Protégé’s Journal 1

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services • Administration for Children & Families • Head Start Bureau Journal

Protégé

Journal

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Administration for Children & Families

Administration on Children, Youth & Families

Head Start Bureau

®

Journal

protoge journal cover 1 8/25/05, 2:18 PM

An Instructional Design

for Early Literacy Mentor-Coaches

in Head Start and Early Head Start
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Protégé Journal ..... 


When we have children in our care, we need to act in a respectful

manner and to demonstrate respect toward the child, others and 

ourselves. Keep in mind that children are learning all the time from

what we do and that we are their role models for learning respect. 

By demonstrating respect in all aspects of our lives – our children 

will learn how to respect all life. 

 ―Wakanyeja WoAwanka Manual (2001) 

 

PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

This Protégé Journal will help you to prepare and reflect on work with your 

Mentor-Coach, plan observations, and use child assessments and other 

resources to help children progress in developing early literacy and language 

skills. 

Together, you and your Mentor-Coach will: 

• Define the roles and responsibilities within your relationship 

• Meet regularly and engage in reflective conferences 

• Identify and solve problems 

• Maintain confidentiality 

• Plan observations and follow-up activities 

• Provide and receive feedback 

• Use assessment information to guide children’s learning 

• Enhance your professional growth. 
PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

PURPOSE OF THE JOURNAL 

This journal is for you to use to note any questions, issues, and needs as they 

arise or to remind you of what you want to discuss with your Mentor-Coach. Use 

it to extend your thinking about new ideas and changes in your classroom or 

home-based child care setting. The Protégé Journal provides a place to write 

down what you are already doing well and what you might do to improve your 

child care and teaching practices. 

The Protégé Journal contains three sections. The first section describes the roles 

of the Early Literacy Mentor-Coach and protégé and associated skills and 

strategies. The second section describes processes and activities that are the 

foundation of the Mentor-Coach and protégé relationship. The third section 

includes resources to promote positive language and literacy outcomes for 

children ages birth to five years. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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I. MENTOR-COACH AND PROTÉGÉ CONCEPTS 

ROLE OF A MENTOR-COACH 

Mentor-Coaches guide, support, and provide resources to classroom staff and 

home visitors. Mentor-Coaches help you solve problems, reflect on your 

practices, and learn new ways to help children develop language and literacy. 

Your Mentor-Coach will: 

• 	 Share information about culturally and age-appropriate curriculum, and 

early literacy practices 

• 	 Schedule and conduct conferences 

• 	 Help to solve problems 

• 	 Assist in organizing and analyzing your classroom or home-visiting setting 

• 	 Visit your classroom or home setting to observe and discuss observations 

• 	 Provide resources and information about professional development 

opportunities. 
PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

ROLE OF A PROTÉGÉ 

A protégé is a staff person who is willing to learn new skills, reflect on practices 

with others, and develop teaching and caregiving practices to enhance children’s 

learning and growth. 

You can get the most value and meaning from your relationship with your 

Mentor-Coach if you make a commitment to involve yourself in the following 

activities: 

• 	 Assess your learning needs and strengths 

• 	 Engage in reflective dialogues and conferences with your Mentor-Coach 

• 	 Apply and analyze new teaching and literacy practices with the support of 

your Mentor-Coach 

• 	 Identify issues and problems, and work with your Mentor-Coach to resolve 

them 

• 	 Participate in professional development opportunities, trainings, and 

events. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

MENTOR-COACHES’ AND PROTÉGÉS’ SKILLS AND 

STRATEGIES 

The following skills and strategies are key to enhancing your relationship with 

your Mentor-Coach: 

• 	 Sharing beliefs, principles, and ideals 

• 	 Recognizing and respecting values, attitudes, and practices in different 

cultures 

• 	 Reflecting on one’s own practices, knowledge, and beliefs 

• 	 Enhancing communication by careful listening and by asking questions 

• 	 Identifying and setting realistic goals related to your relationships and 

practices 

• 	 Solving problems by defining the problem, examining options, and 

selecting appropriate solutions 

• 	 Using observation tools and techniques to gather information on 

classrooms, other child-care settings and the practices used 

• 	 Using journals to write thoughts about professional practices and new 

ideas and plans 

• 	 Providing honest and respectful feedback to improve professional 

practices and behavior 

•		 Planning professional development, making time to identify professional 

goals, to obtain additional training or information, and to document 

progress. 

PLEASE NOTE: At the end of this section, there is a two-page resource—Glossary of Skills and

Strategies Used by Mentor-Coaches. It expands on some of the above “skills and strategies.” 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

What are my strengths in each of 

these areas? 

What do I want to focus on with my 

Mentor-Coach? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

THE VALUE OF MENTORING 

Has anyone ever been a mentor to you?

What was it like? 

What did you most appreciate about that person?

What did you learn? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

YOUR ROLE AS A PROTÉGÉ
 

At this point in your career, what does being a protégé mean to you? 
 

Do you have any questions about your role? 

The following three pages are examples of how to use your journal before, during, and 

after meetings with your Mentor-Coach. You may want to make multiple copies of the 

second and third pages. You can use them as an ongoing record of your meetings with 

your Mentor-Coach. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

SAMPLE JOURNAL PAGE 

Mentoring has helped me to confidently assess my practices, to 

see other perspectives, and to grow as a teacher. It has also

helped to build a strong sense of community among teachers in 

our program. 

