The most important literacy activity a parent or teacher can perform for children is reading to them. Watch as teachers read to children, both individually and in groups large and small. Flannel board stories are used to enhance story time. Children then demonstrate their understanding of the stories by retelling them with the flannel board figures, or through dramatization and puppet plays. They also dictate to and draw stories for their teacher.

The program also takes a look at children engaged in a variety of activities intended to increase their vocabularies and understanding of print while supporting their knowledge base in other curriculum areas. Children look at picture files, study environmental prints, refer to recipe charts, keep journals, write books, and build and paint a mailbox. One teacher describes why and how she set up a classroom library, and children are shown borrowing books from it. Another explains and demonstrates the art of taking dictation from a child, and then creates a book for the student to take home.