1. Early Literacy Learning Model: Everyday Literacy Activities
Distance Learning Events brought to you by the Center for Early Literacy Learning
Hello and welcome to the early literacy learning model everyday literacy activities distance learning event brought to you by the Center for Early Literacy Learning.
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To access the slides and slide notes, click on the PDF file titled “Everyday Literacy Activities Slides and Notes” on the home page. This file can be used to print copies of the event content.

2. What is this CELL distance learning event?
This distance learning event focuses on everyday literacy activities, which are one component of the early literacy learning model
The purpose of this distance learning event is to share information about:
The definition of everyday literacy activities
How to identify everyday literacy activities
How everyday literacy activities provide opportunities for learning
How to increase the breadth and depth of learning opportunities
This distance learning event focuses on everyday literacy activities, which are one component of CELL’s early literacy learning model. The early literacy learning model forms the basis of our training-of-trainer events. The model should be used as parents and practitioners implement the CELL practices using ideas from the CELL practice guides that are located on the CELL website at
Our goal is to share with you information about everyday literacy activities, including what they are, how to identify them, how they provide opportunities for learning, and how you can increase the breadth and depth of learning opportunities. By participating in this distance learning event, you will better understand how you can turn everyday activities into literacy learning opportunities, whether at home with your child or in a classroom with a group of children. The other components of CELL’s early literacy learning model are featured in additional distance learning events.

3. Pause and think about everyday literacy activities before you proceed!
What are everyday literacy activities?
Why are everyday literacy activities important to a child’s literacy learning?
What are some examples of everyday literacy activities?
Click here to read or listen to CELL’s responses to these questions.
Proceed through the distance learning event with these responses in mind.
Before you go further in this distance learning event, we think it is important for you to pause and think about everyday literacy activities from your point of view. Write down the responses that immediately come to mind for each of these questions:
What are everyday literacy activities?
Why are everyday literacy activities important to a child’s literacy learning?
What are some examples of everyday literacy activities?
Once you’ve written down your brief and immediate responses to these questions, please click on the link you see on you screen to read or listen to the responses that CELL has prepared for these questions. Then, please proceed through the remainder of this distance learning event with these responses in mind.

4. Introduce: What are everyday literacy activities?
Everyday literacy activities need to:
Be interest-based
Provide opportunities for language and literacy learning
Provide opportunities to acquire and use literacy abilities
Happen frequently (or could happen frequently)
It is important that practitioners and parents provide children with specific experiences and activities that enhance and expand early literacy learning. These everyday literacy activities need to be interest-based, provide opportunities for early language and literacy learning, provide opportunities to acquire and use early literacy abilities, and either happen frequently, or have the potential to happen frequently. We call them everyday literacy activities because they are ordinary activities, such as grocery shopping, signing in at preschool, doing the laundry, writing a list, driving in the car, going on walks, and ordering at a restaurant. Just because we call them everyday literacy activities, however, does not mean that each activity needs to happen every single day! Paying attention to everyday literacy activities is an important way to ensure that children are learning literacy behaviors in a developmentally appropriate, real-life context.

5. Illustrate: Tools for Identifying Everyday Literacy Activities
Interest-Based Everyday Literacy Activity Checklist
Tool that parents can use to help them with identification of everyday literacy activities for their own child
Should be driven by what a child is interested in and/or what a child might be interested in
This tool is shown on the next two slides and can be accessed by clicking on the following link
CELL has developed two tools that can be used for identifying everyday literacy activities. One tool is the Interest-Based Everyday Literacy Activity Checklist, which can be used in collaboration with parents to help them identify everyday literacy activities for their own child. These everyday literacy activities should be driven by what a child is interested in and/or what a child might be interested in. This tool shows a number of activities that provide opportunities for literacy learning, provide opportunities to practice literacy behaviors and skills, and do or could happen frequently.
On the next two slides we show you what this tool looks like. It can also be accessed on our tools page by clicking on the link you see on your screen. This link will take you to all of the CELL tools that were reviewed in the on-site training and in the other distance learning events.