—A Protégé 

My Mentor-Coach’s name, phone numbers, and e-mail address: 

Next meeting:

Bring: 

What questions do I have as I plan to meet with my Mentor-Coach? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

SAMPLE JOURNAL PAGE 

Date: _______________ 

Notes during my meeting with my Mentor-Coach 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

SAMPLE JOURNAL PAGE 

Date: _______________________ 

After meeting with your Mentor-Coach, write about what happened. 

How did our Mentor-Coach and protégé meeting go? 

What I shared (Did I ask the questions I wanted to? Why or why not?): 

What I learned: 

Next steps that I will try: 

Questions and comments: 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

II. FOUNDATION OF THE MENTOR-COACH AND

 PROTÉGÉ RELATIONSHIP 

BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP 

Forming and maintaining a trusting, supportive relationship with another person 

is essential to mentor-coaching. 

Key ingredients to relationship building are: 

• Good communication skills 

• Reflective practices 

• Clarity in roles and expectations 

• Making time to meet 

• Honoring confidentiality 

• Cultural sensitivity. 

What are my strengths in relationship building? _______________________ 

What are my challenges in relationship building? ______________________ 

What I want to talk about with my Mentor-Coach: ______________________ 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

Definition: Cultural Sensitivity

 Culture is the fundamental building block of identity. Through cultural learning, 

children gain a feeling of belonging, a sense of personal history, and a security in 

knowing who they are and where they came from...Early child care that respects timehonored cultural rules helps children develop a secure sense of self. In essence, the 

gifts children receive from infancy firmly grounded in their home culture are 

confidence, competence, and connection. For children to receive these gifts, culturally 

sensitive care is crucial. 

 —Mangione, Lally, and Signer (1993) 

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY 

Mentor-Coaches and protégés often come from different cultural backgrounds. 

Seeking and sharing cultural knowledge with each other is a first step in 

demonstrating respect for who the other person is. When both Mentor-Coaches 

and protégés recognize that values and practices vary across cultures, they are 

more prepared to demonstrate cultural sensitivity with children, staff members, 

and parents in their program. 

What does it mean to you to be culturally sensitive with your co-workers, 

families, and children? 

What are some of the ways your cultural background influences you as a 

teacher? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

Reflection means stepping back from the immediate, intense experience of 

hands-on work and taking the time to wonder what the experience really means. 

 ―R. Parlakian (2001) 

PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCING PROCESS 

The Professional Conferencing Process is a process in which a Mentor-Coach 

and protégé evaluate practices and plan new approaches. 

• Pre-Observation Conference—Set a goal for the observation, identify 

teaching strategies to observe, and share these strategies with your MentorCoach. 

• Observation—Conduct the observation in your classroom or during your 

home visit. 

• Post-Observation Analysis—Think about the strengths of the practices and 

the missed opportunities that occurred during the observation. 

• Reflective Conference—Discuss the observation and plan next steps. 

• Post-Conference Analysis—Reflect on the goal for the conference and 

whether that goal was met. 

How comfortable do you feel with the Professional Conferencing Process? 

Do you have any questions about the process? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

OBSERVATION 

You may have already had the experience of being observed by someone who 

used a formal observation tool. It is very common for Mentor-Coaches to take 

notes or to use a tool when observing your practices. Find out what your MentorCoach plans to do and which tools she or he will use during the observation. 

What have been your experiences with formal observation, either as an 

observer or as someone who was observed? 

How comfortable do you feel about being observed? 

What would you like to discuss with your Mentor-Coach prior to the 

observation? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

REFLECTIVE CONFERENCING 

Reflection begins with thoughtful questions. For example, an observation may 

focus on promoting children’s use of new vocabulary words. As you think about 

the observation afterward, you and your Mentor-Coach might ask the question, 

“How effective was this activity in encouraging the children to use new words?” 

In reflective conferences Mentor-Coaches and protégés: 

• 	 Talk, ask questions, and listen 

• 	 Plan for observationa, reflect on practices, and analyze results 

• 	 Equally participate in the reflective process 

• 	 Document teaching and learning. 

What protégés can do to prepare for a reflective conference: 

• 	 Reflect on the observed activity and the effectiveness of the strategies 

used 

• 	 View a video or audio tape of the observation when available 

• 	 Prepare questions to ask the Mentor-Coach. 

What are your experiences with reflective conferencing? What is your 

reaction? 

How can reflective conferencing be most helpful to you? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

KEEPING A JOURNAL 

Keeping a journal helps you to regularly examine your practice, think about what 

works and what doesn’t, and come up with new ideas. Keeping a journal also 

enables you to review your progress, thoughts, and the impact of professional 

development on your practices over time. 

Have you ever kept a journal? 

How did you use it? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

Begin this journal by writing about a specific situation with a child, a home-visit or 

a classroom activity: 

What happened? Describe the situation. 

Why do you think that happened? 

What did you want to happen? 

What were you thinking about when this situation occurred? 

