Fostering Literacy Development in Young Children
Fostering Literacy Development in Young Children
(783 words)
In the modern society, words are everywhere. They are on signs, labels, in books, on computer screens, TVs, advertisements, and many other materials that exist within the immediate environment. It is because of this that young children are aware of words and letters even if they cannot yet comprehend the respective meanings. Young children can often recognize such environmental print as a stop sign, or certain labels, or product brand names, prior to them being able to read (Melzi & Ely 2009; Whitehurst & Lonigan 1998). This awareness and recognition is known as emergent literacy. According to the Bank Street Guide to Literacy website (2001), there are four main stages to achieving literacy: Emergent Early Early Fluent Fluent. The earliest stage, emergent literacy, consists of the awareness of the written language and the ‘skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are the precursors to reading and writing’ (Whitehurst and Lonigan, 1998: 848). Yet literacy, unlike spoken language, does not just ‘happen’. It must be learnt and children must be guided in both reading and writing. For parents to foster literacy interest in children, there are two areas that should be paid attention to: environment and practice.
The environment is central to a child’s learning ability, and creating one where children have easy access to literature of various forms will generally have a positive influence on their ability to acquire literacy skills (Melzi & Eli 2009; Roskos & Neuman 2001; Whitehurst & Lonigan 1998; Xue, & Meisels 2004). A living space that is filled with resources, such as word and picture posters, children’s books, toys or games with educational purposes is an ideal environment for emergent reader/ writers, and one that is conducive to expanding a child’s interest in developing their existing skills further. Not only do they begin to recognize words holistically (Xue, & Meisels, 2004), but as
(783 words)
In the modern society, words are everywhere. They are on signs, labels, in books, on computer screens, TVs, advertisements, and many other materials that exist within the immediate environment. It is because of this that young children are aware of words and letters even if they cannot yet comprehend the respective meanings. Young children can often recognize such environmental print as a stop sign, or certain labels, or product brand names, prior to them being able to read (Melzi & Ely 2009; Whitehurst & Lonigan 1998). This awareness and recognition is known as emergent literacy. According to the Bank Street Guide to Literacy website (2001), there are four main stages to achieving literacy: Emergent Early Early Fluent Fluent. The earliest stage, emergent literacy, consists of the awareness of the written language and the ‘skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are the precursors to reading and writing’ (Whitehurst and Lonigan, 1998: 848). Yet literacy, unlike spoken language, does not just ‘happen’. It must be learnt and children must be guided in both reading and writing. For parents to foster literacy interest in children, there are two areas that should be paid attention to: environment and practice.
The environment is central to a child’s learning ability, and creating one where children have easy access to literature of various forms will generally have a positive influence on their ability to acquire literacy skills (Melzi & Eli 2009; Roskos & Neuman 2001; Whitehurst & Lonigan 1998; Xue, & Meisels 2004). A living space that is filled with resources, such as word and picture posters, children’s books, toys or games with educational purposes is an ideal environment for emergent reader/ writers, and one that is conducive to expanding a child’s interest in developing their existing skills further. Not only do they begin to recognize words holistically (Xue, & Meisels, 2004), but as
References: Bus, A., Van IJzendoorn, M. & Pellegrini, A. 1995, ‘Joint Book Reading Makes for Success in Learning to Read: A Meta-Analysis on Intergenerational Transmission of Literacy’, Review of Educational Research, Vol. 65, No. 1, pp. 1-21. Berko Gleason, J. & Bernstein Ratner, N. (Eds) 2009, The Development of Language 7th Edn, Pearson Education, Inc, Boston, MA. Goldfield A, & Snow, E. 2009, ‘Individual Differences: Implications for the Study of Language Acquisition’ in The Development of Language 7th Edn, eds J. Berko Gleason & N. Bernstein Ratner, Pearson Education, Inc, Boston, MA, pp. 285-314. Hull, L. & Schultz, K. 2001, ‘Literacy and Learning Out of School: a review of theory and research’, Review of Educational Research, Vol. 71, No. 4, pp. 575-611. Melzi, G. & Ely, R. 2009, ‘Language and Literacy in the School Years’ in The Development of Language 7th Edn, eds J. Berko Gleason & N. Bernstein Ratner, Pearson Education, Inc, Boston, MA, pp. 391-445. Neuman, S. & Dickinson, D. (Eds.) 2001, Handbook of Early Literacy Research Volume 1, Guilford Press, New York. Roskos,K. & Neuman, S. 2001, ‘Environment and its influences for early literacy teaching and learning’ in In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research Volume 1, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 281-292. Whitehurst, G. & Lonigan, C. 1998, ‘Child Development and Emergent Literacy’, Child Development, Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 848-872. Xue, Y. & Meisels, S. 2004, ‘Early Literacy and Learning in Kindergarten: Evidence from the Early Childhoof Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999’, American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 191-229.