Overview
Have you ever thought about what literacy might look like outside of the classroom? Itās everywhere!Ā Think about it: the first word a young child may learn to read is STOP, and playing with chalk on a driveway or sidewalk is often a childās first experience with drawing and writing. What if we take reading and writing out of the classroom and see how it is used, authentically, in the real world?
Why is outdoor learning important?Ā There are many proven benefits to nature-based education! Research shows that it can boost academic performance as well as supporting physical, mental, and emotional health. When you provide outdoor and indoor learning experiences, students can expand their knowledge and apply concepts to the real world. Inviting students to connect with nature offers them a chance to use their senses to explore, and they are often more engaged and able to focus better. And letās not forget the benefits of getting kids outside and moving around during the school day!
How do you get started teaching literacy outdoors?Ā Literacy Moves OutdoorsĀ provides the rationale, resources, and information to help you get started, allĀ organized to help maximize learning and connect what you do outside to what you teach inside.Ā Each chapter takes a deep dive into a specific approach to literacy that you can move outdoors, includingĀ Literacy to Go, Word Gardens, StoryWalksĀ®, Interpretive Signage, and Literacy Trails. DiscoverĀ practical strategies and experiences for supporting literacy development outside of the traditional classroom environment, as well asĀ varied entry points, logistics for implementation, literacy connections, resources, and relevantĀ book lists.
Outdoors can mean a variety of thingsāa blacktop playground, a small park, sidewalks, or perhaps a patch of woodsāand your school setting will shape how you approach outdoor learning.Ā Literacy Moves OutdoorsĀ offers suggestions to adapt to just about any environment, including indoor hallways and communal spaces when you just canāt get outside. You will also find some beginning guidelines related to universal design,Ā including efforts to make learning experiences accessible to all students, enabling them to be independent andĀ participate in a variety of ways while helping you consider space, safety, and strategies to support a wide range of literacy and language skills.Ā
Explore and adopt practices that engage students, meet their interests and needs, and give them the tools to communicate and discover themselves and the world around them.Ā Pick one thing that will work for you, and start moving literacy outdoors!Ā
This book title, Literacy Moves Outdoors (Learning Approaches for Any Environment), ISBN: 9780325137544, by Valerie Bang-Jensen, published by Heinemann (March 12, 2024) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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