What would you do differently next time? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

GLOSSARY OF SKILLS AND STRATEGIES USED BY MENTORCOACHES 

Relationship Building—A process of forming, expanding, and maintaining a 

trusting, supportive connection with another person, often within a particular 

context. The processes of building and maintaining relationships require careful 

attention, patience, and persistence. 

Sharing Values—Sharing values means that a person is willing to share beliefs, 

principles, or ideals with another. In the ongoing process of sharing values, 

Mentor-Coaches and protégés come to know one another and are more 

prepared to meet the diverse needs of the children and families with whom they 

work. 

Culturally Sensitive Approaches—Mentor-Coaches and protégés show 

respect for each other by seeking out and sharing each other’s cultural 

knowledge. When Mentor-Coaches and protégés recognize that values and 

practices vary across cultures, they can better demonstrate cultural sensitivity not 

only with each other, but with children, staff members, and parents. 

Self-Reflection—Reflecting on one’s own practices, knowledge, and beliefs 

enables a person to be more self-aware and make changes in one’s behavior or 

viewpoint. 

Listening and Reflective Inquiry—Mentor-coaching relationships are based on 

effective communication. They involve building trust and confidentiality, careful 

listening, and asking respectful questions to achieve clarity. In two-way 

conferences with protégés, Mentor-Coaches often engage in reflective inquiry 

(asking thoughtful questions to elicit thoughtful answers). 

Setting Achievable Goals—Mentor-Coaches assist protégés in identifying, 

refining, and setting realistic goals. In content-focused mentor-coaching, the 

goals relate to the specific Head Start or Early Head Start Child Outcomes being 

targeted. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

Problem Solving—When a problem arises, Mentor-Coaches actively assist 

protégés in finding the solution. Rather than stepping in and providing an answer, 

Mentor-Coaches help protégés to define the problem, examine the options for a 

solution, and select strategies to resolve the problem. 

Observation and Use of Observation Tools—Observation is a central activity 

in mentor-coaching relationships. Most commonly, the Mentor-Coach schedules 

a visit and observes protégés at work. A pre-observation conference allows you 

to talk with your Mentor-Coach about your thoughts and goals for the 

observation. If an observation tool is going to be used you will talk about how it 

will be used. During the observation, your Mentor-Coach will document what she 

or he sees. In a post-observation conference you and your Mentor-Coach will 

discuss your thoughts and reactions to the observation. Results of observations 

are always shared with protégés. 

Reflective Conferencing—Reflective conferencing is an interactive process 

through which Mentor-Coaches support protégés as they examine and enhance 

their teaching practices. In reflective conferences, Mentor-Coaches help lead 

protégés to analyze observed events, address any challenges, and discuss next 

steps. 

Using Journals —Mentor-Coaches and protégés frequently use journals to write 

their thoughts about professional practices, interactions, new ideas, plans, and 

observations. Journals help protégés to track their own growth and development. 

Referring to journal entries is a way to prepare for meetings between MentorCoaches and protégés. 

Providing and Receiving Feedback—Honesty, encouragement, and respect 

are guiding principles for Mentor-Coaches to follow when providing feedback. 

Receiving feedback is about moving forward or being “proactive,” not about 

making mistakes and going backward. By asking protégés what they want to 

learn or gain from feedback, Mentor-Coaches follow the lead of the protégé. 

Professional Development Planning—Mentor-Coaches and protégés, through 

reflection and dialogue, can document their progress and identify professional 

pursuits. As milestones are achieved, new ones can emerge. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

III. SUPPORTING YOUR PRACTICES FOR 

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT 

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote young children’s 

language development. Use the checklists and questions to guide you in thinking 

about current practices. 

Language Development for Infants and Toddlers 

Key Concepts 

• Language plays a key role in early literacy. The development of language 

abilities is an important goal for infants and toddlers. 

• Children learn to use language over time by watching, listening to, and 

conversing with adults and peers. 

• Adults should help children to interact and have “conversations” beginning in 

early infancy. As their ability to participate in conversations improves, children’s 

opportunities for learning language increase. 

• Infants develop listening and speaking skills when adults respond to their 

sounds, gestures, and actions. 

• Infants use crying, smiling, facial expressions, and body movements to 

communicate. They learn to send powerful messages through their gestures and 

sounds. From there, they progress to using single words to communicate. 

• By the toddler years, children are using more vocabulary and combining words. 

They can verbally participate in short conversations. 

• Language skills are essential elements of social competence. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FOR 

INFANTS AND TODDLERS1 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Responding verbally to children’s sounds and actions 

� Imitating infants’ vocalizations to create a “conversation” 

� Describing what the children are experiencing during daily routines 

� Talking to babies and toddlers as you go about everyday activities 

� Communicating with words and nonverbal cues 

� Naming objects and actions 

� Singing songs and using simple finger-plays 

� Reading aloud to children frequently 

� Using children’s names when talking with them 

� Encouraging parents to read, sing, and talk to children 

� Replicating what parents are doing at home 

1 Adapted from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children 

and Families. (2001). Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community—Emerging 

Literacy: Linking Social Competence and Learning. Washington, D.C. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Language Development with Infants and Toddlers 

Ways I am currently supporting infants’ and toddlers’ language 

development: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Infants’ and Toddlers’ Language Development 

How I can individualize my interactions with children: 

• 	 Learn more about the stages of language development 

• 	 Assess each child’s language abilities 

• 	 Learn about what parents are doing 

• 	 Learn about parents’ expectations. 

