Now Playing: Emergent Literacy

NOW PLAYING: EMERGENT LITERACY ANNIE COON B. ARCH THESIS CAL POLY SLO 2021-2022

Annie Coon Bachelor of Architecture Thesis California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Studio Clifford 2021-2022

MAY 20TH

12:00 PM

02

KTGY

@ Annie Coon

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01

INTRODUCTION

6

Abstract Roadmap Acknowledgements

02

FRAMING THE PROBLEM 14

Literacy Emergent Literacy Literacy During the Pandemic Education Inequality in the U.S. Developing Literacy Through Play Play Theoretical Framework

03

SITE

32

Education in Hayward, CA Hayward Unified School District Public Elementary School Closures 2022 Site: Nuestros Parquecito

04

EXPLORATIONS Generator Vellum Design Ideas Seeds of Ideas Section Show

46

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 76

05

Project Proposal Schematic Design Design Development Speculation

118

CASE STUDIES

06

Nest We Grow My Montessori Garden Preschool Nova Ruda Kindergarten

126

REFERENCES

References Annotated Bibliography

07

01

INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT ROADMAP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT NOW PLAYING: EMERGENT LITERACY

In our increasingly digital, information-rich, and fast-paced world, communication is increasingly dependent upon literacy skills for success. However, 54% or 130 million Americans from 16 to 74 years old lack literacy proficiency, which is defined by the U.S. department of Education as achieving below level 3 on the PIAAC exam.

Literacy is typically defined as the ability to read and write and is considered a foundational aspect of human life in modern society. However, literacy is more than just the typical definition, but is a multifaceted process that goes beyond technical skills to include proficiency in a complex set of understandings, attitudes, expectations and behaviors related to the written language. Literacy is not a static condition but is constantly evolving across different cultures, contexts, media, and times.

8

INTRODUCTION

Literacy development does not begin with the formal instruction of reading and writing at school, but it is a continuous process that begins soon after birth. Preschools are significant sites of emergent literacy, which are the skills and behaviors of children before they formally learn to read. Even though a child does not productively use language until they begin to speak in their second year of life, they are accumulating an “expressive lexicon” through their engagement with reading and writing in unconventional ways. However, children who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or English language learners are more likely to start kindergarten without strong emergent literacy skills, which can create educational discrepancies over time.

Literacy skills are gained through more than just reading, but also

through engagement with social relationships, sensory experiences in a child’s environment, and handson learning. There is a large body of research linking play and the development of emergent literacy skills in children. Social, imagination, and storytelling play are integral to language development in addition to emotional, social, cognitive, and physical skill development. As children create and act out their own stories, they developed oral language skills and narrative literacy skills which facilitated overall school success and literacy achievement.

INTRODUCTION

9

ROADMAP WHERE I’M HEADED

Beginning a year-long thesis can be daunting because of all the possibilities of where the thesis questions can take you. At the start of a project, often the challenging part can be how to decide what not to pursue. The architectural design process is far from a linear oneway process, but a cyclical generation of ideas through research, design, and articulation of an idea.

The feedback loop between making, drawing, and writing reflect this cyclical process and provide methods for discovering new ideas. Integrated into this process will be consulting with experts in related fields, particularly education experts, social justice activists, and child development professionals. As I progress through the year, I will continually add to my interdisciplinary “team” and draw upon the expertise of others to develop my thesis.

10 INTRODUCTION

MAKING DRAWING

ABSTRACT SHOW FALL

WRITING VELLUM

WINTER

DESIGN

RESEARCH

visit the site

SECTION SHOW

talk to education experts

QUALIFYING REVIEW

ARTICULATION

SPRING

studio trip

FINAL EXHIBITION

INTRODUCTION 11

12 INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis project is a product of yearlong research and investigation of the relationship between literacy and architecture. This project intentionally engages with other disciplines such as child development and education to situate architecture within the larger context of society.

The idea for this thesis was inspired by my volunteer experience with Reading Partners, a children’s literacy nonprofit that connects volunteer reading tutors with elementary students behind their grade level in reading. Both my passion for the topic and my beginning knowledge base is a product of what I learned during my time volunteering with Reading Partners. This is a powerful program that is bringing positive change to educational equality in the Bay Area.

Also big thank you to those who were my sounding board in this process: my professor, studio peers, and family.

INTRODUCTION 13

“Learning by head, hand and heart.”

- Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

18th century Swiss Education Reformer

02

FRAMING THE PROBLEM LITERACY EMERGENT LITERACY LITERACY DURING THE PANDEMIC EDUCATION INEQUALITY IN THE U.S. PLAY WAS SHUT DOWN TOO DEVELOPING LITERACY THROUGH PLAY PLAY THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

16 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

LITERACY

DICTIONARY DEFINITION “ability to read or write”

COMPREHENSIVE DEFINITION multifaceted process that goes beyond technical skills to include proficiency in a complex set of understandings, attitudes, expectations and behaviors related to the written language. Not a static condition but constantly evolving across cultures, contexts, media, and times.

FRAMING THE PROBLEM 17

LITERACY “THE MULTIPLIER EFFECT”

Literacy is typically defined as the ability to read and write and is considered a foundational aspect of human life in modern society. However, literacy is more than just its typical definition. It is a multifaceted process that goes beyond technical skills to include proficiency in a complex set of understandings, attitudes, expectations, and behaviors related to the written language.

Literacy is not a static condition but is constantly evolving across different cultures, contexts, media, and times.

Our world today is increasingly digital, information-rich, and fast-paced that our communication with each other is increasingly dependent upon literacy skills. This means that our definition of literacy must evolve with our communication methods, such that an elderly adult might be fully proficient in reading a print text but have literacy challenges with interpreting information online.

Literacy is considered part of the human right to education because of its essential role in communication today. UNSECO has been at the forefront of advancing global literacy 18 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

and describes literacy as the “multiplier effect” which empowers people to participate fully in society. The United Nations considers literacy a driver for sustainable development because of how it “enables greater participation in the labor market, improves health and nutrition, reduces poverty, and expands life opportunities” [1]. Globally, 773 million youths and adults cannot read or write and an estimated 55% of children of primary and lower secondary school age lack the minimum proficiency in reading and math as of 2015 [2]. This lack of literate environments around the world has an extensive impact on livelihood opportunities and full participation in the global society.

