1. Talking and Listening Reading Writing

2.  Talking and Listening are the central skills children need to develop in order to live successful lives in today’s society  They are key skills for children developing their ability to read and write

3. What we are looking for.....  I can sit well and listen carefully at group and story time  I can talk during role-play  I can use language for a variety of purposes – answer questions and share experiences from home  I can take turns in conversation  I can speak clearly and confidently in a small and larger groups  I can follow instructions

4. How do we teach these skills....  Welcome and Calendar Time  Playing games for turn taking  Listening to stories and answering questions  Rhyme Time  Circle Games  Show and Tell  StoryPhones  Puppets  Jigsaws  Sequencing Stories/Events  Provide activities to encourage following instructions  External visitors

5. How you can support your child at home....  Talk to them  Model and expect good listening  Encourage understanding of new vocabulary  Read stories regularly using a variety of books  Discuss the stories and ask questions  Look at books for fact finding information  Play games together for turn taking/discussion  Build a jigsaw together and talk about the picture  Sing Songs, Rhymes and Poems together  Encourage your child to follow simple instructions

6. Reading teaches children about the world around them. Through reading, they learn about people, places and events outside their own experience.

7. What are we looking for.....  I enjoy looking at books  I can talk about stories/things I have read  I can make up stories related to the pictures in a book  I can find my name by looking at the first letter  I can use book language e.g. Author, Illustrator, Title  I can hold a book up the right way and I can turn the pages correctly  I can find words in the environment and I am interested in finding out what they say

8. How do we teach these skills....  Looking at books and book language  Book Corner and Take Home Library  Reading stories – individually or in small /larger groups  Book Bug and Rhyme Time  Asking questions – sequencing/retelling stories  Finding your name on the register (and others)  Looking for words in the environment words

9. How you can support your child at home....  Read stories regularly to your child  Let your child tell the story by looking at the pictures  Ask questions to encourage story telling e.g. What do you think happens next?  Let them see you reading (books, magazines, newspapers)  Encourage your child to hold the book and turn the pages in the correct order  Point out and read words in the environment  Visit the library and book shops

10. We learn to write to share our learning, to express our creativity, to make connections and to share our ideas with others.

11. What we are looking for.....  I can make random marks on the page  I draw faces and sometimes other body parts  My drawings are purposeful and express my ideas  I can make marks to represent writing  I can overwrite the letters from my own name  I can free write all the letters of my own name  I try to write my own words by combining letters  I have good pencil grip and control

12. How do we teach these skills....  Creating pictures using a variety of resources  Using play dough, sand, foam and other resources to make marks and trace  Overwriting name and simple words  Join the dots to encourage good pencil control  Free writing  Writing table, pens/pencils paper available in all areas  Creating books/stories as a group or individually  A variety of Fine Motor Skills Activities

13. How you can support your child at home....  Let them see you writing – shopping lists, notes, cards  Provide paper and pen/pencils/crayons to allow creative mark making  Encourage correct pencil grip  Provide activities to strengthen Fine Motor Skills  Let them sign their name on cards for friends/family

14. Who else can help ?  Local Libraries  Scottish Book Trust – Book Bug  Book Start - Rhyme Time  NHS Lanarkshire - Speech and Language Dept

15. Working in Partnership  Home  School  Other Agencies

16. Useful Websites  www.scottishbooktrust.com  www.bookstart.org  www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk  www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/SLLC/info/3/libraries  www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups