A Day in an Inclusive Setting: Focus on Language and Literacy (continued)

This activity can be modified to have children look at a picture with the corresponding word on it; then they try to find that item in the bag without looking. Often the children want to extend this activity by making pictures of some of the items and labeling them with letters or words, using phonetic or actual spelling. Some children may need special support during small-group time, and typical children may need to be challenged with additional activities. For ex ample, children in an other group are using rhyming puzzles with words and pictures. A developmentally younger child enjoys exploring the pieces; an other child names the pictures, building vocabulary; and a developmentally older child matches the puzzle pieces, says the rhyme, and thinks up other words that rhyme with the pictures on the puzzle pieces. Through observations the adult knows where each child is at and what the next step in language and literacy develop ment might be. She can then challenge children with additional materials by asking questions like "I wonder what would happen if . . . ?" and using other strategies to extend children's explorations and thinking.

Planning Time

At planning time, children meet in a small group and individually communicate what they want to do at work time. A wide variety of planning strategies are used. Children may plan verbally-using words to describe where they will work, what they will do, and who they will work with-or they may communicate their ideas by point ing or using other gestures, fetching materials, drawing, miming, and so on. Some children choose from a collection of objects from each area to indicate what they wish to work with; others simply move to the area they are interested in. Adults adjust their support strategies to encourage each child to be as specific as possible in describing his or her plans. Whenever possible, we try to in corporate literacy into planning activities. Today one group of children are recording their plans on tape. Children in an other group are moving magnetic animals and people around on pictures of the interest areas, explaining their plan as they do so.

Work Time

Austin is creating in the art area: "Look, I made a frame for my picture." He displays his work on the bulletin board along with his name and letter link. He smiles as he goes back and "reads" what is on his art work.

In the book area a few children are "reading" interactive books, using props and other materials that support related play. Some children ask an adult to read to them; others "read" books to an adult or to one another. All of these materials and activities build important comprehension skills. Rhyming words and magnetic letters are available next to the book area. Children match the rhyming words and find the magnetic letters that make up each word.

Four children (two typical and two with special needs) are singing into "microphones" made out of toilet paper rolls, as if they are in a rock 'n' roll group. They sing at the top of their voices over and over again, giggling and dancing together. Tyler turns the Rolodex and sings "A, b, c, d. . . ." as he turns the handle and looks at the pictures, names, and letter links of his classmates. When he comes to his own picture he says, "That's me, look." He pauses and says, "There's Thomas, we both have /t/."

As these examples show, at work time children have many opportunities to play together, explore new ideas, develop skills, and build on their own interests. Some children will carry out their original plan; others may choose something else to do or adjust their plan. Adults help children extend their play, often to include literacy-related concepts.

The classroom areas are print filled and stocked with writing materials to encourage children to use listening, speaking, reading, and writ ing as a natural part of their play. This literacy-rich environment helps to develop print awareness and an understanding of what reading and writing are used for. For example,

• Children have small clipboards on which they can "write" things down.
• The house area has menus, order pads, phone books, empty food containers with labels, telephones and kitchen timers with numbers, and so on.
• The paint containers and markers in the art area have the color names written on them. Teachers write down children's descriptions of their artwork.
• In the block area, children work with in teractive nursery rhymes, arranging Velcro pictures and words to tell the rhyme.

Cleanup Time

As work time comes to a close, a child leader goes around the classroom holding the five-minute man to let everyone know that work time will end in five minutes (the five-minute-man has five fingers and the numeral 5 written on it). As music plays, children clean up by matching items to the words, pictures, and other representations that label the areas in the room where items go.