Despite the wealth and global status of the United States, literacy is still a challenge for youth and adults in America. 54% or 130 million Americans from 16 to 74 years old lack literacy proficiency, which is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as achieving below level 3 on the PIAAC exam. The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an

Percentage of Adults at or Above Level 3 Literacy 77%

0% Source: [5] PIAAC U.S. Skills map

internationally validated literacy exam developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the United States. The exam tests a person’s skills in “understanding, evaluating, using and engaging with written text to participate in the society, to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.” [3] Eradicating illiteracy in the U.S. would have enormous economic benefits. A study published by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy found that income is strongly related to literacy. Adults who meet

the minimum level for proficiency in literacy (level 3) earn an average annual income of $63,000 while adults at levels 0 and 1 earn $34,000 per year. This income disparity perpetuates throughout generations of families as lower income correlates to lower educational opportunities which in turn continues the cycle of illiteracy. Eradicating illiteracy would not only halt this cycle but also boost the U.S. economy as a whole. It is estimated that educating all adults in the country to achieve at least a level 3 literacy proficiency would generate an additional $2.2 trillion in annual income for the country [4].

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EMERGENT LITERACY THE EMERGENCE OF EARLY FORMS OF LITERACY

One of the most important systems in our society is the elementary school education system. Elementary schools are not only institutions that teach children to read, write, and learn math.

Elementary schools are also the places where kids learn social and emotional skills, experience and understand their world, and develop skills in how to learn for later education and life.

Children with strong literacy skills in early elementary school are more likely to become good readers later in their education, while children with weak literacy skills are likely to remain poor readers [6]. Where a student falls in this spectrum of literacy skills is a large determination of the success of a person’s future education, career, and life.

Literacy development does not begin with the formal instruction of reading and writing at school, but it is a continuous process that begins soon after birth. Emergent literacy is defined as “the reading and writing behaviors of young children before they become readers and writers in the conventional sense” [7]. Emergent literacy is an 20 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

important stage in a child’s development of literacy, and researchers have shown that later literacy success can be linked to achievements in emergent literacy. Even though a child does not productively use language until they begin to speak in their second year of life, they are accumulating an “expressive lexicon” through their engagement with reading and writing in unconventional ways. This may look like scribbling with a crayon, using books as play, or indicating an interest in print materials in their environment [7].

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, a Swiss educational reformer in the 18th century, agreed with the idea that education is more than the traditional sense, that ”the chief end of elementary teaching is not to impart knowledge and talent to the learner, but to develop and increase the powers of their intelligence” [8]. The development of literacy is more than the conventional learning of letters and words, but is a multifaceted process that begins early in a child’s life and has long-lasting significance in their future.

FRAMING THE PROBLEM 21

22 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

LITERACY DURING THE PANDEMIC MAPPING HOW THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED ELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN THE U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education of 1.4 billion students around the world. In the U.S., the pandemic understandably overwhelmed schools unprepared for online learning.

However, as schools began to reopen and switch to in-person learning, students of color were left behind.

Human rights organizations, educators, and researchers have noted the digital divide that has exposed how children from low-income families, historically under-resourced schools, and children of color experience disproportionate impact to literacy during the pandemic because of barriers to online learning.

By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, students were on average four months behind in reading and five months behind in math.

FRAMING THE PROBLEM 23

MONTHS BEHIND IN READING AS OF FALL 2021

24 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

EDUCATION INEQUALITY IN THE U.S.

Third grade students entered the 2021-2022 school year an average of four months behind in reading. The inequity in education is revealed by the unequal distribution of months behind in reading by race, income, and location. The long-lasting effects of the pandemic on elementary education remain to be seen and fully researched, but the inequitable and delayed pace of elementary classrooms learning to read could turn into larger achievement gaps if left unaddressed.

Factors that affected these statistics researched by the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company include how long schools were shut down at the beginning of the pandemic, when students went back in person, and the availability of resources during online learning [8].

FRAMING THE PROBLEM 25

PLAY WAS SHUT DOWN TOO...

IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON PLAY

Before we can fully understand the effect of the pandemic on children’s literacy, we need to examine how the child’s learning environments changed.

Not only could kids not safely go to school to learn, they also could not play extracurricular sports, go to the nearby public library, or even play on the playground at the neighborhood park.

According to a survey by the National Recreation and Parks Association, 91% of playgrounds in the U.S. were closed at the beginning of the pandemic [9]. While necessary for safety, these closures highlighted how important play areas are children’s social, emotional, and intellectual growth.

As kids were cooped up inside their homes during the pandemic, they could not play like they used to. Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist and founder of the National Institute of Play, has researched how play deprivation can pose major emotional problems, such as depression, inflexibility of thought, and fragility of interpersonal relationships. During the pandemic, kids have been isolated from each 26 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

other and from social relationships formed through play.

As a solution, Brian Sutton-Smith, a developmental psychologist notes that “play, especially outdoors, is exactly what children need (more than ever) in order to connect and heal through this collective trauma together” [10]. Imaginative and narrative play provide a mechanism through which children can process their thoughts and emotions without expectations and negotiate with the world around them. Playgrounds and other public play spaces are instrumental in fostering this type of learning, healing, and growth through play.

Literacy skills are gained through more than just reading, but also through engagement with social relationships, sensory experiences in a child’s environment, and hand’s-on learning.

[11] Kendrick Brinson, New York Times

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DEVELOPING LITERACY THROUGH PLAY

One of the most influential theorists in the field of early childhood education is Friedrich Frobel, also known as the “Father of Kindergarten.” The leading education pedagogy before the 19th century was teacher-led in which a” knowledgeable teacher conveys information to passive learners” [12].

However, Frobel prioritized childcentered education, in which he acknowledged that each child has unique needs and capabilities that are developed through self-directed play.

Frobel developed toys called “Frobel’s Gifts”, which were toys given to a child in sequential stages of learning that taught a lesson about shape, structure, and perception as children played with and manipulated the objects.

John Dewey, a prominent American educator agreed with this notion that “knowledge comes from impressions made upon us by natural objects” and that hands-on learning provides the most profound learning experiences.

While Frobel and Dewey saw the development of a child’s education as a guided linear sequence, Maria Montessori developed a method of education in which children develop 28 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

initiative and natural abilities through free play. Through just general guidance by the teacher, children learn through exploration and play.

In Stuart Brown’s seven types of play, play begins at birth through attunement play that establishes emotional connections and the feeling of joy. More advanced play such as Imagination and storytelling play draw upon skills developed through the earlier types of play, such as body play and object play. Imagination and storytelling play have direct relationships with the development of literacy skills. Researchers have shown that “play engages them in ways that simultaneously draw on and mobilize imagination, emotion, cognition, and group life.” The implementation of narrative play into the curriculum resulted in increased emergent literacy-related skills, noted by the fact that “play and narrative are closely intertwined in young children’s experience and development” [13].

