Pre-Service Early Years/Primary Postgraduate Diploma in Education: EDUEYP3 - English Language and Literacy in Early Years

Interns are also recommended to use the resources given below. It is recommended that Interns access the ECAE library online to access other research methodology books and articles available via the library database and Ebrary.

• Teaching practices for reading and viewing (education.vic.gov.au)
• Concepts of print (education.vic.gov.au)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wXRa_iVgqw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk31pi4C6Y4

FACILITIES

• Wireless classrooms for individual student laptops
• Interactive Board
• Wall-mounted whiteboard
• Videos
• Online communication tools
• Learning Management System and Turnitin

Week 1  

Language development in early childhood

How language and literacy is learned

Input, interaction and output – comprehensible input, interaction and comprehensible output.

Required Readings

• Kersten, K., & Rohde, A. (2013). Teaching English to young learners. In Flyman Mattsson, A., & Norrby, C. (Eds.) Language acquisition and use in multilingual contexts (pp. 107-121). Lund University.
• Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned 5th Edition. Oxford University Press. (Chapter 1)

Recommended Reading

• Reynolds, E., Vernon-Feagans, L., Bratsch-Hines, M., Baker, C. E., & Family Life Project Key Investigators. (2019). Mothers’ and fathers’ language input from 6 to 36 months in rural two-parent families: Relations to children’s kindergarten achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 47, 385-395.

Week 2

Individual factors influencing literacy development

• Supporting literacy development in the home environment
• Home-school connections
• Drawing on the full linguistic repertoire of the ELL within a translanguaging perspective

Required readings

• Dillon, A. M., Gallagher, K., Saqr, S., Habak, C., & AlRamamneh, Y. (2024). The joy of reading–Emirati fathers’ insights into shared reading with young children in a multilingual context. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-14.
• Machado, J. M. (2016) Early childhood experiences in language arts early literacy (11th Ed). Cengage Learning. (Chapter 16)

Recommended readings

• Gallagher, K., & Bataineh, A. (2020). An investigation into the linguistic landscape of translingual storybooks for Arabic-English bilingual children. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 41(4), 348-367

• Victoria Rodríguez, M. (2015). Families and educators supporting bilingualism in early childhood. School Community Journal, 25(2), 177-194.

Week 3

Emergent literacy – starting with speaking and listening

The continuum of emergent literacy

• What is emergent literacy for English Language learners? Emergent biliteracy? (linguistic and non-linguistic forms of communication- multimodal)
• Domains of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics)         

Required readings

• Cregan, A. (2019). Promoting oral Language development in the primary school. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (pages 2-6)

Recommended readings

• Konishi, H., Kanero, J., Freeman, M.R., Michnick Golinkoff, R. & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2014). Six principles of language development: Implications for second language learners. Developmental Neuropsychology, 39(5), 404-420, DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2014.931961

• Machado, J. M. (2016) Early childhood experiences in language arts early literacy (11th Ed). Cengage Learning. (Section 1)

Week 4

Emergent literacy

Linking oral language development with early literacy development

Linking emergent literacy with the arts

Required Readings

• Baker, F. S. (2018). Shaping pedagogical approaches to learning through play: A pathway to enriching culture and heritage in Abu Dhabi kindergartens. Early Child Development and Care, 188(2), 109-125.
• Mackenzie, N., & Veresov, N. (2013). How drawing can support writing acquisition: Text construction in early writing from a Vygotskian perspective. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(4), 22-29.
• Mardell, B., Ryan, J., Krechevsky, M., Baker, M., Schulz, S., & Constant, Y. L. (2023). A Pedagogy of Play. Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from: https://pz. harvard. edu/sites/default/files/PoP% 20Book. pdf.

Recommended Readings

• Friedrich, N., Wishart, K., & Peterson, S. S. (2018). Supporting emergent writers through guided play in a Kindergarten classroom. Journal of Childhood Studies, 58-64.

