Here is where you will find resources for preschool classrooms. We also include some resources from kindergarten and multiage classrooms in this section, but you may want to browse these other categories directly for materials you might adapt to use with three- and four-year-olds.

Classroom Gifts from Carlos: Helping Young Students Learn Academic Language and Routines Andie Cunningham Many students in Melissa's Head Start classroom discover academic language for the first time here. One of these students is Carlos. Quick to smile and make a joke, Carlos enjoys egging people to laugh and joke with him. He often tries to trick friends into giggling rather than paying attention during fire drills or trips to the bathroom. In much the same vein, if you were standing in the room with me during reading time, you likely would witness his invitation to other boys to read books and sing songs with him. . . . more Preschool Centers (VIDEOS) Centers can be an effective teaching and learning strategy in preschools. In this video, Melissa Kolb shares her rationale for using centers in her Head Start classroom. . . . . . more Many Languages, Many Texts: Book Time in Preschool (VIDEO) In this brief video, Melissa Kolb explains "Book Time" in her preschool class. It's a time when many volunteers read books informally to small groups of children in their home languages. . . . more 34 Languages Melissa Kolb This year they come to me speaking English, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Lao and Chuukese. They come to me from different worlds of experience. Some full of light and sound and color; some full of darkness and shouting. I have the privilege of entering each of their homes, of seeing for one brief hour a tiny slice of what they see, of what they know. I am charged with providing a place where they can all be at home and experience a new community. . . . more Keeping the M (VIDEO) Melissa Kolb In an age of standardization, when even preschoolers are expected to perform flawlessly on literacy tests such as letter naming and recognition, it is important for early childhood teachers to stand firm in the belief that each child learns uniquely and individually. This is an ideal I strive to live by as I work with youngsters. Our Head Start classroom includes children who range in age from three to five, and who speak a variety of languages. All of our children come from a background of poverty, and many have a range of identified disabilities. To teach them successfully, it is necessary to teach them individually. Sometimes, this means that I have to resist the pressure to push children toward production of perfect outcomes. The leading edge of learning for a child can be the feeling of success they achieve when they are engaged in a literacy process, whether or not the outcome of that process is technically correct. . . . more Preschool Writing Center (VIDEO) In this video from Melissa Kolb's preschool classroom, children work in the writing center. Melissa explains how she routinely changes the supplies in the center to spark interest in students and make connections to their experiences. . . . more Preschool Morning Message (VIDEO) This four-minute video from Melissa Kolb's preschool classroom shows the value of the morning message for teaching literacy skills. . . . more Seven Minutes of Listening Andie Cunningham Four-year-old Isabele pulled out the large alphabet puzzle, a big 2' by 3' wooden one that so many preschool and primary classrooms have. With her right hand holding the letter X, she said, "See, they match." I looked at her and asked how she knew. Like all brilliant children, she ignored my unimportant question and led the way. . . . more Preschool Book Browsing Time (VIDEO) This five-minute video from Kelly Petrin's preschool classroom shows the value of book browsing time. Kelly explains the skills children develop in language, book handling skills, and literacy independence during this time. . . . more Preschool Letter Detectives Andie Cunningham "What is a letter? A mystery." Five-year-old Gabe's response to my question stunned me. I realized from listening and observing his teacher Melissa's gentle nudging and guiding that letters are at the heart of what's being studied by these wonderful preschool students. It was obvious that letters are a primary source of meaning making for these students. . . . more Multicultural Books for Beginning Readers Shari Frost "Why isn't there an African American Henry and Mudge?" asked a teacher in the audience of a session on multicultural children's literature. I reminded her of a previous slide stating that only .03% of all of children's books published during the previous year featured African Americans. She retorted, "Well, at least 50 of them should have been the 'Henry-and-Mudge-Frog-and-Toad' kind of books. Children who are just starting to read need to have books about their own kind of experiences. . . . more Whatever Happened to Mrs. Wishy Washy? Shari Frost I noticed a basket in an isolated