Research Question/Topic: The Home- School Literacy Connection Research Questions 1.

What are the home to school experiences that influence preschool children s early literacy development? 2. How can I as a teacher use the information gathered from my data collection to strengthen their literacy experiences at home? 3. What types of activities work well for families to increase literacy experiences at home?

Data Collection Plan 1. Data Source Teacher observations of children among their peers while interacting with books 2 Informal interviews with children about their favorite books and play preferences at school. Timeline/Plan for Collection Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:15-9:30am; Then, from 2:15-2:30pm 10/7 through 10/29 Purpose/Intended Learning

Data collected from the completed parent questionnaires Results received from parent surveys following weekly activity packs that were sent home in order that parents and children would engage in a variety of literacy-building activities A feedback survey was distributed to parents.

Observe the kinds of books the individual child chooses; whether the child looks at the book silently or uses picture cues to tell a story. Wednesdays and Thursdays Document and support my During free play 10:45observations about the 11:00; then from 3:00childs preferences as to 3:15pm center play (choices made 10/9 through 10/17 on his/her own or influenced by close friends). Ongoing from 10/8 through Gather data from the 10/18 parents of each of my ten students to compare home experiences with my documented observations. The literacy activities consisted of one strategy per week for four weeks, beginning on 10/14, and continuing through the week of 11/11. The feedback survey was sent home on 11/11, to be sent back by 11/15. Encourage parents to try out take-home literacy activities and offer their opinion as to their success or shortfall (a relevant extension of this research project). The survey results will inform me as to the families preferences.

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Literature Reviews obtained from related books and scholarly articles.

Ongoing from 10/5 through Compare the information 10/19 that I obtained to that from the early childhood professionals perspectives. Examine the information from all sources and, on those bases, recommend activities that might strengthen home literacy experiences

Questions I have about my project at this point. Am I on the right track with all of the data sources that I am planning to use? Am I answering the research questions?

Date/Time for one-one Phone Conversation with Dr. Leaman [After Review of the Literature Templates, Data Collection Plan and Informed Consent are Posted to your Website]