Using big book storytelling to enhance early literacy in reading and speaking: a study at model early childhood development & daycare centre (MECDC), University of Kelaniya
Authors:   Department of Library and Information Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, Harshani K.R.N. ,   Department of Integrated Design, Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
Published: February 2025

Language development consists of the competence to read, write, listen and speak. A Big book is concerned about that can be related by teachers in teaching reading skills at the age of early childhood children, especially elementary school age. Early literacy concerns what children recognize about reading and writing beforehand they learn to read and write. A big book has a detailed size, such as A3, A4, A5 or the size of a newspaper. There are numerous benefits to using Big Books for language development and literacy, in specific reading and speaking skills. This paper targets to find out how the method of developing children's speaking skills is involved by operating Big Book. This research was operated in early childhood children with special to the Model Early Childhood Development & Daycare Centre (MECDC), attached to the University of Kelaniya. The principal objective of this study is to determine the effect of storytelling by applying big books published by researchers and other big books already published on the ability to express the child language. The methodology applied in this research is action research. The researcher practises with early childhood children in MECDC in University of Kelaniya. The researcher uses five processes to carry out story-telling practices using large books, like Select the big Book, set up the area, introduce the book, engage in interactive reading, and discuss the Story. Under the interactive reading researchers point to the pictures, use expressions and voices, pause for prediction and involve the children. It is projected that early childhood teachers can use the story telling technique with a big book in improving the competence to communicate the child language. It is shown that the use of big books is successful and gives progressive accomplishment for vocabulary advancement among students in early childhood. All big books’ drawings are the most significant consideration of a book for children. It is primarily showing the imaginative value of the book and the nature of its sensitive power. The child loves that the drawings in the books are designed in joyful colours. not only in content, but also in material used. The drawing begins the method of choosing a book for a child to read. The artwork or a visual enhances the child’s understanding of the literary text, gives an idea of his subject, idea, characters, and assesses theevents and signs of the literary movement. Drawing - helps children to enter the literary world and feel it, make friends, love it. Using big books was the most efficient way to teach children. The conclusions presented that students were keener about learning to read using big books which could be seen from an increase in students' reading and speaking skills in each storytelling activity. It is better to develop their question and answering technique and children enjoy books with good rhyme, rhythm, imagination and repetition. The drawing helps children to identify the text more entirely and better and to enrich their knowledge about the world around them. Therefore, big books can be used to improve students' reading and speaking skills.