Supercharged Storytimes: An Early Literacy Planning and Assessment Guide

Based on a research project from the University of Washington's iSchool called VIEWS2, whose goal was to understand whether the early literacy focus of public library storytimes was making a difference, this work is a departure from typical materials on this subject. The book is divided into four sections. The first describes the VIEWS2 training and planning tool, which can help storytime providers boost their programs by using early literacy practices and behaviors from Every Child Read To Read 2nd Edition (ECRR2). The second part describes how the VIEWS2 early literacy domains fit into and support each aspect of ECRR2 (talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing). Various tips and suggestions from storytime providers are included, broken down by developmental stage. The third part presents the findings of the last year of the Project VIEWS2 study, focusing on storytime assessment. The fourth and last part is a reflection on the project and covers possible next steps. Sidebars and real-world examples from the participants in the study are interspersed throughout. Each chapter gives guidance in how to incorporate, in small steps, more early literacy behaviors. Understanding the VIEWS2 early literacy domains and how they fit into ECRR2 will take some background knowledge of ECRR2.