Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy

Children entering kindergarten and grade 1 vary greatly in their emergent literacy skills. Because preschool teachers can help set the foundation of literacy skills related to school readiness, one way to address those gaps is to build teachers' capacity to apply evidence-based strategies in language and literacy instruction. "Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy" was developed to support preschool teachers through collaborative learning experiences in a professional learning community (PLC). Preschool teachers who participate in this PLC will learn evidence-based instructional practices that can enhance their emergent literacy instruction and benefit children in their classrooms. This Facilitator Guide for "Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy" and its accompanying suite of materials were prepared to enable facilitators to lead a team of preschool teachers through emergent literacy PLC sessions. Given the rich content of emergent literacy instruction addressed in these materials, the ideal facilitator will be an educator with a strong background in emergent literacy, good communication skills, and the ability to relate well to adult learners. This Guide includes a structured plan to deliver professional learning, slides, and speaker notes. The "Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy" suite of materials was prepared in collaboration with the REL Southeast School Readiness Partnership and includes four modules: Print Knowledge, Phonological Awareness, Vocabulary, and Oral Language. Each module comprises four resources: Facilitator Guide, PowerPoint presentation, Classroom videos, and Participant Guide. [For the "Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy. Participant Guide. Module 3: Vocabulary (Sessions 7-9). REL 2021-045," see ED609433.]