Literacy Activities that Highlight Emergent and Beginning Literacy Development

Abstract

Activities that teach PreK–1 students the six components of emergent literacy and beginning reading and word study are presented for classroom settings. These activities are adaptable developmentally and they highlight four important aspects of teaching phonics, spelling and word knowledge that are often overlooked: the rhythm of literacy, Concept of Word in Text (COW‐T), articulation in word study, and the role of spelling in the reciprocal processes of reading and writing (decoding/encoding). Research underlying these activities suggests that rhythmic activities in early literacy instruction can be a precursor to explicit instruction for phonological awareness with young children and students who struggle to learn to read. The research also shows how articulation and other multisensory aspects of learning to read are parts of development and instruction for emergent and beginning readers. The role of spelling during these early periods is highlighted and discussed.

The Alphabetic Principle and Concept of Word in Text: Two Priorities for Learners in the Emergent Stage of Literacy Development

“…The emergent stage of development is typically associated with pre‐kindergarten through early first grade (ages 3–6) (Bear, 2022; Gehsmann & Templeton, 2022). The early part of this stage aligns with the “pre‐alphabetic” phase of word recognition, and the middle and late part of this stage with the “partial‐alphabetic” phase of word recognition, labels that acknowledge children's increasing application of alphabetic information when engaging with reading and writing activities (Ehri, 2005, 2022).…”

Comprehension for Emergent Readers: Revisiting the Reading Rope

“…Explicit comprehension instruction cannot wait until children are independently decoding, instead the concept of understanding what is read must be introduced and taught at the same time. This waiting impacts our emergent readers in preschool, kindergarten, and early first grade (Bear, 2022;Gehsmann & Mesmer, 2023). Comprehension instruction with emergent readers has often been limited.…”