How I can become more intentional about engaging children in 

“conversations”: 

• 	 Use routine times (diapering, feeding, napping) as opportunities 

• 	 Increase the number of times I initiate interactions throughout the day 

• 	 Use strategies to encourage turn-taking that are appropriate for each 

child’s developmental stage. 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Language Development for Infants and Toddlers 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about the development of 

language in infants and toddlers? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me to meet my goals? 

Talk with your Mentor-Coach about 

observing you as you interact with 

children. Decide on a focus for the 

observation that relates to your goals 

(e.g., responding appropriately to 

children in different stages of 

language development). Ask your 

Mentor-Coach to videotape the 

observation so you can see yourself 

“in action.” Meet with your MentorCoach soon after to reflect on your 

success in meeting your goal. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

EARLY LITERACY FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can set the stage for young 

children’s later development of skills related to literacy. Use the checklists and 

questions as a guide to help you think about your current practices. 

Early Literacy Key Concepts 

• Infants and toddlers are building and refining important fine and gross motor 

skills that affect their later attempts at writing. 

• While literacy skills may not seem like a focus for infants and toddlers, the 

development of the whole child, the growth of language and problem-solving, and 

socialization with peers and adults are the literacy skills that are appropriate for 

this age. 

• Young children develop skills, knowledge, and attitudes about literacy even 

before they can read and write in adult ways. 

• Reading aloud to children beginning in infancy increases their interest in books 

and supports their emergent literacy. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE EARLY LITERACY SKILLS 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Encouraging parents to read to children 

� Singing familiar rhyming songs and using finger plays at home or school 

� Offering a variety of materials such as blocks, puzzles, and manipulatives 

� Reading books with simple words, rhyming patterns, and animal sounds 

to help children have fun with the sounds of language 

� Providing children with a wide selection of sturdy, durable books with 

engaging pictures 

� Displaying children’s names and simple print 

� Building the eye-hand coordination needed for writing, through fine motor 

activities such as pouring and dumping at the sand table, stacking 

blocks, and manipulating clay or play dough 

� Providing very young children with safe opportunities to crawl and climb, 

to enable them to develop the arm and upper-body muscular strength 

they will need to be able to sit at tables and to use writing or drawing 

materials 

� Allowing toddlers to explore a variety of writing materials, including 

paints, markers, and large crayons 

� Providing opportunities to scribble and draw at an easel, on a white 

board, and on paper 

� Modeling writing for various purposes, including making lists, writing 

letters, labeling children’s work 

� Narrating what you write for children 

� Reading simple alphabet books 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Development of Early Literacy Skills for Infants and Toddlers 

Ways I am currently supporting development of early literacy skills: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Development of Early Literacy Skills for Infants and Toddlers
 

Provide more opportunities for book reading: 

• 	 Place books on a low shelf so children have access to them 

throughout the day 

• 	 Set a goal of reading to children at least three times per day 

• 	 Identify more infant-appropriate books (board books, and soft 

covers and pages). 

Model the purposes of reading and writing: 

• Sit on the floor with the children while I complete their daily activity 

sheet to send home. Talk to them about what I am doing: “I’m 

writing to Mom to let her know that you played outside today.”
 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Development of Early Literacy Skills for Infants and Toddlers
 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about early literacy? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me to meet my goals? 

Do an inventory of 

available books and ask 

your Mentor-Coach to 

review the list with you. 

Assess the quality, 

quantity, variety, and 

age-appropriateness of 

the books. Your MentorCoach can share 

knowledge and 

resources to help you 

improve your collection. 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Book Knowledge and Appreciation for 3- to 5-Year-Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s 

development of book knowledge and appreciation. Use the checklists and 

questions as a guide to help you think about your current practices. 

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Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for Book Knowledge 

and Appreciation: 

• Shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety 

of fiction and nonfiction books and poetry. 

• Shows growing interest in reading-related activities, such as asking to have a 

favorite book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; 

asking to take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend-reading 

with other children. 

• Demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and 

experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen 

next in a story. 

• Progresses in learning how to handle and care for books; knowing to view one 

page at a time in sequence from front to back; and understanding that a book 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE BOOK KNOWLEDGE AND 

APPRECIATION FOR 3- TO 5-YEAR-OLDS2 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Reading to children one-to-one or in small groups where children can see 

and touch the book and develop positive feelings about reading 

� Reading the same book over and over if children request it 

� Actively engaging children in reading time—asking questions about the 

book before reading it, posing questions that call on them to predict what 

will happen, noticing cause and effect relationships, chanting with rhyme 

and patterns 

� Assisting children in seeking information in books or using books as 

resources to help solve problems (“What does the space shuttle really 

look like, so that we can build it with blocks?”) 

� Engaging children in retelling stories or acting out favorite stories in 

dramatic play 

� Making sure that books reflect children’s culture, home language, and 

identity 

� Encouraging parents to read and tell stories to children 

2 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C. pp. 50–51. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Book Knowledge and Appreciation 

Ways I am currently supporting children in learning about and appreciating 

books: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to helping children learn about and 

appreciate books? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Book Knowledge and Appreciation 

My goals and ideas for supporting children’s knowledge and appreciation 

of books: 

Types and examples of books available 

to young children: 

• 	 Fiction: e.g., The Snowy Day 

• 	 Nonfiction: Are You a Snail? 