6. Here is the “Interest-Based Everyday Literacy Activity Checklist
Here is the “Interest-Based Everyday Literacy Activity Checklist.” As you can see, the front cover on the right hand side of the slide provides an overview of the tool, instructions for completion, as well as a place to write down the child’s name, date of birth, and the date of checklist completion. The back page on the left hand side of the slide provides you with space to write additional everyday learning activities of interest to the child for whom the checklist was completed.

7. On the inside pages is a list of a number of everyday activities that may already be or that would be of interest to the child for whom the checklist is being completed. It is important to note that the tool can be modified with different activities as needed. When modifying the tool, just be sure to include only activities that have opportunities for literacy learning within them.

8. Illustrate: Tools for Identifying Everyday Literacy Activities
Early Childhood Classroom Interests Assessment
Tool to help teachers identify interest-based early literacy activities for the children in their classroom
This tool is shown on the next two slides and can be accessed by clicking on the following link
The other tool is the Early Childhood Classroom Interests Assessment, which can be used by teachers to help them identify interest-based early literacy activities for the children in their classroom. On the next two slides we show you what this tool looks like. It can also be accessed on our tools page by clicking on the link you see on your screen. This link will take you to all of the CELL tools that were reviewed in the on-site training and in the other distance learning events.

9. Here is the “Early Childhood Classroom Interests Assessment
Here is the “Early Childhood Classroom Interests Assessment.” As you can see, the front cover on the right hand side of the slide provides a description of why you might want to use the tool and three easy-to-follow steps for using the tool. The back page on the left hand side of the slide provides you with space to make notes about the assessment.

10. On the inside pages is a place to write down the date the assessment was completed, the teacher and program names, the names of the children in the classroom, and the classes top interests. The inside pages also provide a grid of sample interest activities with space to write down the names of the children under the sample interest activities.

11. Illustrate: Examples of Everyday Literacy Activities
Interest-based:
A child who loves birds will enjoy drawing, writing, talking, and reading about birds
Opportunities for language learning:
Conversation with peers and adults during everyday activities, such as talking about the birds seen during a walk outside
Opportunities to practice literacy skills:
Such as with reading and writing materials: reading a book about birds, finding bird-related items in a catalog
To help you better understand the notion of everyday literacy activities, we have provided some examples. Remember, everyday literacy activities should capitalize on child interests to maximize engagement. For instance, a child who loves birds will enjoy drawing, writing, talking, and reading about birds. Everyday literacy activities that provide opportunities for language learning involve conversation with peers and adults, such as talking about the birds seen during a walk outside. Opportunities to practice literacy skills within everyday literacy activities involve reading and writing materials. For example, reading books about birds, and finding bird-related items like bird feeders and bird seed in a catalog or a store flyer. Activities like these may already happen frequently, but if not, most of them are simple enough that they could happen with greater frequency in the classroom or home.

12. Introduce: Everyday Literacy Activity Continuum
Everyday literacy activities can be informal or formal, or anywhere in between, depending on the context in which the activity occurs
Informal Literacy Activities Formal Literacy Activities
Many everyday literacy activities can be informal or formal, or anywhere in between, depending on the context. You can think about literacy activities as being on a continuum from informal to formal. 12

13. Illustrate: Informal Literacy Activities
Unstructured activities
Primarily directed by child, with adult being a facilitator (i.e., less adult-directed)
Tend to occur within daily routines than in planned learning situations
For example, car rides, grocery stores, diapering, dressing
Occur in the context of literacy-rich environments
Informal literacy activities tend to be more unstructured activities. They tend to be primarily directed by the child, with the adult being a facilitator. More informal literacy activities tend to occur within daily routines (for example, car rides, grocery stores, diapering, dressing, etc) than in planned learning situations. Lastly, they occur in the context of literacy-rich environments. All activities occur in the child’s environment, and everyday literacy activities involve the language, symbols, and print of the literacy environment.
Here are some examples of literacy activities toward the informal end of the continuum:
An infant pressing the button on a toy to make the music play and the teacher sings a song to accompany the music
A toddler choosing to play with his alphabet blocks, and his dad joining in his play by building alongside him and responding with interest to the boy’s questions about the letters on the blocks
A preschooler helping mom write a shopping list at home or with teacher in the household center
A preschooler identifying McDonalds from the sign when driving in the car
A toddler or preschooler making up an alternative version of a rhyme at home that was originally learned at school

