This practicum was designed to increase the literacy growth of kindergarten students through the use of developmentally appropriate emergent literacy practices. The kindergarten language arts curriculum did not meet the diverse literacy needs of the kindergarten students. The goal of the practicum was to meet the diverse literacy needs of the kindergarten students. The writer developed eight integrated thematic units that incorporated emergent literacy instructional strategies, i.e. read-alouds, story retell using props, shared reading, acquisition of unit related vocabulary, music and art activities, and writing activities. The writer also developed a home-school connection designed to create a link between home and school and to provide parents and students with an opportunity to work together to improve literacy skills. In addition the writer created a print-rich classroom environment to promote literacy and literacy awareness. Data from a teacher-made questionnaire completed before and after the practicum implementation indicated that teachers were successful in implementing the emergent literacy instructional strategies. Teachers also reported on the effectiveness of the integrated thematic approach to instruction, the home-school connection, and the print-rich classroom environment. Contains 45 references; an appendix presents a teacher questionnaire. (Author/RS)