• 	 Concept: Eating the Alphabet 

• 	 Predictable: The Napping House 

• 	 Poetry & Rhyming: Hush! A Thai 

Lullaby 

• 	 Multicultural: More, More, More Said 

the Baby: Three Love Stories 

• 	 Folktale: Anansi the Spider 

• 	 Wordless: Pancakes for Breakfast 

Books I’d like to read to children: 

Make a list of ways to extend and re-visit 

books: 

• 	 Flannel board 

• 	 Use props during reading 

• 	 Re-write or illustrate a favorite story 

• 	 Make an “All About Me” book with and for 

each child about his or her family. 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Book Knowledge and Appreciation 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about supporting book 

knowledge and appreciation? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me support book knowledge and 

appreciation? 

For center-based staff: Your MentorCoach can support your goals by 

observing. You may decide to use a 

tool that assesses how you are 

supporting children in acquiring book 

knowledge. For example, the Early 

Language & Literacy Classroom 

Observation Toolkit (ELLCO) has 

several sections related to book 

knowledge and appreciation. Be sure 

to join the Mentor-Coach in a reflective 

conference after the observation. 

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Print Awareness and Concepts for 3- to 5-Year Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s 

awareness of print and print-related concepts. Use the checklists and questions 

as a guide to help you think about your current practices. 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for 

Print Awareness and Concepts: 

• Shows increasing awareness of print in classroom, home, and community 

settings. 

• Develops growing understanding of the different functions of forms of print, 

such as signs, letters, newspapers, lists, messages, and menus. 

• Demonstrates increasing awareness of concepts of print, such as that reading 

in English moves from top to bottom and from left to right, that speech can be 

written down, and that print conveys a message. 

• Shows progress in recognizing the association between spoken and written 

words by following print as it is read aloud. 

• Recognizes a word as a unit of print, or awareness that letters are grouped to 

form words, and that words are separated by spaces. 

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STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE PRINT AWARENESS AND 

CONCEPTS FOR 3-TO 5-YEAR OLDS3 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Reading aloud using oversized books (big books), so children can see 

print and pictures 

� Engaging children in making their own signs and labels 

� Tracking print while reading to children from books, big books, and charts 

to demonstrate left to right, return sweep, and top to bottom concepts 

� Directing children’s attention to meaningful print around the room, such 

as labels, rules, signs, and charts 

� Providing children with lots of opportunities to write and see adults model 

writing 

� Supporting parents in print-related activities at home 

� Exposing children to the print conventions of other languages that their 

families may speak at home 

3 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C. pp. 52–53. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Print Awareness and Concepts 

Ways I am currently supporting children’s awareness of print and printrelated concepts: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to helping children become aware of print 

and print-related concepts? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Print Awareness and Concepts 

I can direct children’s attention to print when... 

• 	 Labeling art work and drawings 

• 	 Referring to important charts, e.g., a job chart, in a classroom or home setting 

• 	 Taking field trips in the community 

Resources I can add to support print awareness and concepts: 

• 	 Sign-making materials in the block area 

• 	 Meaningful print and writing materials in the dramatic play area (e.g., menus, 

Open/Closed sign, order pad) 

• 	 Interesting, varied materials in the writing center 

• 	 Materials for making big books. 

With parents ... 

• 	 I can encourage them to direct children’s attention to print when they are out in 

the community at familiar places such as grocery and department stores 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Print Awareness and Concepts 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about supporting children’s 

learning about print and related concepts? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me in teaching them to be aware of print 

and related concepts? 

Your Mentor-Coach can support your 

print awareness and concepts goals by 

engaging you in a written dialogue in a 

journal. You and your Mentor-Coach 

can use the journal to trade new 

strategies for supporting children’s 

learning about print. You can continue 

the “conversation” with the MentorCoach by using the journal to report 

how children responded to each new 

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Early Writing for 3- to 5-Year-Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s 

development of early writing. Use the checklists and questions as a guide to 

help you think about your current practices. 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for 

Early Writing: 

• 	 Develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of 

purposes. 

• 	 Begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in 

play. 

• 	 Experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as 

pencils, crayons, and computers. 

• 	 Progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using 

letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words, such as their own name. 

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STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE EARLY WRITING FOR 3- TO 5­

YEAR-OLDS4 

What strategies have you tried? 

� 	 Encouraging children to record their thoughts in pictures or writing in their 

personal journals 

� 	 Providing opportunities for writing daily and making writing materials 

available in each activity or interest area 

� 	 Asking children to include print in their drawings like the authors of 
 

storybooks 
 

� 	 Displaying the alphabet at children’s eye level 

� 	 Supporting children’s attempts at writing letters 

� 	 Stocking a writing center with all kinds of writing tools and paper for 

children to experiment with 

� 	 Displaying children’s writing attempts 

� 	 Helping children write and draw recipe cards related to a cooking activity 

� 	 Enriching outdoor play by including sidewalk painting with water, writing 

with sidewalk chalk, and making a mural or sign to hang on the fence 

� 	 Making writing materials available in each activity or interest area 

� 	 Asking children to sign in each morning 

� Taking dictation from children—their own stories or message 

4 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C: Author. pp. 54–55. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Early Writing 

Ways I am currently supporting children’s early attempts at writing: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to encouraging children’s early attempts at 

writing? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Early Writing 

Writing opportunities that I can provide for children: 

• Finger paints 

• Writing center 

• Writing materials around the room 

• Sign-in/Sign-out sheet 

• Turns list 

• Labeling art work 

• Bookmaking project 

Writing materials that I can introduce to children: 

• Envelopes 

• Name cards 

• Variety of paper 

• Clipboards 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Early Writing 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about supporting children 

in their early attempts to write? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me support children in their early attempts 

to write? 