As children created and acted out their own stories, they developed oral language skills and narrative literacy skills which facilitated overall school success and literacy achievement.

SEVEN TYPES OF PLAY DEVELOPED BY STUART BROWN

FRAMING THE PROBLEM 29

[education + play]

1750

ler chil ich S Friedr

zi staloz Johann Heinrich Pe

Friedrich Frobel Father of Kindergarten and creator of “Frobel’s Gifts”

John Dewey Proponent of experiential education and hands-on learning

Elizabeth Peabody Founded the first English-language kindergarten in Boston in 1860

Maria Montessori Children learn through self-intiated exploration and practical play

Margarethe Schurz Student of Frobel that founded the first kindergarten in America in 1856

ga Mar

z hur c S e reth

dy abo e P eth Elizab

1800 Frie dr

ich Frobel

1850

[child development + play] Susan Sutherland Isaacs “Play is indeed the child’s work, and the means whereby he grows and develops” Lev Vygotsky Social learning is an integral part of a child’s development 30 FRAMING THE PROBLEM

Jean Piaget Created the well-known four stages of cognitive development in children Stuart Brown Founder of the National Institute of Play and developed the seven types of play

[culture + play] Friedrich Schiller “humans are only wholly human when they play” Karl Groos Proponent of the evolutionary instrumentalist theory of play Johan Huizinga “ascertain how far culture itself bears the character of play”

PLAY THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ontessori Maria M

Susan Suther land Isaa cs John Dewey

1900

Ro g

is illo Ca er

roos G l r Ka

1950

inga n Huiz a h o J

yg Lev V

otsky

t

Jean Pia ge

Roger Caillois Play is a necessary condition for the development of culture Brian Cambourne Children acquire oral and written language skills in certain learning environments

Sutart Brown

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi “Learning by head, hand and heart.” Largely contributed to overcoming illiteracy in 18th century Switzerland by 1830

Brian Cambourne

[literacy + play]

2000 FRAMING THE PROBLEM 31

“Play is the laboratory where individuals exercise and refine their abilities to comprehend and manage the world.”

- Thomas Henricks

03

SITE EDUCATION IN HAYWARD, CA HAYWARD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLOSURES 2022 SITE: NUESTROS PARQUECITO

EDUCATION IN HAYWARD, CA EAST BAY AREA

In the heart of the East Bay Area, the City of Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area with a population of 162,954 people. As a suburban city, Hayward enjoys a close proximity to the large cities of Oakland and San Jose yet the slower pace of a suburb.

A unique aspect of Hayward is its diversity. 38.9% of the population was born outside of the U.S., which is much higher than the average in California of 26.6%. Just under 2/3 of the population speaks a language other than English at home, which brings a diversity of cultures, heritages, languages, and economic conditions.

The Hayward Unified School District serves over 19,000 students in K-12.

There is a large community of hispanic and latinx students, approximately 66%.

This brings unique experience of many of the students learning English and Spanish at the same time.

34 SITE

The pillars of priority for the district is opportunity, diversity, community schools, and preparedness. The district has also prioritized the equity of the education for all students. The board has designated all HUSD campuses as Sanctuary Schools, which makes the schools a safe zone for students and families that are undocumented immigrants.

HAYWARD, CA

35

HAYWARD, CA 162,954 Total Population 59.3% Language other than English spoken at home 38.2% Foreign-born population $96,886 Average household income 8.8% Poverty 27.9% Bachelor’s degree or higher 19.7% Under 18 years old [3] Source: US Census Data 2019

36 SITE

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HAYWARD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

The Hayward Unified School District is currently undergoing much change this year, as it is reevaluating the district’s extensive budget deficits. The district is facing continuing decline in enrollment, inequitable student outcomes, aging facilities, and limited resources. In the HUSD Operational Sustainability Plan, the district seeks to address these issues to “create an engaging and equitable educational experience, delivered in a safe and supportive environment” [1].

When HUSD was established, Hayward grew rapidly in the 1950s with the influx of new housing. However, after a peak in 1966 at 30,126 students, the district currently serves 18,000 students with a projected decline to 16,548 students by 2027 [2]. Changing demographics, declining birth rates, and the high cost of living in the Bay Area have combined to present difficulties to keep the district running sustainably financially. The aging facilities requiring $900 million in investment and underperforming schools present equity issues in education.

38 SITE

[1] Source: Operational Sustainability Status Report: Part 1. Hayward Unified School District

SITE 39

[1] Source: Operational Sustainability Status Report: Part 1. Hayward Unified School District

40 SITE

In response to these challenges, the school board has decided to close two elementary schools, Strobridge and Bowman Elementary. In 2020, Bowman was used at only 40% of capacity, and Strobridge at 59% capacity [2]. Both schools have very low scores on Greatschools.org and also scored low on the School Usage Design Report produced by the assessment team made of staff, parents, students and community members. Using the criteria of student safety, site upgrades, student success, technology needs, signature programs, repairs needed, and specialty classrooms, the team identified these two elementary schools as the most expensive campuses to bring up to standards of educational equity.

After this first phase of the School Usage Design Team meetings, the second phase brought in the public for comment through community conversations and town halls. The plan was met with some resistance by the community, with student protests in front of the closing schools. No matter how reasonable the decision to close the schools, it is difficult for teachers, parents, students, and volunteers to hear that their school is underperforming. Each of these schools are part of a vibrant community which will certainly feel its loss after its closure.

This is why I have chosen a community park near Bowman Elementary as my site for my proposal.

SITE 41

PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLOSURES 2022 HAYWARD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

42 SITE

43

44

SITE NUESTROS PARQUECITO

The site is an existing community park in a single-family residential neighborhood. Located parallel to BART train tracks, the park is a long and narrow strip of land that stretches almost half of a mile from the South Hayward BART station to the closing Bowman Elementary School. This park exists as a narrow leftover piece of land and is not used much by the community. The park is currently a strip of grass with some picnic tables and one small basketball court. This proposal seeks to activate this park with playful interventions through the community amenities of a preschool, adult literacy center, and library which support the literacy of the community, for young and old.

One of the priorities of the redesign of this park is to incorporate a public bike path the entire length of the site that provides a safe method of transportation to the BART station from various points in the community.

