What is Emergent Literacy?

1. What is Emergent Literacy? Sarah Brewer EDRD 630

2. What is Emergent Literacy? • Literacy learning begins at birth. • Children learn and are influenced through the modeling and scaffolding provided by those who surround the learner. Mason, J.M., & Sinha, S. (1993). Emerging literacy in the early childhood years: Applying a Vygotskian model of learning and development. In B. Spodek (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 137-150). New York, NY: Macmillan

3. What is Emergent Literacy? • Students are active constructivists and participants in their own learning. • Literacy experiences should be meaningful, language rich and child-centered. Mason, J.M., & Sinha, S. (1993). Emerging literacy in the early childhood years: Applying a Vygotskian model of learning and development. In B. Spodek (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 137-150). New York, NY: Macmillan

4. All aspects of literacy such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening are interconnected. Mason, J.M., & Sinha, S. (1993). Emerging literacy in the early childhood years: Applying a Vygotskian model of learning and development. In B. Spodek (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 137-150). New York, NY: Macmillan

5. How is literacy developed before formal instruction? • Parents and caregivers influence literacy development by modeling how to read, write, speak and listen as soon as they are born. • In addition, children acquire certain attitudes and beliefs about literacy based on their models’ examples. Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties before kindergarten. In C. Snow, S. Burns, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Preventing reading difficulties in young children (pp. 137-171). National Research Council.

6. How is literacy developed before formal instruction? • Positive literacy practices, beliefs and attitudes that parents and caregivers model include: • reading aloud various forms of text and discussing aspects of the text • making lists • writing and/or saying directions • reading/writing for enjoyment • print rich environment with presence of magnetic refrigerator letters, posters, newspapers, magazines, books and other kinds of environmental print • mealtime conversations • singing songs or chanting rhymes that are familiar • performing a variety of purposeful literacy acts that show its functionality Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties before kindergarten. In C. Snow, S. Burns, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Preventing reading difficulties in young children (pp. 137-171). National Research Council.

7. What can emergent literacy look like? • Babies make sounds that imitate talking, read gestures and facial expressions • Begin to associate frequently heard words with their referents (mommy, daddy, doll, bottle) • Begin to recognize symbol systems and their uses • Reading from memorization • Knowledge that print has meaning Mama! National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Young children, 30-46.

8. What can emergent literacy look like? Development of Writing May not necessarily develop in above sequential order. Morrow, L.M. (2005). Chapter 7: Writing, Spelling, and Literacy Development. In L.M. Morrow (Ed.) Literacy development in the early years: Helping children read and write. New York: Pearson.

9. How can you foster emergent literacy in your classroom? • Provide a meaningful print rich environment in which to learn: word wall, posters, student work, labeling, letters • Promote phonemic awareness: ability to hear the individual sounds or phonemes in a word National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Young children, 30-46.

10. How can you foster emergent literacy in your classroom? • Reading aloud various genres of text and discussing literary elements • Shared/repeated readings • Buddy reading • Choral reading • Individual reading • Reading workshop National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Young children, 30-46.

11. How can you foster emergent literacy in your classroom? • Shared writing • Dictated/transcribed writing: concept of word • Daily writing • Journaling • Writing workshop National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Young children, 30-46.

12. How can you foster emergent literacy in your classroom? • Phonics instruction (singing songs, rhyming, word play, word sorts) • Vocabulary development through previewing and listening to stories • Oral language development • Listening and computer stations • Dramatic play National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Young children, 30-46.

13. References Mason, J.M., & Sinha, S. (1993). Emerging literacy in the early childhood years: Applying a Vygotskian model of learning and development. In B. Spodek (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 137-150). New York, NY: Macmillan National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Young children, 30-46. Morrow, L.M. (2005). Chapter 7: Writing, Spelling, and Literacy Development. In L.M. Morrow (Ed.) Literacy development in the early years: Helping children read and write. New York: Pearson. Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties before kindergarten. In C. Snow, S. Burns, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Preventing reading difficulties in young children (pp. 137-171). National Research Council.