home

Links compiled by Dr. Julie Coiro, University of Rhode Island (email: jcoiro@mail.uri.edu) Companion slide show can be downloaded here: Download the references list here for a bibliography of research presented in this area
 * Internet Websites To Enhance Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy Skills**



While exploring the Internet resources below, take time to consider the following when deciding if each is a worthwhile extension that can enhance the early literacy development of children in your classroom:
 * 1) What **authentic** literacy task(s) can students complete by using this resource?
 * 2) What do you **like** about the website?
 * 3) What questions or **concerns** do you have?
 * 4) How might you use the resources here to link back to classroom **instruction**?
 * 5) Does this resource include something that **enhances** your traditional instruction in this literacy area?
 * 6) Do you consider this resource **worthwhile**? (age appropriate, interesting, connected to standards, foster higher-level thinking, range of concepts, process and product emphasis)
 * 7) Do you consider this resource **engaging**? (authentic, challenging, multidisciplinary, problem-based, promotes collaboration)
 * 8) Do you see any future **potential** in the types of media used on this website?

**A. Building Early Literacy and Language Skills**
 * [|Starfall Early Reading]: Your emergent readers will love to explore the online storybooks here, each with animation, audio, sound effects, and more, and all focused on building beginning reading skills. These activities would make great center activities.
 * [|Chateau Meddybemps] Among the many activities at this site, budding writers will love the opportunity to visit the Young Writer’s Workshop and print out their favorite thematic story starter as a background for their writing or the chance to solve a few interactive Animal Riddles. Have children carefully copy their favorite riddle and illustrate their own picture before adding it to an Animal Riddle Bulletin Board in your classroom.
 * [|Scholastic Building Language for Literacy]: Young children can practice their early literacy skills with these three research-based activities sponsored by Scholastic to reinforce their knowledge of oral language, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and concepts of print.
 * [|PBS Between the Lions]: Theo, Cleo, Lionel, and Leona - a family of lions - run a magical library where characters pop out of books, vowels sing, and words take on a life of their own. The series combines puppetry, animation, and live action to help young children learn to read.
 * [|Mojo’s Musical Museum]: Song Lyrics from KIDiddles
 * [|Literacy Center Education Network]: An interactive literacy curriculum in English, Spanish, Dutch, and French. Focuses on letters, numbers, words, shapes, colors, numbers, and keyboarding skills.
 * [|LearnEnglishKids], created by the British Council in the United Kingdom, is for children learning English. There are lots of games, songs, stories, and more.

**B. Exploring, Learning, and Creating with Little Ones** > Demo Stacker for counting and fitting shapes together >
 * [|Little Explorers Dictionary]: Once your young students understand the concept of hyperlinks, they are ready to begin exploring one of the very best online dictionary resources for young children. Best of all, children can select words from the dictionary in ten different languages! This site even offers a number of thematic alphabet quizzes for young children that provide practice with navigating between webpages while learning more about the alphabet. You can find many resources for teachers too at the [|Preschool Activity Page] or the homepage for [|Enchanted Learning]
 * [|International Children’s Digital Library]: An amazing and growing collection of authentic children's literature from around the world. The searchable database leads to stories in over 15 languages and introduces students to the world around them through picture books.
 * [|BBC Preschool] This site, sponsored by the United Kingdom's British Broadcasting Company (BBC) hosts an interesting array of interactive online games and stories to explore with little ones.
 * [|Boowa & Kwala] Explore this site from South Africa for it's many offerings of children’s music, preschool craft activities, and children’s stories.
 * [|PBS Kids]: You and your children could explore here for hours, interacting with favorite characters from PBS Children's television programs! Three examples of the many, many activities include [|Clifford The Big Red Dog] or [|Dragon Tales: School in The Sky] or [|Preschool Kids Sprout]
 * [|Funschool Preschool Games]
 * [|Weekly Reader]: Kids solve problems and post solutions.
 * [|Kindersite] features a huge array of educational games, songs, and stories for preschoolers and kindergartners. This site provide many, many examples of the interactive possibilities for online learning. Parents and teachers should be sure to visit the homepage to see the rest of the resources available at this website, especially those for English language learners and learners with special needs.
 * [|Billy Bear for Kids]: An old favorite among Internet users - includes Show & Tell, Storybooks, A Post Office, and much more. Best to explore with an adult since there's a bit of reading at each activity.
 * [|NASA Kids Club] includes a great picture dictionary of space terms, a series of space storybooks, some interactive space games, and current opportunities to interact with real space scientists!

**C. Digital Literacy and Learning Tools**
 * [|Public domain images] - Copyright friendly - public domain images, free for any private or commercial use, credit or back link is not required.
 * [|Pics for Learning]: A collection of copyright-friendly images (mostly photographs) for education and a growing database of lesson plans related to the images.
 * [|Jigzone.com] Any photo can be uploaded and transformed into an online interactive puzzle ranging from 6 to 240 pieces! Kids will love the opportunity to email their photograph puzzles home or to a favorite relative to share an event that perhaps happened at school that day. Great fun!
 * [|Free Pics for Kids:] Thousands of royalty images to download and use for digital stories, powerpoint shows, and inspirations for vocabulary lessons with young children.

**D. Author Homepages**
 * [|Jan Brett]
 * [|Eric Carle]
 * [|Stan and Jan Barenstain] and the Barenstain Bears
 * [|Dr. Seuss and Seussville]
 * [|Molly Bang]
 * [|Eric Hill's Official Spot Website]
 * Joanna Cole and Bruce Degan - [|Scholastic's Magic Schoolbus Series]
 * [|Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit]
 * [|Marc Brown's Arthur Website] from PBS

**E. Online Resources for Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers**
 * [|Family Literacy Backpack Projects]
 * Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers Classroom Homepages
 * [|Kirkland Preschool]
 * [|Kelly's Kindergarten]
 * [|Mrs. Critchell's Kindergarten]
 * [|Marci McGowan First Grade]

Links last updated April 1, 2008