corner of the primary wing in a school. I wondered what was inside of it. When I got close enough to get a good look, I couldn't believe my eyes. The basket was filled with abandoned big books in various stages of disrepair. As I knelt down to get a better look at the basket's contents, I tried to recall the last time I had seen a teacher engage a class in the shared reading of a big book. Had it been weeks? Had it possibly even been months? . . . more Introducing Bull's-Eyes and Waves Written Responses in Synthesis Work (VIDEO with TEMPLATES) Andie Cunningham My students find different ways to communicate their synthesis, but we found we needed a substantial way to hold on to our knowing and in some cases, further unpack and give definition to it. To help all of us create placeholders for what we know, and to offer my students appropriate tools for explaining what connections they are making, we use two tools, the bull's-eye and waves sheets, both created on 18" by 24" manila or white construction paper. . . . more Multicultural Picture Books for Young Children Ruth Shagoury There is a growing list of multicultural children's books that combine the delight in playful oral language with striking images to enhance the experience. As an added bonus, you can use federal funds to purchase these texts; according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, these are the perfect books for an early--and contextual--exposure to phonemic awareness. . . . more In the Zone: Conferring with a Young English Language Learner (VIDEO) The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a concept developed by the Russian language researcher Lev Vygotsky nearly a century ago. The theory simply stated is there is a learning "zone" each child . . . more Creating Anchor Charts with Sticky Note Responses from Young Readers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Learners who focus on comprehension strategies rely on different tools. One of the most popular is the three by three inch sticky note. High school teachers like Cris Tovani and primary teachers such as Debbie Miller write about how they use these little notes in their comprehension work with students. But what adaptions do pre-school and kindergarten teachers need to make in order to use these tools as successfully as teachers who work with older students? . . . more "Approximation is Everything": An Interview with Katie Wood Ray (Part 1) Warm, wise and provocative - is there any expert on writer's workshop who has burst on the scene with more influence than Katie Wood Ray in the past decade? Katie's new book, Study Driven: A F . . . more Webbing to Learn: A Writing Strategy to Chart Thinking with Young Learners (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham and Ruth Shagoury Teachers and teacher educators used to think that a web structure was too advanced for our youngest school learners, and reserved this work for more academically experienced students. A couple of years ago, we decided to see what would happen when primary grade students are invited to use webs to document their new understanding of texts. What we discovered was that webs can play a crucial role in comprehension work even with five- and six-year-olds... . . . more Spacing Words: A Mini-Lesson with Young Writers (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham In this two-minute video, Andie Cunningham reinforces the concept of spacing words with her kindergartners using her own writing and a brainstorming web. . . . more Every Language Counts: Adding Multilingual Counting Activities to Morning Meeting (VIDEO) Andie Cunningham Every year I have children who come from homes with many different first languages. In the past year alone, first languages included English, Spanish, Hmong, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Russian. One way I help welcome these different languages and cultures into our classroom community is by counting in different languages during the morning meeting. . . . more Conferring with Anna (VIDEO) Ruth Shagoury Anna is a five-year-old student in an Oregon kindergarten classroom who speaks Vietnamese at home. In this conference with Ruth Shagoury, she shares writing about her classmates and a snake, testing out her growing knowledge of the alphabet, sounds, and the purposes of writing. . . . more The Lines are to Write My Words: Phonics in Context Ruth Shagoury Educators who work with young children often wonder how to teach "phonics in context." Fifteen minutes in Andie's writing workshop shows the hard, intentional work that the children are engaged in as they develop their written language skills... . . . more Honor Books: Helping Children and Families Build Bridges Between Home and School Andie Cunningham The students I teach come from home environments of limited resources, but their years of family and life experiences are rich. Many of these families only recently immigrated to America, so there is a wealth of languages and cultures to tap in these homes. . . . more