Niño D. Estolas, M.Ed., LPT

Emergent literacy refers to the early development of literacy abilities, occurring before formal schooling begins. It includes activities such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In early childhood education, emergent literacy emphasizes children's acquisition of literacy skills through listening, interacting, and engaging with their environment. It also examines how young children engage with and react to reading and writing tasks.

What Is Early Literacy? by Sacramento Public Library (2022).

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), during the initial stages of speech and language development, children acquire the foundational skills needed for literacy, including reading and writing. This phase, referred to as emergent literacy, commences at birth and extends through preschool age.

Studies indicate that a child's interactions involving speaking and listening during preschool years contribute to their readiness for learning from kindergarten to third grade. Children lacking a strong basis in verbal skills as they enter early elementary grades are at a higher risk of encountering challenges in acquiring literacy abilities compared to their counterparts with a solid foundation in verbal skills.

Why is it important?

Emergent literacy skills serve as the fundamental foundation for acquiring reading and writing abilities. They encompass the early skills, knowledge, and attitudes children develop prior to formal instruction in reading and writing. Without these essential building blocks, mastering the more advanced aspects of traditional reading and writing becomes challenging.

What is Early Literacy and Why is it Important? by Promote Early Literacy Project (2019).

The significant components of emergent literacy include:

Oral Language Skills: This encompasses the ability to listen, speak, and understand spoken language. Strong oral language skills lay the foundation for later reading and writing development.
Phonological Awareness: This refers to the awareness of the sounds of language, including recognizing and manipulating individual sounds (phonemes), syllables, and rhymes. Phonological awareness is crucial for learning to read and spell.
Print Awareness: This involves understanding the conventions of written language, such as knowing how to hold a book, understanding that print carries meaning, recognizing letters and words, and understanding the directionality of text (e.g., left to right, top to bottom).
Alphabet Knowledge: This refers to recognizing and naming letters of the alphabet. Alphabet knowledge is essential for developing decoding skills and understanding the relationship between letters and sounds.
Vocabulary Development: This includes acquiring a broad range of words and understanding their meanings. A rich vocabulary supports reading comprehension and overall language development.
Narrative Skills: This involves understanding and producing stories or narratives, including sequencing events, understanding story structure, and making predictions. Narrative skills contribute to reading comprehension and writing proficiency.
Concept of Print: This includes understanding how print works, such as recognizing that sentences are made up of words, understanding punctuation marks, and knowing how to track print while reading.

These components interact and build upon each other as children develop literacy skills during the emergent literacy stage. Providing opportunities for children to engage in activities that promote these components can support their early literacy development.

Parents Role in Child's Literacy

The parental role in a child's literacy development is significant and multifaceted. Here are some key aspects:

Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment: Parents can foster literacy skills by surrounding their children with books, magazines, and other reading materials. Having a variety of reading materials accessible at home encourages children to explore and engage with written language.
Reading Aloud: Reading aloud to children from an early age exposes them to language and helps develop vocabulary, comprehension, and listening skills. It also instills a love for reading and encourages children to see reading as an enjoyable activity.
Modeling Literacy Behaviors: Parents serve as role models for literacy behaviors by demonstrating reading, writing, and communication skills in everyday life. When children see their parents reading books, writing notes, or engaging in conversations, they learn that literacy is valued and essential.
Encouraging Writing: Parents can encourage their children to write by providing opportunities for drawing, scribbling, and eventually, writing letters, words, and stories. Positive reinforcement and praise for their efforts help boost children's confidence in their writing abilities.
Supporting Homework and School Activities: Parents can support their children's literacy development by helping with homework, engaging in literacy-related activities, and communicating with teachers about their child's progress and needs.
Engaging in Conversations: Engaging in conversations with children helps develop their oral language skills, vocabulary, and comprehension abilities. Parents can ask open-ended questions, encourage storytelling, and actively listen to their child's thoughts and ideas.
Visiting Libraries and Bookstores: Taking children to libraries and bookstores exposes them to a wide range of books and reading materials. Parents can help their children select books that match their interests and reading levels, fostering a lifelong love of reading.
Using Technology Wisely: While technology can supplement literacy development, parents should monitor screen time and ensure that digital resources are age-appropriate and used in moderation. Encouraging interactive literacy apps, educational websites, and e-books can complement traditional literacy activities.

Parental involvement, support, and encouragement play a crucial role in laying the foundation for a child's literacy skills and fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning.

