Designed by and for educators, Early Childhood Literacy: Engaging and Empowering Emergent Readers and Writers Birth-Age 5 outlines the connection between different areas of language and literacy and describes strategies for supporting development and promoting instruction. Early reading, writing, and language development include pre-writing behaviors, writing attempts, listening, speaking, gestures, and signs.

This textbook was written by a cross-campus team of faculty, including Christine Pegorraro Schull (Senior Lecturer, Family Science, UMD School of Public Health), along with Leslie La Croix, Sara E. Miller, Kimberly Sanders Austin, and Julie K. Kidd.

Created and published with the support of a VIVA Open Grant from the Virtual Library of Virginia.

The Public Speaking course was developed through the Ohio Department of Higher Education OER Innovation Grant. This work was completed and the course was posted in September 2019. The course is part of the Ohio Transfer Assurance Guides and is also named OCM013. For more information about credit transfer between Ohio colleges and universities, please visit: www.ohiohighered.org/transfer.Team LeadJessica Papajcik                                Stark State College   Content ContributorsJames Jarc                                        Central Ohio Technical CollegeJanny Nauman                                  North Central State CollegeCarrie Tomko                                     University of Akron LibrarianAllen Reichert                                   Otterbein UniversityReview TeamLaura Garcia                                     Washington State Community CollegeJasmine Roberts                               Ohio State University

Scholars and practitioners agree that between 50-65% of the information that we communicate with others is done through nonverbal channels... That is, all of the ways that we communicate without using words.  Whether it’s a smile or a smirk; eye contact and a nod; gestures, or touch...they all send a message. This section introduces students to the ways in which nonverbal communication is used at an interpersonal level as well as in the public speaking context. As public speakers, students will learn to use nonverbal communication to develop rapport with their audience, to demonstrate confidence and competence, and to deliver clear, engaging, and memorable speeches. Developing strong nonverbal communication habits takes practice, and this chapter includes educational activities designed to help students hone their skills. When used effectively, nonverbal communication can support the words that are being said and improve the effectiveness of the message. When used poorly, nonverbal cues can confuse the audience, or worse, may send the message that the speaker is unprepared, uninterested, or even deceitful. This section provides information that will help students understand the best ways to use nonverbal techniques to become a more confident and engaging presenter.