14. Illustrate: Formal Literacy Activities
Structured activities
Tend to be more adult directed
Tend to occur in more planned learning situations
Can occur when an adult organizes or leads a child in a learning activity with a specific goal of enhancing literacy development
Occur in the context of literacy-rich environments
Formal literacy activities tend to be more structured activities. Activities on this end of the continuum tend to be more adult directed and they tend to occur in more planned learning situations. They can occur when an adult organizes or leads a child in a learning activity with a specific goal of enhancing literacy development. As we have said earlier, like all other activities, formal literacy activities occur in the context of the child’s environment. But literacy activities depend on the literacy-rich features of the environment, including language, symbols, and print.
Here are some examples of literacy activities toward the formal end of the continuum:
Looking at a touch and feel book with an infant and talking about how each page feels
A preschool teacher reading a storybook with a group of children, guiding them through with specific questions, and then designing templates for the children to make props and act out the story.
Parents can also provide children with structured literacy experiences by suggesting specific activities, such as writing a letter to a relative, and guiding them through the process.
Story reading during circle time or bedtime
Learning a new fingerplay at daycare with a group of children

15. Introduce: Learning Opportunities
Everyday literacy activities provide opportunities for early literacy learning at home, in classrooms, and in a child’s community
Opportunities for early literacy learning need to be provided frequently
Opportunities for early literacy learning should be increased both across (breadth) and within (depth) literacy activities
Everyday literacy activities provide opportunities for early literacy learning at home, in classrooms, and in a child’s community. Opportunities for early literacy learning need to be provided frequently to allow children to increase their possibilities for early literacy learning. Opportunities for early literacy learning should be increased both across (breadth) and within (depth) literacy activities. We have developed some tools to help you to increase the breadth and depth of literacy activities. These tools are introduced next. 15

16. Illustrate: Tools for Increasing Breadth and Depth of Everyday Literacy Activities and Learning Opportunities
Tools to assist parents and practitioners to remember literacy learning opportunities and activities they want to do with their child/ren
Daily Schedule
Reminder Tool
These tools are designed to help parents and teachers increase opportunities for literacy learning across (breadth) and within (depth) literacy activities
They are shown on the next slide and can be accessed on our tools page located above
CELL has two tools to assist parents and teachers to remember literacy learning opportunities and activities they want to do with their child/ren, including a daily schedule and a reminder tool. Both of these tools are simple in their design and should help parents and teachers increase opportunities for literacy learning across (breadth) and within (depth) literacy activities. You might have other ideas for tools you could develop!
On the next slide we show you what these tools look like. They can be accessed by clicking on any of the links that you see on your screen. Clicking on the third link on your screen will take you to the tools page, which houses all of the CELL tools that were reviewed in the on-site training and in the other distance learning events. 16

17. This slide shows you the daily schedule and reminder tools that could be provided to parents or teachers to use as reminders of a child’s favorite activities as well as the times and location(s) in which those activities could occur.
As you can see, the daily schedule includes space for a parent or teacher to note the time of day and activity settings within which literacy activities can take place that will provide opportunities for early literacy learning. It is a slightly more structured way to do the same thing the next tool accomplishes. The reminder tool just offers space for a parent or teacher to make notes about reminders to do a number of literacy activities with his or her child or children. This tool is less structured and allows you to keep a running list that will serve to jog your memory about a child’s favorite activities. 17