Importance of Early Literacy by Penfield Children's Center (2016)

Teachers Role in Child's Literacy

Teachers play a crucial role in developing literacy skills in students. Here are some key aspects of their role:

Instruction: Teachers provide explicit instruction in reading, writing, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. They use a variety of instructional strategies and materials to accommodate diverse learning styles and needs.
Assessment: Teachers assess students' literacy skills through formal and informal assessments to identify strengths and areas for improvement. They use assessment data to tailor instruction and provide targeted support to students.
Differentiation: Teachers differentiate instruction to meet the individual needs of students. They provide additional support for struggling readers and challenge advanced readers with more complex texts and tasks.
Modeling: Teachers model proficient reading and writing behaviors, such as decoding words, making predictions, asking questions, and summarizing text. Modeling helps students understand how skilled readers and writers approach text.
Guided Practice: Teachers provide guided practice opportunities for students to apply literacy skills in context. This may include guided reading sessions, writing workshops, and collaborative literacy activities.
Feedback and Support: Teachers provide timely and constructive feedback to students on their reading and writing assignments. They offer encouragement, guidance, and support to help students improve their literacy skills.
Building a Literacy-Rich Environment: Teachers create a literacy-rich classroom environment with a variety of books, print materials, and resources. They promote a love of reading and writing through read-alouds, book talks, and author studies.
Parental Involvement: Teachers communicate with parents about their child's literacy progress and provide suggestions for supporting literacy development at home. They may also involve parents in literacy activities and events at school.
Professional Development: Teachers engage in ongoing professional development to enhance their knowledge and skills in literacy instruction. They stay informed about current research, best practices, and instructional strategies to effectively support student learning.

Teachers play a critical role in fostering literacy development in students by providing high-quality instruction, differentiation, support, and opportunities for practice and engagement in reading and writing activities.

Interventions for Children with Inadequate Literacy

When children exhibit inadequate literacy skills, there are various interventions that educators and parents can implement to support their development. Here are some effective interventions:

Targeted Instruction: Provide targeted instruction tailored to the specific needs of the child. This may involve one-on-one or small group instruction focused on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Structured Literacy Programs: Implement structured literacy programs that systematically teach phonological awareness, phonics, decoding, encoding, and sight word recognition. These programs use explicit, sequential, and multisensory instruction to support struggling readers.
Reading Intervention Programs: Implement evidence-based reading intervention programs that focus on improving reading fluency and comprehension skills. These programs may include strategies such as repeated reading, guided reading, and reciprocal teaching.
Multisensory Approaches: Incorporate multisensory approaches into literacy instruction, such as using visual aids, manipulatives, and kinesthetic activities to reinforce reading and writing skills.
Assistive Technology: Utilize assistive technology tools and resources to support students with literacy difficulties. This may include text-to-speech software, speech-to-text software, audiobooks, and word prediction software.
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: Provide explicit vocabulary instruction to improve students' word knowledge and comprehension. Teach students the meanings of words, how to use context clues to determine word meaning, and strategies for learning new vocabulary.
Extended Learning Opportunities: Offer extended learning opportunities, such as before and after-school literacy programs, tutoring, and summer reading programs, to provide additional support and practice for struggling readers.
Parental Involvement: Involve parents and caregivers in supporting their child's literacy development at home. Provide resources, tips, and activities for parents to engage in literacy activities with their child and reinforce skills learned in school.
Progress Monitoring: Implement ongoing progress monitoring to assess students' literacy skills and track their growth over time. Use assessment data to adjust instruction, target areas of need, and make informed instructional decisions.
Collaboration and Professional Development: Collaborate with colleagues, special education professionals, and literacy specialists to develop and implement effective literacy interventions. Participate in professional development opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills in literacy instruction and intervention.

By implementing these interventions, educators and parents can effectively support children with inadequate literacy skills and help them become confident and proficient readers and writers.

Several theories of learning provide insights into the development of emergent literacy:

Behaviorism: Behaviorist theories, such as those proposed by B.F. Skinner, focus on the role of environmental stimuli and reinforcement in learning. In the context of emergent literacy, behaviorist principles may suggest that children acquire early literacy skills through exposure to print materials, language-rich environments, and positive reinforcement for literacy-related behaviors.
Constructivism: Constructivist theories, including those of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, emphasize the active role of learners in constructing knowledge through interaction with their environment and social interactions. In emergent literacy, constructivist perspectives suggest that children construct their understanding of language and literacy through hands-on exploration, social interactions, and engagement with print materials.
Sociocultural Theory: Sociocultural theories, such as Vygotsky's theory, highlight the importance of social and cultural contexts in learning. According to this perspective, emergent literacy development is influenced by social interactions with parents, caregivers, and peers, as well as exposure to literacy practices within the child's cultural and linguistic community.
Cognitive-Developmental Theory: Cognitive-developmental theories, such as those proposed by Piaget, focus on the stages of cognitive development and how children acquire new knowledge and skills. In emergent literacy, cognitive-developmental perspectives suggest that children progress through stages of literacy development, gradually acquiring skills such as phonological awareness, letter recognition, and print concepts.
Information Processing Theory: Information processing theories, which draw parallels between human cognition and computer processing, focus on how individuals encode, store, and retrieve information. In emergent literacy, information processing perspectives may highlight the role of attention, memory, and executive functions in learning to read and write.

These theories of learning provide valuable frameworks for understanding the development of emergent literacy and the factors that contribute to children's early literacy skills and abilities. By considering these theories, educators and parents can support children's emergent literacy development through purposeful instruction, meaningful experiences, and rich language environments.

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