Pre-K Resources & Professional Development
BLUEPRINT FOR EARLY LEARNING
Resources to Build Teacher Capacity
Children look to their teacher, as a model, a guide, and an encourager. Research on the significance of adult-child interactions in early childhood development has shown that relationships matter.
Warm, supportive relationships encourage children’s motivation, engagement, self-direction, cooperation, and positive attitudes toward school.
Our new Blueprint follows a clear scope and sequence organized into ten highly engaging thematic units that lead to purposeful and authentic learning. We also provide a robust collection of resources to guide teachers through each unit. Here are some examples of the teacher supports we provide in each unit.
RESOURCE EXAMPLE
Unit 5 - Life on the Farm Teaching Point Checklist
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Transforming Literacy Instruction
Evidence-based Professional Development
Teachers have the opportunity to learn best practices, observe video demonstrations, and engage with each other, focused on building understanding. Our workshops and institutes build teachers’ knowledge of literacy content and pedagogy. See just a few of our focus areas below:
Supporting Play in Pre-K
Play is the work of children! In this seminar, teachers learn about the benefits of play and how it helps children develop cognitively, socially and physically. Through hands on activities, videos and discussions, they learn about and experience different forms of play such as object play, block play and locomotor play.
Dramatic play is spotlighted as well especially in connection to reading aloud. Teachers many roles in guiding and supporting play are explored - from setting the stage by creating an engaging environment where children will feel motivated, to being a play buddy where they engage in play themselves to support children’s curiosity, creativity and language development. Several strategies for preventing or responding to playtime challenges are also discussed.
Classroom Culture
Highlighting the teachers’ central role in the emotional life of their classrooms, participants will learn how to create a Classroom Culture that promotes kindness, dignity, and mutual respect.
Teachers are encouraged to plan, model, practice, and reflect upon the language they and their children use as well as their procedures. They will learn how to plan mini-lessons that establish the routines and rituals needed to make learning successful and fun.
Participants will also look closely at creating responsibilities to form guidelines and structure for the classroom. They will discuss how responsibilities should be established with children giving them a sense of ownership and empowerment.
Fostering Language Development
Strengthening children’s speaking and listening skills is one crucial pathway for later success in school. High quality talk, with its emphasis on robust vocabulary, rich conversations and positive interactions characterizes classrooms where children’s oral language skills thrive.
In this seminar, teachers learn about the components of children’s oral language development and how to assess, record, and support children in growing these skills. Through the use of readings, videos, and hands-on activities, participants will better understand the power of talk, develop strategies to promote language and communication skills, and consider ways to partner with families to share this information.
Intentional Read Aloud
Participants will discover the characteristics and importance of building a culture of literacy in their classroom, one in which a love of books and reading aloud are valued. This training will emphasize using quality children’s books for read alouds and will allow participants to dive deeply into the before-during-after structure of an intentional read aloud lesson.
Engaging children in read alouds while focusing on explicitly addressing comprehension, vocabulary, phonemic awareness and phonics skills will be highlighted. They will examine video examples and have time to plan lessons.
Learn more about our Pre-K Professional Development, teacher training, workshops, and seminars today. Speak with a member of our Blueprint Team and learn how to brings expert workforce development to your center today.
EMPOWERING PRE-K EDUCATORS
Building Teacher Capacity
Blueprint is built with varying levels of teacher support in each of our lessons. The objectives and general teacher moves for the veteran, the scripted teacher language and related activities for the new teacher.
Get full access to all our asynchronous training videos today!
By strengthening teacher knowledge, and supporting their implementation of key practices, Blueprint serves as a professional development resource that will benefit teachers’ continued growth.
TRANSFORMING LITERACY INSTRUCTION
Blueprint for Early Learning is written by Children's Literacy Initiative, the experts in early literacy