For center-based staff: Your MentorCoach can support your early writing 

goals by observing you with a tool 

that assesses how teachers 

encourage children’s writing. The 

Early Language and Literacy 

Classroom Observation Toolkit 

(ELLCO) has several sections 

related to early writing. Be sure to 

join your Mentor-Coach in a 

reflective conference soon after the 

observation. 

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Alphabet Knowledge for 3- to 5-Year-Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s 

development of alphabet knowledge. Use the checklists and questions as a 

guide to help you think about your current practices. 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for 

Alphabet Knowledge: 

• 	 Shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and 

sounds. 

• 	 Increases in ability to notice the beginning letters in familiar words. 

• 	 Identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name. 

• 	 Knows that letters of the alphabet have their own names. 

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STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE ALPHABET KNOWLEDGE FOR 3- 

TO 5-YEAR-OLDS5 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Creating a sign-in sheet for children, grouping names by initial letters of 

first names 

� Using letter-name knowledge during transitions (“Everyone whose name 

starts with B, wash your hands.”) 

� Providing alphabet puzzles, computer software, and toys that reinforce 

letter knowledge 

� Displaying the alphabet at children’s eye level 

� Supporting children’s attempts at writing letters 

� Using well-written alphabet books that clearly illustrate the sounds of the 

letters with pictures of objects 

� Singing the alphabet song and other songs that play with letters and 

sounds 

� Making a puzzle of each child’s name 

� Providing multisensory experiences, such as writing letters in sand, 

shaping letters out of play dough, or handling letter-shaped magnets 

5 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C. pp. 57–58. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Alphabet Knowledge 

Ways I am currently supporting children’s knowledge about the alphabet: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to encouraging children to learn about the 

alphabet? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Alphabet Knowledge 

Make these changes to the environment to help children learn the alphabet: 

• Display alphabet at children’s eye level 

• Provide alphabet books at the writing area 

• Add name cards and word cards to writing area. 

Incorporate these approaches into my daily activities: 

• Give children help with forming and identifying letters when requested 

• Call attention to letters in children’s names and print in the environment. 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Alphabet Knowledge 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about alphabet knowledge? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me to meet my goals? 

If you are looking for more 

information about alphabet 

knowledge, your Mentor-Coach 

could plan a guided discussion 

about this topic with you and other 

protégés. The alphabet 

knowledge video clips in the Steps 

to Success curriculum can help 

start the discussion. 

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Listening and Understanding for 3- to 5-Year-Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s language 

skills related to listening and understanding. Use the checklists and questions 

as a guide to help you think about your current practices. 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for 

Listening and Understanding: 

• 	 Demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, 

stories, songs, and poems. 

• 	 Shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step 

directions. 

• 	 Understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. 

• 	 For children who do not speak English, progresses in listening and 

understanding English. 

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STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING 

FOR 3- TO 5-YEAR-OLDS6 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Modeling good listening skills, such as maintaining eye contact 

� Playing listening games with children, e.g., having children identify 

objects by sound only
 

� Reading to children every day, to enhance their vocabulary and listening 

skills 

� Reading regularly read in small groups of three to six to ensure children’s 

active participation 

� Using children’s interests to identify new words 

� Choosing stories or books with rich vocabulary and uncommon words 

that children may not hear or use regularly, explaining words that will be 

new 

� Providing new and different experiences that expand vocabulary, and 

having children describe them in their own words 

� Supporting parents’ efforts at home, including listening to stories about 

the child’s family, or stories from the family’s culture 

6 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C. pp. 34–35. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Listening and Understanding 

Ways I am currently supporting young children’s learning to listen and to 

understand: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to promoting listening and understanding? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Listening and Understanding 

Make a list of listening games: 

• Alphabet lotto 

• Identify mystery object from clues 

• Talk with parents about culturally relevant words or objects at home. 

Identify rich and varied vocabulary words from books and curriculum, for 

example: 

• Cradle and muttered from Peter’s Chair, by Ezra Jack Keats 

• Chrysalis, metamorphosis, and nectar, for a butterfly curriculum. 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Listening and Understanding 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about the language skills of 

listening and understanding? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me to meet my goals? 

Talk with your ELMC about 

observing as you interact with 

children. Decide on a focus for the 

observation that relates to your goals 

(e.g., using vocabulary-building 

strategies throughout the day). Ask 

your ELMC to videotape the 

observation so you can see yourself 

“in action.” Meet with your ELMC 

soon after to reflect on your success 

in meeting your goal. 