SITE 45

“I’m not sure anything is learned better than what is learned as a game.”

- Erasmus

15th century Dutch philosopher

04

EXPLORATIONS GENERATOR VELLUM DESIGN IDEAS SEEDS OF IDEAS SECTION SHOW

GENERATOR MOVING AS THINKING

How should education change in our digital world? In our switch to screens, tablets, and online learning is education losing the tangible where we are taught to learn through our fingertips? Kids learn about their environment through multiple senses. This installation emphasizes learning through touch, sound, and sight by elongating the separation between action and movement. With a single means of activation through our fingertips, sliding pin connections create a dynamic change of spatial experience.

48 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 49

01

02 I began this process of experimentation by investigating the relationship between parallelogram module plates connected by a pin. Using the constraint of the shape and the connection method of the pin allowed me to study the rotation of the module and how they respond to each other’s movement.

As I developed the models I was interested in the relationship between the action and the resulting movement. For example, the fourth experiment required multiple actions to cause the field to translate, pivot, and change its form. While interesting, it was only two-dimensional and required a high amount of user-input to change the field and its resulting environmental conditions.

50 EXPLORATIONS

03

04

EXPLORATIONS 51

05

The fifth model looked at using a spine as the central focus of action, so that the resulting movements came from one action. However, the parallel action in short movements constrained the resulting rotation and minimized the effect. The sixth model started to bring in the linear aspect of the supports and the sliding pins that maximizes the opposite parallel forces that cause maximum rotation. The various sizes and shapes of the modules and the slots dictated how the linear pieces translated and rotated.

The seventh model minimized the spatial impact of these linear pieces by using wood sticks as rails for the paper rivets which created an interesting condition of flexibility and freedom of user operation. This allowed for the constraint of the placement of the pin to become dependent upon the shape and scale of the module. However, once a field of these modules and pins were added to the rails, these constraints ended up constricting movement as a cumulative effect which limited the user’s flexibility with the system.

52 EXPLORATIONS

06

07

07

EXPLORATIONS 53

The eighth model took these ideas of the relationship between action and movement, the maximum rotation due to two opposite parallel forces, and user operability and flexibility and applied it to a three-dimensional field of linear vertical rails of movement. This model elongated the separation between action and movement and uses the fluid movement of our fingertips to manipulate the vertical rails either all at once or one piece at a time.

The high-resolution sensitivity of our fingertips allows for the user to have a high degree of control over the resulting movement. However, part of the puzzle for the user is figuring out the relationship between the movement of the fingertips and the resulting rotation of the pin and slot system at the top of the model. Not every piece causes a movement, and each piece results in different movement based on scale and position, so it is a puzzle for the user to play with the sequence of action that creates the maximum movement.

54 EXPLORATIONS

08

EXPLORATIONS 55

VELLUM ROCK ’ ROLL

Learning happens best when we are moving.

Young children understand and negotiate their world through moving, reaching, jumping, and balancing.

This fidget chair provides a learning environment that allows kids to fidget, wiggle, and balance to help keep their attention focused while they are learning.

Designing and fabricating this chair provided me an opportunity to test out my thesis in physical form. The playfulness of architecture can be a difficult idea to pin down, but this chair helped me to identify with my peers that these curves succeeded in creating playfulness. This influenced my later schematic design proposals that incorporate circles and curves to infuse playful qualities into the building.

56 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 57

58 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 59

DESIGN IDEAS Tactile

Gradient of Enclosure Play

Blur of Interior and Exterior

60 FRAMING THE SOLUTION

Density Connectivity

Operability

Exploration

Layering of Translucencies

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 61

DESIGN IDEA GENERATION DIAGRAMS

GRADIENT OF ENCLOSURE

outside

inside

public

private

62 SECTION TITLE

SECTION TITLE 63

SEEDS OF IDEAS TACTILE OPERABILITY

One of the best methods for generating my ideas is through my fingertips.

This working model began with an exploration of the intersection of two materials, acrylic and wood in a facade system. The main goals were interactive customization and depth of the facade and experimenting with density.

The dynamic facade changes as occupants operate the wood members inside. The interactive wood members slide horizontally to customize space inside. This model led to the idea of tactility, operability, and playful facade systems.

64 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 65

This hybrid drawing was used as a method for testing the model’s spatial and user responsive strategies. Rather than just a representational drawing, this is a working drawing that takes the physical model and explores the potentials of a dynamic facade that incorporates movement as a way to engage the public with the activity inside the building.

66 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 67

68 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 69

INHABITABLE FACADE

This model is another small-scale chunk model as a seed for future development. This model emphasizes structure, inhabitation of the facade, and translucencies. It offers another possibility of the relationship between wood and acrylic while introducing translucency. The pop out windows create depth in the facade the can be inhabitable and creates a landscape of three-dimensionality to the facade. The wood structure doubles as both the structure and provides opportunities for occupiable spaces such as seating or shelves for library books.

70 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 71

LAYERING OF TRANSLUCENCIES

As the third model in the series of ‘seeds of ideas’ this model sought to explore the three-dimensionality of space hinted at by the earlier two models. Drawing from the second model in the series, this model uses planes of translucent acrylic to create a cloud-like experience of layered translucencies. The secondary systems of wood sticks and transparent color complement and ground the lightness of the translucent acrylic.

72 EXPLORATIONS

EXPLORATIONS 73

SECTION SHOW

ADULT LITERA CY C EN TE R

NOW PLAYING: EMERGENT LITERACY COMMUNITY PARK, PRESCHOOL, & ADULT LITERACY CENTER ANNIE COON

74 EXPLORATIONS

IMAGINATIVE PLAY

Solo custom spaces develops creativity and builds social-emotional reflection

BODY PLAY

Interactive facade sparks spontaneous desire to jump, hop, and balance which develops a spatial understanding of their environment

COM MU NIT Y

LIB RA RY

PRESCHOOL

OBJECT PLAY

Human hand manipulation of objects with play as the medium develops problem-solving skills

SOCIAL PLAY

Open play spaces encourage interactions, social skills and friendships which build oral language and vocabluary

STORYTELLING PLAY

0’

5’

10’

Narrative play fosters creativity, participation, and intuition.

Foundational to emergent literacy and oral language skills

20’

EXPLORATIONS 75

40’

1/8” 1’-0”

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.

But for children, play is serious learning.”

