Building Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Settings

What is an emergent skill that begins at birth?

literacy

emergent literacy skills refers to the

reading and writing knowledge and behavior of those who are not yet liteate

emergent literacy skills are typically acquired through

observation and informal measures

development of emergent literacy skills requires

enjoyable and meaningful social interactions with adults

outcomes of emergent literacy activities

• print awareness

• phonological awareness

• alphabet knowledge

• vocabulary to describe literacy constructs

print awareness

realization that print can be used as a communication device

phonological awareness

understanding of the sound structure of oral and written language

alphabet knowledge

knowledge about the nature of letters and other print symbols

emergent knowledge about literacy provides the

foundation for later literacy skills

children who start kindergarten with strong language and emergent literacy skills are shown to exhibit

early and continued success with learning to read and write

lack of success in early school years is linked to

• lifelong academic failure

• greater risk for school drop out

• vocational/ employment limitations

there is a window of opportunity for building childrens emergent literacy skills

before they get to school

in preschool, this is necessary for building a foundation for literacy skills

extra support and encouragement

literacy skills must be nurtured

daily and frequently

building blocks of emergent literacy

• conversation- with parents, teachers, peers about what they’re learning. occur during book readings too, facilitates oral language development

• vocabulary- incorporate vocab instruction as an informal part of daily convos (print and verbal) and books

• story comprehension- not just about reading and asking wh questions. teaching story components, reading with emotion, exaggeration, pausing, pointing, etc.

• language of learning- teach how to use complex, abstract language, learn critical skills like predicting and inferencing

• print knowledge- nature, purpose, and rules of print

• phonological awareness- words can be broken down, letters correspond to the sounds