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Speaking and Communicating for 3- to 5-Year-Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s 

speaking and communicating abilities. Use the checklists and questions as a 

guide to help you think about your current practices. 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for 

Speaking and Communicating: 

• Develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate 

information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, and questions; and 

for other varied purposes. 

• Progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and 

discussions with peers and adults. 

• Uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary. 

• Progresses in abilities to speak clearly and use sentences of increasing length 

and grammatical complexity. 

• For children who do not speak English, progresses in speaking English. 

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STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE SPEAKING AND COMMUNICATING 

FOR 3- TO 5-YEAR-OLDS7 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Engaging in one-to-one extended conversations with individual children 

about their personal experiences 

� Responding to children’s speech with expansions and questions that 

point out causes and consequences 

� Engaging children in conversations about events, experiences, or people 

that are in the past, the future, or children’s imagination 

� Writing down children’s notes to parents or others, or other dictation, and 

reading them back 

� Talking with children about stories you have read, asking them to retell or 

act out the story 

� Giving children enough time (5 seconds or more) to respond in 

conversations 

7 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C. pp. 35–40. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Speaking and Communicating 

Ways I am currently supporting speaking and communicating: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to promoting speaking and communicating? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Speaking and Communicating 

Encourage children to use language for different purposes: 

• 	 Invite children to tell stories 

• 	 Ask children to share personal experiences or to bring objects from home 

they can talk about 

• 	 Ask for predictions while reading aloud. 

Enrich the environment to stimulate speaking and communicating: 

• 	 Provide dramatic play themes and props that encourage conversation 

• 	 Chart important vocabulary words from curriculum. 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Speaking and Communicating 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about the language skills of 

speaking and communicating? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me to meet my goals? 

Invite your ELMC to model or 

demonstrate a certain practice 

that you have questions about or 

would like to improve (e.g., ways 

of engaging children in 

meaningful conversations). 

Observe carefully and have a 

discussion afterwards. 

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY CHILD OUTCOMES 

Phonological Awareness for 3- to 5-Year-Olds 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can promote children’s 

development of phonological awareness. Use the checklists and questions as 

a guide to help you think about your current practices. 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework Indicators for 

Phonological Awareness: 

• Shows increasing ability to discriminate and identify sounds in spoken 

language. 

• Shows increasing awareness of beginning sounds and ending sounds in words. 

• Progresses in recognizing matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, 

games, songs, stories, and poems. 

• Shows growing ability to hear and discriminate separate syllables in words. 

• Associates sounds with written words, such as awareness that different words 

begin with the same sound. 

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STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS 

FOR 3- TO 5-YEAR-OLDS8 

What strategies have you tried? 

� Reading books and poetry with strong rhyming patterns, like Dr. Seuss 

stories 

� Reading books that use alliteration (same beginning sounds: e.g., She 

sells sea shells by the seashore), such as alphabet books 

� Singing songs that highlight rhyme and initial sounds, like Willaby, 

Wallaby, Woo and Down by the Bay
 

� Clapping out the syllables of children’s names as you dismiss them from 

group (i.e., Sa-rah = 2 claps) 

� Dismissing children to wash their hands by the initial sound in their name 

(i.e., “Everyone whose name starts with the “ssss” can get their coats .”) 

� Stretching out the sounds in words as children attempt to write words 

� Focusing on the sounds in words as you take children’s dictation 

� Playing matching games where children match words or pictures that 

have the same beginning or ending sounds (e.g., ball and bear; cat and 

hat) 

8 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and 

Families. (2001). The Head Start Leader’s Guide to Positive Child Outcomes: Strategies to 

Support Positive Child Outcomes. Washington, D.C. pp. 47–48. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Phonological Awareness 

Ways I am currently supporting children’s awareness of sounds in spoken 

language: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to promoting phonological awareness? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Phonological Awareness 

Make a list of books that highlight rhyme, alliteration, and word play, for 

example: 

• Silly Sally, by Audrey Wood 

• In the Tall, Tall Grass, by Denise Fleming 

Make a list of songs and finger plays that highlight rhyme, and initial 

sounds: 

• Down by the Bay 

• Willaby, Wallaby, Woo 

• Ask parents about songs from home 

Make a list of games that highlight sound: 

• Jump the syllables in your name 

• “I’m thinking of an animal that sounds like this . . . “ 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Phonological Awareness 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about phonological 

awareness? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me to meet my goals? 

Your Mentor-Coach can 

support your phonological 

awareness goals by 

suggesting additional books 

and activities that you can 

use with children. 

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ONGOING CHILD ASSESSMENT 

This section of your journal focuses on child assessment practices. Use the 

checklists and questions as a guide to help you think about your current 

practices. 

Using Questions to Guide Ongoing Child Assessment 

Successful ongoing assessment is well planned and regularly conducted. It uses 

both child performance and staff observation methods to gain a full picture of the 

child’s language abilities and emergent literacy learning. Ongoing assessment draws 

Head Start staff and parents or guardians together around children’s progress and 

the program’s policies. 

Effective, accurate assessment starts with a question or set of questions about a 

child’s growth and development. Young children do not simply tell us what they 

know. We must determine the answers from their activities and behavior in a number 

of different settings and over time. Keep the following points in mind as you think 

about assessment: 

• Answering questions about what a child knows or is able to do depends on 

careful observation and information from a number of sources. 

