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.
*Literacy learning begins at birth; before formal literacy instruction is even presented.
*Social context of literacy learning is significant. 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 ). 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.
*Students are active constructivists and participants in their own learning.
*To foster literacy learning and development, 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 ). New York, NY: Macmillan

4. All aspects of literacy such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening are interconnected.
*All aspects of literacy such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening are interconnected and are essential in the development of one another.
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 ). 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.
*Parents and caregivers begin influencing children’s 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. This can have both positive and negative effects on their literacy development depending on the attitudes and beliefs transferred.
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 ). 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 ). 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,

8. What can emergent literacy look like?
Drawing
Scribbling
Letterlike forms
Letter strings
Inventive spelling
Conventional spelling
Development of Writing
Writing is developmental: drawing to scribbling to letter like forms to letter strings to invented spelling to conventional spelling
May not necessarily develop in above sequential order.
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
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,

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
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,

11. How can you foster emergent literacy in your classroom?
Shared writing
Dictated/transcribed writing: concept of word
Daily writing
Journaling
Writing workshop
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,

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
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,

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 ). New York, NY: Macmillan
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.
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,
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 ). National Research Council.