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Vocabulary and Background Knowledge: Literacy Foundations 2

In the last resource post about the foundations of literacy, we learned about conversations and oral language. Teachers can also support literacy development by intentionally designing opportunities to develop concepts, vocabulary, and background knowledge.


  • "Book language" is different from everyday speech and children need both - reading aloud and explaining vocabulary words are critical for building literacy skills: "A cottage is a little house. This is the picture of the witch's cottage."

  • Children need lots of experiences and conversations to build background knowledge and vocabulary. These could include shopping, events, or walking around town and talking with family members or teachers or they can be in the preschool with teachers who are intentional about introducing vocabulary and concepts (garden planting, new sensory experiences, dramatic play themes). "Do you remember the scaffolding on the bridge downtown? Why do you think that was there?" or "We are like paleontologists digging up these dinosaur bones!"

  • Read and display a variety of kinds of books including nonfiction and audiobooks. Use a classroom library audit to consider how balanced and representative your collection is.

  • Engage children in open-ended discussions about books. What do they notice about the character? What are they wondering about? Think about books as mirrors to reflect children's lives and windows that allow them to look into others' experiences.

  • Integrate books into all classroom centers: put books about buildings in the block area, books about vehicles near the trucks, and books about families near the dollhouse. Use "teachable moments" to look up more information: "Let's use the book to see what kind of bird that is."

  • Use reenactment of stories and books as a basis for play. Read several variations on the same story and get props and puppets so children can reenact the story or design opportunities to bring books into dramatic play: "I'm going to trip-trap over this bridge like the Billy Goats Gruff! I hope there isn't a troll under the bridge!"

  • Use books as provocations to learning and inquiry. Think about how the illustrations might spark new art projects or classroom activities. Read connected books to deepen children's knowledge and vocabulary. "Do you remember that yesterday, we read a book about a little boy who built a house with his family? I thought today, we could read a little more about building houses with this book: If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen. Then, I have some paper ready for anyone who wants to draw a picture of the house they would build."


Sample Book List for Vocabulary:

  • Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds

  • Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor

  • Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

  • Max’s Words by Kate Banks

  • Any book with rich vocabulary!


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