SCARBORO DAY CARE CENTER

LANGUAGE ARTS CENTER

Rationale:
Language arts is an integral part of every activity that occurs in the pre-school program. However, a center devoted to language arts can help develop specific skills and concepts.

Skills Developed in the Language Arts Center:

• Development of an appreciation and respect for books.
• Development of ability to look at pictures for their story.
• Development of an awareness of different ways of listening.
• Learns that words are "talk written down."
• Ability to match letters and words.
• Ability to sort and classify letters and words.
• Ability to see likenesses and differences in letters and words.
• Ability to follow directions.
• Development of visual perception skills.
• Ability to copy letters and words.
• Development of recognition of some printed letters and words and use them in activities.

Equipment and Materials:

• Library area with comfortable chairs or pillows, table or low shelving for displaying books, a variety of picture-story books, and pupil made books.
• Listening area with record player, tape player, earphones, collection of records and tapes, and tape and book sets.
• Manipulative materials area with materials for story play such as flannel board, wooden puzzles, cubes and parquetry blocks with
  pattern cards, picture lotto games, pegboards and pegs, paper, writing instruments, old magazines, filmstrips and filmstrip viewers.

Implementation Procedures:

• Divide center into three distinct areas - library area, listening area, and manipulative area.
• Limit number of children in each area dependent upon activities or space available.
• Teach proper care of books(turning pages, replacing books on shelves, etc.)
• Teach children proper operation of audio-visual equipment.
• Make tapes and use commercial tapes and records.
• Use some structural activities where children listen for a particular sound or word. Teach children to respond to that sound or word.
• Provide a variety of listening experiences such as stories, poetry, rhyming words, and music.
• Allow children to tell and record their own, original stories.
• Provide adult or older children in center to take dictation from the children.
• Provide materials to develop pre-writing skills.
• Be aware of each child's readiness for writing and provide the individual kinds of experiences needed.
• Use simple puzzles and games to reinforce language skills.
• Limit games available at any one time and change them frequently to maintain interest.