Week 5

Emergent literacy

Guiding principles and a balanced literacy approach in kindergarten

Linking theory, principles and effective practices for teaching, learning and assessment

Required Readings

• Tompkins, G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21^st century: A balanced approach (7^th Ed). Pearson. (Chapter 1)

Recommended Readings

• Managhan, E. (2020). Effective Practices to balance literacy instruction in early childhood. Learning to Teach, 9(1).

Week 6

Learners of English as an Additional Language in Kindergarten

Inclusive classrooms and assessment

Required Readings

• Hur, J. H., Snyder, P., & Reichow, B. (2020). Systematic review of English early literacy interventions for children who are dual language learners. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 40(1), 6-23.
• Velasco, P., & Fialais, V. (2018). Moments of metalinguistic awareness in a Kindergarten class: Translanguaging for simultaneous biliterate development. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(6), 760-774.

Recommended Readings

• Afsah, O. (2021). The relationship between phonological processing and emergent literacy skills in Arabic-Speaking Kindergarten children. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 73(1), 22-33.

Week 7

Play-based literacy centers

Assessment for and as learning

Required Readings

• Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., Danniels, E., & Wickstrom, H. (2020). A model for assessment in play-based kindergarten education. American Educational Research Journal, 57(6), 2251-2292.

Recommended Readings

• Abdul-Haq, Z., & Al-Felfely, H. (2014). The effect of learning centers on developing creative thinking of Kindergarten children. An-Najah University Journal for Research-B (Humanities), 28(1), 2.

Week 8

Integrating the language skills creatively in kindergarten

Required Readings

• Chookah, H. A., Agbenyega, J. S., Santos, I. M., & Habak, C. (2024). Play affordances of natural and non-natural materials in preschool children’s playful learning tasks. International Journal of Early Childhood, 56(3), 585-603.
• Pyle, A., Poliszczuk, D., & Danniels, E. (2018). The challenges of promoting literacy integration within a play-based learning kindergarten program: Teacher perspectives and implementation. Journal of research in childhood education, 32(2), 219-233.

Recommended Readings

• Pyle, A., Prioletta, J., & Poliszczuk, D. (2018). The play-literacy interface in full-day kindergarten classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46(1), 117-127.

Week 9

Creativity in integrating the language skills through holistic story-telling – Part 1

Required readings

• Al Fahim, H. (2019). The Little Ghaf Tree. Makarem LLC. (in both English and Arabic) Ellis, G.
• Ellis, G. & Brewster, J. (2014). Tell it again! The storytelling handbook for primary English language teachers. British Council.
• Rosen, M. (2016). We’re going on a bear hunt. Walker Books.

Recommended Readings

• Dillon, A. M., Hojeij, Z., Perkins, A., & Malkawi, R. (2020). Examining the text quality of English/Arabic dual language children’s picture books. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(8), 888-901.

Week 10

Creativity in integrating the language skills through holistic story-telling – Part 2

Required readings

• Al Fahim, H. (2019). The Little Ghaf Tree. Makarem LLC. (in both English and Arabic) Ellis, G.

• Carle, E. (1997). Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? Puffin.

Recommended Readings

• Mourão, S. (2015). The potential of picturebooks with young learners. Teaching English to young learners: Critical issues in Language teaching with 3-12 Year Olds, 199.

Week  11

Transitioning from kindergarten to primary grades

Implications for language and literacy

Required Readings

• Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2025). Literacy in the time of Artificial Intelligence. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1), e591.

• Mantei, J., & Kervin, L. (2018). Examining literacy demands for children during teacher-led episodes of reading aloud across the transition from Preschool to Kindergarten. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 41(2), 82-93.

Recommended Readings

• Tatalović Vorkapić, S., & Katić, V. (2020). Literacy-related school readiness through play in Croatia. International Journal of Early Years Education, 28(3), 277-294.