18. Practice: Identifying Everyday Literacy Activities
Go to click on “products,” and select an infant, toddler, or a preschooler practice guide
Write down the name of the practice guide you read
Answer these questions:
What types of everyday literacy activities were demonstrated?
For one of the activities, how could you make it happen more frequently? How could you expand on early literacy learning within the activity?
To help you think about and use the content covered in this distance learning event, it is useful for you to put the information that was introduced and illustrated into practice. To do this, please go to our website at click on “products,” and select an infant, toddler, or a preschooler practice guide. You can pick a parent or a practitioner practice guide. Write down the name of the practice guide that you selected and then answer these questions:
What types of everyday literacy activities were demonstrated?
For one of the activities, how could you make it happen more frequently? How could you expand on early literacy learning within the activity?

19. Practice: Everyday Literacy Activities
Do you want more practice on everyday literacy activities?
We have developed additional practices!
You can click here to access the additional practices for home visitors or practitioners.
Do you want more practice on everyday literacy activities? We have developed additional practices specific to a center-based environment and a home environment. You can access the additional practices by clicking on the link you see on your screen.

20. Evaluate: Identifying Everyday Literacy Activities
Submit your examples to our discussion board by clicking here
Think about these questions: (1) How did the activities build on the interests of children? ; (2) What kinds of literacy learning opportunities did the activities provide?
Do you have any questions about the practice exercises? Please submit them to our discussion board by clicking here
Once you have completed the practice exercise, please submit your examples to the discussion board by clicking on the link you see on your screen. CELL staff will compile the submitted examples and post them to the discussion board. Also think about answers to these two questions: (1) How did the activities build on the interests of children? And (2) What kinds of literacy learning opportunities did the activities provide? These questions are designed to get you to evaluate your work on the practice exercise.
Do you have any questions about the practice exercises? Please submit them to our discussion board by clicking on the link you see on your screen. CELL staff will provide written answers to your questions. This is an ideal opportunity for you to ask questions that allow you to think about the process of identifying everyday literacy activities.

21. Reflect: Everyday Literacy Activities
We strongly encourage you to reflect on the information you have learned in this distance learning event
Reflecting assists you to determine your level of knowledge and the outcome of your practice
To help you reflect about everyday literacy activities and learning opportunities, print and complete the checklists located on our tools page located here
We strongly encourage you to reflect on the information you have learned in this distance learning event. Reflecting assists you to determine your level of knowledge and the outcome of your practice. Are you comfortable with the level of knowledge acquired? Do you need more practice? To help you reflect about everyday literacy activities, print and complete the checklist located on our tools page by clicking on the link you see on your screen. This link will take you to all of the CELL tools that were reviewed in the on-site training and in the other distance learning events.

22. CELL Early Literacy Learning Model: Bringing It All Together
Literacy-Rich Environments
Everyday Literacy Activities
Early Literacy Outcome Indicators
Responsive Teaching
Child Interests
CELL Early Literacy Learning Model: Bringing It All Together
You have now explored the everyday literacy activities component of CELL’s Early Literacy Learning Model. Remember, as this figure shows, the components of the model are interdependent. Child interests, everyday literacy activities, responsive teaching, and the environment are in a constant interplay to affect child outcomes. To gain a full understanding of all components of the early literacy learning model, remember to access the other distance learning events that focus on the other components of the model.

23. Thank you! Thank you for accessing this CELL distance learning event!
We value your feedback! Please provide it to us by clicking on this link
Remember to access other CELL distance learning events!
Thank you for accessing this CELL distance learning event about the everyday literacy activities component of CELL’s early literacy learning model. If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to read the CELL paper written by Dunst et al. in 2006, titled Framework for Developing Evidence-based Early Literacy Learning Practices, which is housed in the products section of the CELL website at This resource provides more about the information presented in this distance learning event.
We value your feedback! We want to provide helpful and high quality information. Please share your thoughts by completing our survey at the link displayed on this slide.
Remember to access other CELL distance learning events at the same location where you accessed this distance learning event.
Keep doing everything you do for young children and their families! We look forward to your return for other distance learning events.