- Mr. Rogers

05

FRAMING THE SOLUTION PROJECT PROPOSAL SCHEMATIC DESIGN DESIGN DEVELOPMENT SPECULATION

78 FRAMING THE SOLUTION

PROJECT PROPOSAL

In the heart of the East Bay, Hayward is a large suburban city of 163,000 that has a large immigrant population, in which almost 60% of the population speaks a language other than English at home.

The site is an existing community park located parallel to BART train tracks in a single-family residential neighborhood.

This park exists as a narrow leftover piece of land and is not used much by the community. This proposal seeks to activate this park with playful interventions through the community amenities of a preschool, adult literacy center, and library which support the literacy of the community, for young and old.

This proposal is a place where stories are created. An interactive façade activates the street and draws the playful instincts in kids and adults alike to inhabit the

structure which acts as a scaffold for people to create their own narrative.

From the youngster at preschool, to the teen playing basketball, to the grandpa learning English at the literacy center, to the parents biking through the park on their way to work, the community creates a collective narrative as they inhabit the structure in their own way. It is a community hub where the pedestrian and bike path funnel people through the neighborhood and builds knowledge as kids and adults interact with their environment. Play is integrated into the building, with playful volumes hanging on the scaffold that are reached by a maze of exterior walkways and variedlevel platforms high up in the trees.

Connectivity and fluidity between the programs provide profound learning experiences as community members interact with each other.

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SCHEMATIC DESIGN

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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0’

10’

30’

60’

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ROOF PLAN

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

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0’

10’

30’

60’

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SCHEMATIC SECTION

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0’

10’

30’

60’

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PROPOSED MODEL

This outdoor community structure is a place where each person develops their own narrative and shares their story. The playful interactive façade with occupiable windows, tunnels, and platforms that pop out activates the street and draws the playful instincts in kids and adults alike to inhabit the structure. The timber structure is the scaffold for a flexible arrangement of hanging volumes that make up the interior spaces of the building. A playful maze of exterior walkways and variedlevel platforms reach these volumes high up in the trees. Connectivity and fluidity between the programs of library, preschool, and adult literacy center provide profound learning experiences as community members interact with each other.

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Idea generation through hybrid drawing over model

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Translucent polycarbonate partitions are used to create a luminous cloud-like space inside during the day. The soft diffuse light is ideal for the classrooms and library reading rooms. The layering of translucencies creates a gradient of privacy that is useful for the preschool classrooms and similar spaces that require a higher degree of privacy.

At night, the building glows with warmth and is even more open and welcoming to the community. Lights within the volumes and on the façade display the activity and life of the building and invites the community to come enjoy community events and for use as a meeting space after work and school.

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 91

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Play

Connectivity

Following the Qualifying Review at the end of winter quarter, the project moves into the design development phase.

The main design ideas of layering of translucencies, playful varied-level platforms, and an interactive façade are developed into a well-articulated building proposal.

92 FRAMING THE SOLUTION

Gradient of Enclosure

Tactile

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 93

ELEVATION

Layering of Translucencies

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Exploration

Blur of Interior and Exterior

Instead of displacing the existing horizontal park, this open-air public structure expands it into a vertical park that incorporates play into the facade of the structure. Occupiable windows, slides, and playful walkways pop in and out of the translucent facade for an active structure that hints at the activity inside.

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 95

ADULT LITERACY OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM

UP

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1” = 10’-0”

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SECTION A - CENTRAL HUB OF PUBLIC LIBRARY 102FRAMING THE SOLUTION

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 103

ENLARGED GROUND FLOOR PLAN - PRESCHOOL

UP PRESCHOOL OUTDOOR PLAY

PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS

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BIKE PATH SLOPE UP

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1” = 10’-0”

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ENLARGED SECOND FLOOR PLAN - LIBRARY NONFICTION

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DN ROOFTOP PUBLIC PLAY

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ADULT LITERACY OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM

UP UP DN

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UP PRESCHOOL LIBRARY

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ADULT LITERACY MULTIPURPOSE SPACE OUTDOOR PRESCHOOL PLAY

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN 1” = 10’-0”

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BIKE PATH SLOPE UP

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SECTION B - PRESCHOOL PLAY & LEARNING 106

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ADULT LITERACY OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM

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ADULT LITERACY MULTIPURPOSE SPACE

DN ROOFTOP PUBLIC PLAY

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UP ROOFTOP PUBLIC PLAY COMMUITY GARDEN STORAGE

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ROOFTOP PRESCHOOL PLAY

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D FLOOR PLAN 0” ADULT LITERACY OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM

UP UP DN

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UP PRESCHOOL LIBRARY

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PUBLIC LIBRARY GENERAL COLLECTION

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ADULT LITERACY MULTIPURPOSE SPACE OUTDOOR PRESCHOOL PLAY

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN 1” = 10’-0”

108 FRAMING THE SOLUTION BIKE PATH SLOPE UP

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PRESCHOOL LIBRARY

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A

COMMUITY GARDEN STORAGE

DN

ROOFTOP PRESCHOOL PLAY

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ADULT LITERACY OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM

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UP PRESCHOOL LIBRARY

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ADULT LITERACY MULTIPURPOSE SPACE OUTDOOR PRESCHOOL PLAY

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BIKE PATH SLOPE UP

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PRESCHOOL OUTDOOR PLAY

ENLARGED PROPOSED MODEL 1/2” = 1’-0”

This model is an enlarged model of the preschool reading room. The translucent and soft volume hangs from the timber structure, elevated from the ground for a great vantage over the rest of the public space. The playful walkway winds around the space and provides opportunities for spontaneous play on the netting.

Inside the volume, the curved glulam waffle structure serves as both the library bookshelves and a playful seating and climbing structure. The translucent polycarbonate skin gives a hint of the activity inside and intrigues a curious preschooler to explore inside.

The soft diffuse light inside creates a perfect lighting condition for reading and creates a unique connection to the site through the diffuse fluttering shadows of the trees.

110 FRAMING THE SOLUTION

FRAMING THE SOLUTION 111

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FRAMING THE SOLUTION 115

SPECULATION WHERE THE PROJECT COULD GO FROM HERE

It is at this point of the year-long thesis project that the broad and comprehensive research of the interdisciplinary subjects of literacy and play has progressively become more specific to realize into a building form.

However, this funnel diagram does not finish here, but expands outward once again to provide opportunities for a diversity of applications. This proposal has just scratched the surface of engaging with the question of how playful architecture can instigate emergent literacy in children. Related avenues of questioning can also include how multi-ethnic and multigenerational spaces can be designed to maximize profound learning opportunities for the entire community.

