Why is early literacy important?
Children who develop early literacy skills have an advantage to learning to read. However, there are more than 1 in 3 children entering Kindergarten without the skills they need to learn to read. It is essential for children to develop early literacy skills for success in school and later in life. Parents who explose their children to reading, rhyming, singing, and talking beginning from birth profoundly influence literacy and language development, the foundation for all other learning.
Early literacy development is everything a child knows about reading and writing before he or she can read or write. The following skills can determine whether a child will be ready to learn to read and write:
Print Motivation
- Children enjoy books and reading are more motivated to learn to read.
- Tips: Read books for enjoyment!
Print Awareness
- Children noticing print is everywhere. How to handle a book and following the written word on the page.
- Tips: Point to words while reading; look for letters and words on signs, labels, and lists.
Letter Knowledge
- Children knowing that letters are different from each other. Identfying and recognizing letter names and sounds.
- Tips: Talk about and draw the letters of a child's own name.
Vocabulary
- Children knowing all kinds of words.
- Tips: Carry on lots of conversations with children.
Phonologial Awareness
- Children playing and hearing with the smaller sounds of words.
- Tips: Sing songs {nursery rhymes}; Break words into syllables; Recite rhymes
Narrative Skills
- Children being able describe things and events, retelling stories, knowing the order of events, and making predictions.
- Tips: Ask open-ended questions to encourage conversations; Talk about your day and its series of events; Read stories without words
What is Early Literacy Assessments?
Early Literacy Assessments was designed to help identify the reading development of students in kindergarten. The assessments are easy to use which will help the teacher with targeted instruction for students to improve as readers.
Assessments include:
- Rhyming
- Onset & Rime
- Blending Phonemes { 3 & 4}
- Initial Sounds
- Final Sounds
- Deleting Initial Sounds
- Deleting Final Sounds
- Letter & Sounds
- Syllables
- Listening Comprehension
