and Reading.
An online source that is very helpful for finding books related to a particular skill is Hennepin County Library's Early Literacy at http://www.hclib.org/BirthTo6/ELSIE.cfm. The lists are up-to-date and include new books.
Kent District Library's Parents and Kids at http://www.kdl.org/kids/go/pgr_five_practices is great for information about the five practices and related activities and books.
There are many more helpful online sites. Just go to the post, ECRR Great Sites & Links.
We recently updated our branch blog. Check out the ECRR activities:
http://cedarlakebranch.blogspot.com/