The architectural idea of an outdoor play structure at the building scale is designed to be flexible so that another application could infuse the building with a different program that centers

116EVALUATION

around the theme of community building. For example, a community that struggles to sustain small businesses could develop this building at a smaller scale downtown to provide pop-up spaces for small businesses to develop their product or brand line.

The building has the potential to be a dynamic structure constantly under construction. The chosen arrangement of the hanging volumes of space does not have to be the final. As new tenants move in or the needs of the community change, the building could add a new module to meet the need. Instead of designing a building to be torn down in 40 years, this structure is designed to be renewed through the flexibility of the hanging volumes. This thesis proposal has many opportunities for further development in applications of various programs, locations, climates, and uses.

EVALUATION 117

06

PRECEDENTS NEST WE GROW MY MONTESSORI GARDEN PRESCHOOL NOVA RUDA KINDERGARTEN

NEST WE GROW This open-air public structure is a designed to “bring people in the community together to store, prepare and enjoy local foods.”

The heavy wood frame structure is clad with translucent plastic corrugated sheets, which allows for soft natural light, heat in the cold months, and a visual relationship between the interior and exterior.

elevated walkways that provide vantage to the user and visual connection to the other spaces

soft and diffuse daylight in the interior spaces

outdoor public structure vertically elevated from the ground plane

[1] Images & quote from ArchDaily 120 PRECEDENTS

Location: Takinoue, Japan Architect: Kengo Kuma & UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design Year Completed: 2014

transparency creates unique condition at night that creates a connection with the community

PRECEDENTS 121

MY MONTESSORI GARDEN PRESCHOOL This preschool in Vietnam is designed to support the mission of the Montessori education method, which “respects the independence of children, creates an environment for them to explore and feel the world through their own senses.” With the goal of creating a classroom within a garden, the architect created a strong relationship between indoor classrooms and outdoor gardens and play spaces.

Elevated walkways give kids an elevated play runway and a trellis of vines and plants create a calm and beautiful light quality through the leaves.

elevated walkways provide children a fun way to circulate throughout the school

transparent panel at intersection of walkways creates fun connection to kids playing below

classrooms elevated on a platform that creates a child-sized bench [2] Images & quote from ArchDaily

122 PRECEDENTS

Location: Ha Long City, Vietnam Architect: HGAA Completed: 2020

open classroom allows for flexibility and custom arrangement of the space

strong connection between the classroom and outdoor garden and playspace

trellis for vines and other plants create a calm and natural atmosphere

PRECEDENTS 123

NOVA RUDA KINDERGARTEN This kindergarten uses mass and transparency to create a courtyard building that acts as one large play jungle. The narrow classrooms and terraces are wrapped in a glass-fiber façade which acts as a “soft veil that embraces all the inner world of the kindergarten.” The architects designed the building with the goal of teaching “children to learn and perceive architecture through various spatial configurations.”

translucent glass-fiber facade on a wooden grid

relationship between transparency and mass enhances the envelope of the building and provides connection to the community

[3] Images & quote from ArchDaily 124 PRECEDENTS

Location: Liberec, Czech Republic Architect: Petr Stolin Architekt Year Completed: 2018

narrow rectangular classrooms provide flexible yet focused classroom learning spaces

interstitial space between the building and the skin is a fun space for kids to explore

PRECEDENTS 125

07

REFERENCES REFERENCES ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

REFERENCES 02 - FRAMING THE PROBLEM

[1]

“Literacy.” UNESCO. https:// en.unesco.org/themes/literacy

[2]

Sustainable development goal #4: quality education stats. https:// unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/ goal-04/

[3]

“Adult Literacy.” National Center for Educational Statistics. https://nces. ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69

[4]

[5]

Rothwell, Jonathan. “Assessing the Economic Gains of Eradicating Illiteracy Nationally and Regionally in the United States.” Gallup.

Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. 8 September 2020. https:// www.barbarabush.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/09/BBFoundation_ GainsFromEradicatingIlliteracy_9_8. pdf https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/ skillsmap/

128 REFERENCES

[6]

Kosanovich, Marcia & et al.

“Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy.” Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory at Florida State University. https://ies.ed.gov/ ncee/edlabs/regions/southeast/pdf/ REL_2021045_module1_participant. pdf

[7]

Justice, Laura M. “Clinical Approaches to Emergent Literacy Intervention.” Plural Publishing, 2006. https://books.google.com/bo oks?hl=en&lr=&id=v1TfCQAAQBAJ &oi=fnd&pg=PR7&ots=AsYnlyxTqh &sig=11L-I47bUl4AxK6PFzzRvxEX64 0#v=onepage&q&f=false

[8]

Dorn, Emma et al. “COVID-19 and learning loss – disparities grow and students need help.” McKinsey & Company, December 2020. https:// www.mckinsey.com/industries/ public-and-social-sector/ourinsights/covid-19-and-learning-lossdisparities-grow-and-students-needhelp

[9]

O’Neill, Meaghan. “How COVID-19 is Changing Our Perspective on Playgrounds.” Architectural Digest, 24 April 2020. https://www. architecturaldigest.com/story/covid19-playground-design

[10]

Strauss, Valerie. “Why it’s a problem that kids have been deprived of play during the pandemic.” The Washington Post, 17 March 2021. https://www.washingtonpost. com/education/2021/03/17/playdeprivation-during-pandemic-is-bigproblem-for-kids/

[11]

Brinson, Kendrick. “California will impose its strongest virus measures since the spring.” New York Times. https://www.nytimes. com/2020/12/03/us/california-stayat-home-order.html

[12]

Murray, Jane. “How do children build knowledge in early childhood education? Susan Isaacs, Young Children Are Researchers and what happens next”. Early Child Development and Care, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, November 2020. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/348560403_How_do_ children_build_knowledge_in_early_ childhood_education_Susan_Isaacs_ Young_Children_Are_Researchers_ and_what_happens_next

[13]

Nicolopoulou, Ageliki, McDowell, Judith and Brockmeyer, Carolyn.

Play = Learning: How Play Motivates and Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional growth. Oxford University Press.

Pp. 124-144, September 2006. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/263807007_Narrative_ Play_and_Emergent_Literacy_ Storytelling_and_Story-Acting_ Meet_Journal_Writing

REFERENCES 129

REFERENCES 03 - SITE

[1]

Jones, Gary L. “Operational Sustainability Status Report: Part 1.”

