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<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\nBy Emmaline Ellis<\/span><\/h2>\n ![\"Picture\"](\"https:\/\/www.childrensliteratureassembly.org\/uploads\/1\/1\/8\/6\/118631535\/published\/print-salient-features-are-a-potentially-underutilized-resource-that-naturally-increase-the-amount-of-engagement-children-have-with-print-1.png?1747323623\")
<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\nContemporary picturebooks often contain \u201csalient print features,\u201d visually captivating and interesting ways of displaying print in both the main body text and the illustrations. Some examples of salient print features include speech bubbles, words representing sounds, or changes in font color and size. We know that when adults read books with these features to children, they reference the book\u2019s print (words and letters) with higher frequencies when compared to books that do not contain these interesting print features. These references are important, as explicit references to print are proven to support young children\u2019s print knowledge, a crucial early literacy domain for later reading success. Furthermore, salient print features are multimodal, for they combine the visual aspects of print (words and letters) and aspects associated with design and image (e.g., color, font, direction). For example, when a character\u2019s speech words inside of a speech bubble are <\/span>red <\/span>and <\/span>LARGE<\/span> <\/span>to convey the emotion of anger. These features offer unique yet underexplored opportunities to connect and enhance print and comprehension learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThis blogpost presents findings from a research study that explored how salient print features were utilized by nine preschool teachers who were video-recorded reading aloud a set of 12 books that varied in their amount and types of these features. The study found that teachers overall referenced the print more frequently in books that contain the visually appealing features, and they most frequently referenced two specific features, Visible Speech and Environmental Print. Qualitative analyses of teachers\u2019 references found that teachers utilized their talk about these features in ways that relate to code-based early literacy skills (i.e., print knowledge) and story comprehension, two domains of learning that are typically thought of as dichotomous. The goal of this blogpost is to encourage teachers to consider the unique opportunities salient print features offer to connect and enhance print and comprehension learning, with suggestions on how to utilize these features in their own classrooms.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nInstructional Implications<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Researchers Zucker, Ward and Justice (2009) created a list of nine salient print features common in children\u2019s picturebooks (see Table 1), four of which occur in a book\u2019s illustrations (Labels, Environmental Print, Visible Sound, and Visible Speech), and five of which occur in the body of a book\u2019s narrative text (Font Style, Formatting, Font Size, Orientation, and Font Color). This table can be used as a reference point for teachers interested in examining their classroom\u00a0books and read aloud texts for their inclusion of salient print features.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n ![\"Picture\"](\"https:\/\/www.childrensliteratureassembly.org\/uploads\/1\/1\/8\/6\/118631535\/published\/table1-salientprintfeatures.jpg?1747248103\")
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe teachers in this study had a higher average frequency of print references while reading books that contain salient print features (<\/span>M<\/span> = 5.79) than while reading books that did not have these features (<\/span>M<\/span> = 1.28). This finding supports prior research that suggests these print features prime teachers (and students) to notice and talk about the print, a necessary interaction for early print knowledge development. It is important to note that teachers made these references after I asked them to read the books provided \u201cas they normally would\u201d–I never once indicated my interest in print features or print referencing. Therefore, salient print features are a potentially underutilized resource that naturally increase the amount of discussion about print. Looking at the data for specific features, teachers most frequently referenced Visible Speech and Environmental Print, salient features that appear in a book\u2019s illustrations. Practicing teachers interested in increasing their students\u2019 exposure to discussion about print may therefore want to incorporate books with these two features into their classroom read alouds and lesson plans as a means of naturally increasing their print references.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\nThis blogpost presents findings from a research study that explored how salient print features were utilized by nine preschool teachers who were video-recorded reading aloud a set of 12 books that varied in their amount and types of these features. The study found that teachers overall referenced the print more frequently in books that contain the visually appealing features, and they most frequently referenced two specific features, Visible Speech and Environmental Print. Qualitative analyses of teachers\u2019 references found that teachers utilized their talk about these features in ways that relate to code-based early literacy skills (i.e., print knowledge) and story comprehension, two domains of learning that are typically thought of as dichotomous. The goal of this blogpost is to encourage teachers to consider the unique opportunities salient print features offer to connect and enhance print and comprehension learning, with suggestions on how to utilize these features in their own classrooms.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n Instructional Implications<\/span><\/span><\/span> The teachers in this study had a higher average frequency of print references while reading books that contain salient print features (<\/span>M<\/span> = 5.79) than while reading books that did not have these features (<\/span>M<\/span> = 1.28). This finding supports prior research that suggests these print features prime teachers (and students) to notice and talk about the print, a necessary interaction for early print knowledge development. It is important to note that teachers made these references after I asked them to read the books provided \u201cas they normally would\u201d–I never once indicated my interest in print features or print referencing. Therefore, salient print features are a potentially underutilized resource that naturally increase the amount of discussion about print. Looking at the data for specific features, teachers most frequently referenced Visible Speech and Environmental Print, salient features that appear in a book\u2019s illustrations. Practicing teachers interested in increasing their students\u2019 exposure to discussion about print may therefore want to incorporate books with these two features into their classroom read alouds and lesson plans as a means of naturally increasing their print references.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u200b<\/p>\n
Researchers Zucker, Ward and Justice (2009) created a list of nine salient print features common in children\u2019s picturebooks (see Table 1), four of which occur in a book\u2019s illustrations (Labels, Environmental Print, Visible Sound, and Visible Speech), and five of which occur in the body of a book\u2019s narrative text (Font Style, Formatting, Font Size, Orientation, and Font Color). This table can be used as a reference point for teachers interested in examining their classroom\u00a0books and read aloud texts for their inclusion of salient print features.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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