Saturday, November 21
The Elementary Section and newly formed Early Childhood Education Assembly sponsor this day featuring sessions specifically for educators of children in preschool and early elementary. The day is filled with sessions devoted to issues of teaching, learning, and young children.
Use the online searchable program to find additional early childhood and elementary sessions of interest to you today!
Session F: 8:00-9:15 a.m.
F.21 Critical & Inclusive Classrooms for All Students: Reflections From Two Educators
Sonia Nieto and Mary Cowhey offer complementary perspectives on creating multicultural learning communities at both the K-12 and university levels with a focus on early childhood teachers. Linking theory and practice, they will interweave their classroom experiences and research using three themes: promoting intellectual rigor; affirming student identities; and contesting institutional policies and practices that dehumanize teaching and learning (i.e., punitive high-stakes testing, rigid tracking, and monocultural curricula).
Chair: Carmen Tisdale, Carver Lyon Elementary School, Columbia, SC
SESSION G: 9:30–10:45 a.m.
G.22 Critical Approaches to Early Literacy: Rethinking and Doing
This presentation will offer hands-on, meaningful, and developmentally-appropriate ways of getting to know individual children's interests and using this information in the classroom.
- Christy Mitchell, Meghan Kicklighter, Amy Evans, Siobian Minish and Marie Covington from The University of Georgia, Athens
SESSION H: 11:00 am – 12:15 p.m.
H.06 Independence in the Primary Writing Workshop
To create a productive environment for teaching in writing workshop, it is critical that children become independent in their work as writers. From three different but interrelated perspectives–talk, text, and motivation--the panelists in this session will explore how teachers support children’s independence in K-2 writing workshops.
Isoke Titilayo Nia, All Write Literacy Consultants, Brooklyn, New York
Matt Glover, Creekside Early Childhood School, West Chester, Ohio
Katie Wood Ray, author/consultant, Waynesville, North Carolina
SESSION I: 1:15–2:30 p.m.
I.17 Culturally Responsive Literacy Environments in Early Childhood Education
This session explores topics related to children with diverse cultural identities such as assessment, use of multicultural children's literature, and teachers' cultural responsiveness in early childhood classrooms.
- Boh Young Lee and Keon-Ryeong Park, The University of Georgia, Athens
- Laura Roy, Pennsylvania State University, Malvern
- Melissa Scott, The University of Georgia, Athens
I.19 Creating a Literate Reality for Young Children
Teachers play a critical role in helping young children see and believe they are readers and writers. In this session, teachers will share research and practice that fosters connection between young children and literature and ignites a passion for literacy that lasts. Resources for early childhood educators, including the use of drama in creating literate environments will be shared.
Melissa Kolb, Portland Public Schools Head Start, Oregon
Kelly Petrin, Portland Public Schools, Oregon
SESSION J: 2:45–4:00 p.m.
J.17 Bringing Stories to Life through Play
How do we give all children entry to the highest levels of comprehension and understanding? By building upon what children do so well; play. We will look at a curriculum that will teach children to retell, interpret, synthesize, and revise their favorite stories through story play.
Alison Porcelli, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
Cheryl Tyler and Cara Biggane, New York City Department of Education, New York
J.27 Learning with Our Students: Socio-Critical Literacies and Popular Culture with Young Children
We share the work of elementary students, teachers, and university professors in a school in Puerto Rico devising a socio-critical literacy curriculum. We worked in second and third grade classrooms and used as point of departure for curriculum design the students’ interests and concerns related to social issues and popular culture.
Carmen L. Medina, Indiana University, Bloomington
Maria del Rocio Costa, University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon
Vilmali Tores andy Nayda Soto, Escuela Elemental Maria Bas de Vazquez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico
J.28 Ain't Nothin Like the Real Thing Baby: Reviving and Resuscitating Reader's Workshop in Primary Classrooms
The original tenants of Reader’s Workshop compared to current day practices of standardization and commercially packaged literacy programs reveals a disconnect. The presenters argue for the return of the premise that children have voice and options in their literacy instruction and share how they ensure that happens in their classrooms.
Melanie Quinn, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon
Beth Hoffman, Russell Academy, Portland, Oregon
Session K: 4:15-5:30 p.m.
K.18 Negotiating Critical Literacies in Early Childhood Classrooms
Vivian Vasquez and Mariana Souto-Manning invite participants into two diverse classrooms. They share ways in which young children revisit, reread, analyze, and re-imagine possibilities as participants of critically literate communities. As they present audit trails and multicultural children's books as ways to get started, they hope to inspire early educators to negotiate critical literacies in their own classrooms.
Chair: Celia Genishi, Teachers College Columbia University, New York
5:45–7:00 p.m. in the Marriott Franklin Room 7, 4th Floor
The Early Childhood Assembly provides a new home at NCTE for all who work with young children. Join us as we share and talk about ways of supporting teachers to enhance teaching and learning in early childhood settings within and across diverse communities.
Co-chairs: Vivian Vasquez, American University and Mariana Souto-Manning, Teachers College, Columbia