Hayward Unified School District, EH&A, Sept 2021. https://drive. google.com/drive/folders/1P0r3S_ Beg0rLU1qAaGAmCAGo3QvCuraY

[2]

Garde, Allan. “Operational Sustainability Report Update Presentation.” Hayward Unified School District, 28 September 2021. http://haywardusd-ca.schoolloop. com/file/1514016329004/1629527 147115/899316946087337697.pdf

[3]

“Hayward city, California.” 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles, US Census. https:// data.census.gov/cedsci/ profile?g=1600000US0633000

130 REFERENCES

06 - PRECEDENTS

[1]

“Nest We Grow, Kengo Kuma & Associates and College of Environmental Design UC Berkeley.”

ArchDaily, 2014. https://www. archdaily.com/592660/nest-wegrow-college-of-environmentaldesign-uc-berkeley-kengo-kumaand-associates

[2]

“My Montessori Garden Preschool/ HGAA.” ArchDaily, 2020. https:// www.archdaily.com/941551/ mmg-nil-my-montessori-gardenpreschool-hgaa

[3]

“Kindergarten Nova Ruda Vratislavice nad Nisou / Petr Stolin Architekt.” ArchDaily, 2018. https:// www.archdaily.com/910168/ kindergarten-nova-ruda-nilvratislavice-nad-nisou-petr-stolinarchitekt

REFERENCES 131

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY “From Object to Field” | Stan Allen Routledge, 2008 Stan Allen, an American Architect, theorist, and former dean at Princeton argues for the use of field conditions as a “starting point to rethink conventional institutional form.” He defines field conditions as “any formal or spatial matrix capable of unifying diverse elements while representing the identity of each.” Fields are not concerned with shape, extent, or regulating grids, but it is about the internal relationship of parts. Allen supports his argument with examples of the Cordoba Mosque, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Jeffersonian grid, flocks, and crowds to show how architecture should shift its attention from top-down forms of control to a more fluid bottom-up approach.

“Play is More Than Just Fun” | Stuart Brown Tedtalk, May 2008 Dr. Stuart Brown is a psychiatrist and a pioneer in research on play and is the founder of the National Institute for Play. His research shows how play is not just joyful and energizing, it is deeply connected to human development and intelligence. This TedTalk argues that play is for everyone, not just kids, and that we are designed to play our entire life. He introduces his seven types of play and gives examples of each.

“Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students” | Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 9 June 2021

This report, published by the office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education as a work in progress for the purpose of measuring the impact of COVID-19 on education in the U.S., particularly focusing on whether these impacts unevenly affected students of color. The report develops its 12 observations from the snapshot in time from mid-March 2020 to mid-April 2021. These observations include how the pandemic has negatively affected academic grown, deepened disparities in access for students of color in public schools, caused English language learners to struggle even harder, and nearly all students experienced challenges to their mental health.

132 REFERENCES

“COVID-19 and learning loss” | Emma Dorn, et al.

Mckinsey & Company, December 2020 McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm that has published data on how students have been affected by the pandemic. Emma Dorn is the global education practice manager in the Silicon Valley office, and the team summarizes and analyzes how the historic shutdown of US schools in spring of 2020 disrupted student learning. In addition to overall reports, the team breaks them down by race and median household income to reveal equity issues and achievement gaps. The report states that “students, on average, started school about three months behind where we would expect them to be in mathematics. Students of color were about three to five months behind in learning; white students were about one to three months behind.”

“The Literacy Environment of Preschool Classrooms: Contributions to Children’s Emergent Literacy Growth” | Ying Guo et al.

Journal of Research in Reading | October 2010

This research article is a result of the collaboration between four PhD professors at the Ohio State University, the University of Toledo, and the University of Virginia.

Funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences at the US Department of Education, this article studies how the classroom physical literacy environment and the psychological literacy environment each play a role in preschool children’s gains in emergent literacy. The results showed that the physical literacy environment had little direct association with gain in emergent literacy with the exception of the quality of the literacy area of the classroom. Instead, the two environments are found to be interdependent and found that writing materials is the most significant item to have in the classroom for growth in alphabet knowledge and reading skills.

REFERENCES 133

“Facilities Master Plan (FMP) Update” | Hayward Unified School District September 2021 This report is a comprehensive update to the Facilities Master Plan for Hayward Unified School District in the Bay Area. HUSD contracted with Derivi Castellanos Architects (DCA) to provide recommendations for facilities upgrades over the next ten years. The report begins with a historical examination of when the schools were built and the Measure I updates that happed in 2006. The report then documents the decline in enrollment from its peak in 2000 and the project enrollment decline over the next seven years. The report recommends that HUSD should make more efficient use of their existing elementary schools and the possible revenue streams that could come from repurposing the use of the land. Enrollment decline has led to budget challenges (projected $15M for 2022/23) and programmatic challenges, such as the combination of classes, class closures at some sites, and the inability to guarantee a consistent program at some sites.

“Years Don’t Wait for Them: Increased Inequalities in Children’s Right to Education Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic” | Human Rights Watch 17 May 2021

In this report published by the Human Rights Watch, researchers document how “1.4 billion students were shut out of the pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools in more than 190 countries.” It uses statistics, interviews, and general trends to show how the pandemic increased education inequality around the world. Yet it describes how these issues are not new but have been problems for a long time and “return to normal” is insufficient for creating educational equality. The report looks at how the pandemic and learning remotely created a “digital divide” for children living in poverty, kids with disabilities, children of color in the US, LGBT and gender-diverse children, refugee children, kids affected by armed conflict and children living in rural areas.

134 REFERENCES

“Clinical Approaches to Emergent Literacy Intervention” | Laura M. Justice | Plural Publishing, 2006 This book, edited and published in 2006 by Laura Justice, is a straightforward approach to understanding emergent literacy in children. Dr. Justice is a PhD and professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at Ohio State University. With nearly 100 articles and 10 books published, Dr. Justice has been awarded the Editor’s Award from the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, the Early Career Publication Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering from the U.S. government. This book describes indicators of emergent literacy and characteristics of literacy development at early ages. Dr. Justice shows how measurable achievements in emergent literacy can be statistically linked to later literacy success.

“Chair-Based Fidgeting and Energy Expenditure” | Gabriel Koepp et al.

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine | August 2016 This article evaluates how “sedentariness is associated with chronic health conditions, impaired cognitive function, and obesity” and how chair-based fidgeting, or “dynamic sitting”, can increase energy expenditure. The researchers concluded that fidget chairs and devices increase energy expenditure by 20-30%, but does not increase heart rate. The paper focuses on adults sitting while working, but this could be applied to children learning also.

