Emergent/Beginning Literacy Skills Christine Ryall, Ph.D. IRC Mentor Collaborative

Concepts of Print

Layout Print Orientation Letters Words Punctuation Pictures Concepts of Print…with text

print carries a message there is a one to one correspondence between words read and printed text there are conventions of print

Left to right: Directionality Book parts: cover, spine, pages, words, punctuation, pictures Syntax…letters to words to sentences Function of illustrations Conventions of PRINT

Break down the foundation… Consider the vowels and consonants Alphabet Knowledge – Match Upper case – Match Lower case – Production…write them Concepts of Print

Develop concepts through practice, consistent help, repetition – many have limited experience – Environmental Print – Language Experience Explicit Instruction is needed

Letter Identification

one of the best predictors of reading success 26 letters 44 sounds Write, say, trace, search and find Use more than books… Use environmental print Letters

Reinforcement Lowercase letters Capital letters Varying font styles Varying representations???? Letters

Names Big Books Dictionaries Newspaper scavenger hunts Sandpaper, cereal, paint, Playdough, string, pipe cleaners Games…bingo! Letter-based activities

Phonemic Awareness

An important ingredient in learning to read NOT the same as phonics/letters Phonological awareness is a predictor of reading readiness. Stretch the sounds of word beginnings and endings…without letters…show objects and pictures. Phonemes

Blending Rhyming – Onset /c/ – Rime /at/ Segmenting – Elkonin boxes – Clapping – Body motion Sound processes

Say the sounds (not the letter) Blend them to make the word Say the word Write the letters Say the word Step by step…

Have FUN with sounds Clap the sounds in words and use manipulatives Sight Word Identification Skills to build on

Bridges to Vocabulary Sounds…face-to-face reproduction – Use mirrors, “sound phones,” modeling – SING familiar songs…talk about the words – Play the sort and identify objects game! – Use “pictures only” books to build discussion – Create word banks from familiar activities/locations – REPETITION