• The younger the child, the more challenging the assessment process can be. 

Infants and toddlers must have their physical needs met and must feel 

emotionally safe and comfortable with the adults caring for them in a familiar 

environment before assessment begins. 

• Make sure you have some knowledge and understanding of the family’s culture 

and other contextual factors before coming to conclusions about what a child is 

able to do. 

• Questions can help you learn about a child’s interests, skills, and abilities; 

approaches to learning; use of language; and social interactions. Developing 

specific questions about a child gives a focus for observations. 

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STRATEGIES TO IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE ONGOING CHILD 

ASSESSMENT 

What strategies have you used to collect information about children? 

� Running record 

� Portfolios 

� Anecdotal records 

� Journal entries 

� Checklists 

� Sampling observations 

� Rating scales 

� Videos and audiotapes 

What approaches have you used? (Write some comments below on the 

approaches you have tried.) 

Used naturalistic assessment activities that center on the child and his or her 

usual interests and activities. 

Used focused assessment activities and materials that you have selected to 

directly draw out the skills targeted for observation and assessment. 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Ongoing Child Assessment 

Ways I am currently using ongoing child assessment: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to implementing ongoing child assessment? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Ongoing Child Assessment 

Make a list of ways to involve 

parents or guardians in the 

assessment process: 

Make a list of ways to organize 

assessment information: 

• 	 An expanding file for a year’s worth 

of data 

• 	 Photo albums with photos dated 

and arranged in sequence 

Goals I have related to this topic: 

• 	 For example, take a class on child assessment 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Ongoing Child Assessment 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about ongoing assessment 

practices? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me meet the goals I’ve identified? 

Talk with your Mentor-Coach 

about beginning an assessment 

for a child who puzzles or 

concerns you. Together develop 

questions that address your 

concerns. Your Mentor-Coach 

can help you choose one or two 

strategies for collecting 

information. Try both a 

naturalistic and a focused 

assessment. 

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INDIVIDUALIZING INSTRUCTION 

This section of your journal focuses on how you can use observation and 

assessment information to individualize instruction for children. Use the 

checklists and questions as a guide to help you think about your current 

practices. 

Key concepts about individualizing instruction 

According to the Head Start Performance Standards, curriculum and instruction should 

be developmentally and linguistically appropriate, recognizing that children have 

individual rates of development. Observing and gathering assessment information for 

each child is the starting point for individualizing. Thoughtful adaptation of activities and 

the learning environment allows children to participate with their peers to the fullest 

extent possible. 

Research indicates that the most-effective learning opportunities are those that occur 

within the context of meaningful and functional activities and routines. These 

opportunities should include a balance of child-initiated and adult-directed practices 

throughout the child’s daily routine. 

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STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION 

What types of changes have you made in activities to individualize 

instruction? 

� Environmental Support: Altered the physical environment and the 

timing of activities to promote a child’s participation 

� Materials Modification: Modified materials so that the child could
 

participate as independently as possible 

� Modification of the Activity: Simplified a task by breaking it into smaller 

parts or reducing the number of steps 

� Use of Child’s Interests or Preferences: Identified a child’s interests or 

preferences and integrated them into classroom materials or activities 

that would attract that child and encourage his or her participation? 

� Peer Support: Used peers to help engage a child in an activity 

� Invisible Support: Purposefully arranged an activity in a way that the 

child may not have noticed, so that an individual child would be able to 

participate 

� Adult Support: Asked other adults to intervene and join the activity to 

encourage the child’s participation at a higher level 

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REFLECTING ON MY OWN PRACTICES 

Individualizing Instruction 

Ways I currently support individualizing instruction: 

What strategies are working? 

What could I do differently? 

What is my greatest challenge to individualizing instruction? 

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MY GOALS AND IDEAS TO SUPPORT: 

Individualizing Instruction 

Make a list of ways to individualize 

instruction by modifying activities in 

a particular learning center: 

Make a list of ways to individualize 

instruction using children’s

interests or preferences: 

Make a list of goals to improve your skills in individualizing instruction: 

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SUPPORT I NEED TO MEET MY GOALS FOR: 

Individualizing Instruction 

What questions do I have for my Mentor-Coach about individualizing 

instruction? 

How can my Mentor-Coach help me meet the goals I identified? 

With your Mentor-Coach, look at 

one child’s assessment results. 

Be sure to look at results 

collected over a period of a few 

weeks. Decide on one type of 

activity change (environmental, 

materials, activity, child’s 

interests, or peer, invisible, or 

adult support) and develop one 

way to individualize. Ask your 

Mentor-Coach to observe the 

impact in your class or home 

setting. 

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING 

Your Mentor-Coach will work with you to chart a course for professional growth 

and development. Ask yourself these questions as you think about your own 

professional growth and development. 

Do I have a plan to grow and develop as a teacher? In what ways? 

What support or training do I need to grow professionally? 

In addition to my Mentor-Coach, who can help me with my professional 

growth? 

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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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78 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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79 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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80 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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81 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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82 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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83 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

YOUR NOTES 

84 
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85 
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86 
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87 
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88 
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89 
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PROTÉGÉ JOURNAL 

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90