Learning Movements: New Perspectives of Movement Education | Hakan Larsson | Routledge Studies in Physical Education and Youth Sport | 2021

Hakan Larsson is a professor of sports sciences at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences. Larsson examines how humans learn movement and how this might relate to education. At the fundamental, Larsson observes that “children have natural urges to move and movements like swinging, jumping, and running are inherently meaningful to children. In other words, children would swing, run, and jump to express themselves, even without formal instruction.” This book could be very useful for formulating a better understanding of how education and movement intersect.

REFERENCES 135

“Facilitating Preschool Learning and Movement Through Dance” Riolama Lorenzo-Lasa et al. | Early Childhood Education Journal August 2007

This article argues for the benefits of dance in facilitating preschool learning. At a fundamental level, young children understand and negotiate the world through reaching, jumping, balancing, and hopping. By incorporating dancing and movement into the curriculum, children develop “basic body awareness, counting and rhythm, creative body movement, and language and emotional expression.” Multidimensional movement helps children to connect “movement, sensation, and action to self-awareness, emotional response, social interaction, and cognitive focusing and attention.”

Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter’s School | Courtney E. Martin August 2021

This book follows a white mother as she struggles with her morality of whiteness as she decides where to send her daughter to elementary school. Oakland is the second most racially diverse city in the nation, yet elementary schools are still segregated de facto. The book is divided into four parts: Choosing, Arriving, Clashing, and Reckoning as the author works through segregation in public schools today and what it meant for her family. While this book is written in a very personal view, it is helpful to see how the author has contended with her whiteness and the complexity of school choice and its relation to race in schools.

136 REFERENCES

“Community Plumbing: How the Hardware Store Orders Things, Neighborhoods, and Material Worlds” | Shannon Mattern | Journal of Public Scholarship on Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism | July 2018 The author is a professor of anthropology at the New School and argues that the hardware store is not simply another retail store that sells stuff, but it is a “vital infrastructure, integrating the civic and commercial spheres.” It is a common ground for the community and is based on values of competence, intention, utility, care, repair, and maintenance. It promotes “material consciousness and mechanical sensibility.” I am intrigued by how the hardware store creates this social infrastructure in a community and the power it has to shape the community. I am starting to see a possible thesis route in a community center/school, and I appreciate how this article situates the hardware store in its historical context and its development over time to the vital infrastructure it is now.

“Stages of Literacy Development” | The Melissa Institute of Literacy, The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto This article describes the four stages of literacy development in a child according to the skills and activities associated with that stage of learning. Stage 0 is defined as the Foundation for Literacy in which preschool and early elementary students are introduced to the wonders and power of the printed word and begin to have an understanding of oral language and print. Stage 1 is termed Beginning Literacy in which elementary school-aged children move from learning about reading and writing to actually doing it. Key learnings during this stage are letter sounds and phonics, spelling and word study, and reading comprehension. Stage 2 is called Consolidation/ Fluency, which mid-elementary school students are able to apply their literacy skills with less effort and focus on the mechanics and think more deeply about the content of what they read and write. Building fluency comes with practice and reading aloud to a partner. Stage 3 is about Literacy for Growth, in which late elementary and secondary school students use “reading and writing as a means of acquiring new information, conducting research, reflecting on issues, and communicating about deeper thoughts and feelings.”

REFERENCES 137

Play = Learning: How Play Motivates and Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth | Ageliki Nicolopoulou et al.

September 2006

This research team conducted an experiment at a Head Start preschool classroom in a large urban center in the northeaster U.S., in which most of the students were low-income and almost 100% African American. The researchers introduced a new storytelling play activity in which students composed and told stories of their own initiative and acted them out together. This public and peer-oriented dimension created a “community of storytellers” in the classroom and “promoted oral language skills that served as key foundations of emergent literacy, as well as other important dimensions of school readiness.”

“How COVID-19 is Changing Our Perspective on Playgrounds” | Meaghan O’Neill | Architectural Digest | 24 April 2020 This article shows how parks closed during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed how important play spaces are for kids. According to a survey by the National Recreation and Parks Association, 91% of playgrounds were closed during the first couple of months of the pandemic. One of the main concepts introduced in the article is the idea of “play everywhere” design which “encourages integrating play spaces into the everyday environment – near grocery stores and banks, say – not just specific destinations.” Experts mentioned in the article include Jennifer DeMelo, director of programs and operations at Kaboom, Andy Sheffer, director of planning and development at the Seattle Parks and Recreation, and James Siegal, CEO of Kaboom.

“Why its a problem that kids have been deprived of play during the pandemic” | Washington Post | 17 March 2021 This article in the Washington Post describes how the coronavirus pandemic cooped up kids and didn’t allow kids to play how they were accustomed. Strauss quotes Nancy Carlsson-Paige (child development expert) and Brian Sutton-Smith (developmental psychologist) that kids will need play to health through this collective trauma of the pandemic together. The lack of play during the height of the pandemic is described as a deprivation as isolation replaced collective social play.

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Dismantling Desegregation: The Quiet Reveral of Brown v. Board of Education | Gary Orfield & Susan E. Eaton | 1996 As part of the Harvard Project on School Desegregation, this book documents the historical legal decisions concerning segregation in schools, from Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 to that state of segregation in schools in 1996. The book writes about case studies of communities that struggle with desegregation such as Norfolk, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Another avenue of research I could take would be to examine how diversity in our schools affects learning. Although this book is not recent, it provides insight into the history of segregation in schools which could be useful for understanding why schools are still segregated today.

“7 Types of Play and What They Accomplish” | The Original Rainbow This short article briefly describes the seven types of play according to Dr. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play. These seven types are attunement play, body play and movement, object play, social play, imaginative and pretend play, storytelling-narrative play, and creative play.

“Homo Ludens: Pieter Bruegel’s Children’s Games and the Humanist Educators” | Amy Orrock | Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art 2021

Amy Orrock is an art historian with curatorial internships at the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Collection in London. In this article, she analyzes the painting Children’s Games by Pieter Brugel, painted in 1560. Brugel’s painting depicts over 200 children playing 80 different games in the setting of a 16th century European courtyard. This gives insight into how play was seen during this period in history, not as folly but as an important part of childhood. She argues that historical instances such as classical Greece and the Dutch philosopher Erasmus show how games and play were used to develop a warrior’s strength and dexterity. Erasmus is quoted to say, “I’m not sure anything is learned better than what is learned as a game.”

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