Content area
Full Text
The author defines emergent literacy and describes the elements of instruction that ensure success for children as they enter formal settings for instruction in early-literacy activities. The importance of these early-literacy activities includes all aspects of communicating purposefully in real-world experiences. Aspects of emergent literacy include language skills, phonological awareness, the desire to learn and enjoy literacy activities, awareness of the nature of print, and some beginning letter knowledge.
For eight summers, I directed summer Head Start programs in the Plano, Texas, district and, for the first time, realized that many young children had weak communication experiences and, in particular, no desire to hear books read. Many had limited vocabularies. Some could not sing songs or repeat nursery rhymes. Eight weeks of literacy activities and meetings with parents to explain the importance of reading to their children could not prepare these children for the communication challenges of kindergarten or Grade l.They needed more time to spend in activities that could prepare them for the communication tasks expected by the district and state. In this article, I provide suggestions for teachers who have children such as these in their classrooms.
Defining Emergent Literacy in Reading and Writing
"Literacy is viewed as the ability of individuals to communicate effectively for real life applications" (Zygouris-Coe, 2001, p. 4). Research based on literacy development in young children can help educators define the teachers essential role as he or she provides reading and writing instruction. The Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center at the College of Education of University of Central Florida (FLaRE) defined emergent literacy as "a developing range of understanding about print and non-conventional literacy behaviors that begins before schooling and leads into conventional reading, speaking, viewing, and thinking" (Zygouris-Coe, 2001, p. 6). In their seminal position paper, the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children concluded that "learning to read and write is a complex, multifaceted process that requires a wide variety of instructional approaches" (p. 8). Clearly some children come to the school setting without the foundation they need for building more formal skills.
To address the need for early intervention, Sulzby and Teal (1987, as cited by ZygourisCoe, 2001) trained a group of low-income parents to read to...