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The importance of literacy education
The importance of literacy education
The importance of literacy education
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Part A: Synthesis of Key Ideas (500 words) - 561 words
Early literacy refers to young preschool children’s language arts behaviours, concepts and skills that precede learning to read and write and developing a larger body of literacy knowledge at later ages (Machado, 2016).
Early literacy allows children to develop essential skills and knowledge through purposeful experiences. Developing a rich and conceptual language base, broad and deep vocabulary, verbal reasoning abilities and code-related skills are some of the many skills that children can acquire through early literacy (Neuman & Roskos, 2005). Furthermore, early literacy can cultivate children’s interest in language arts enjoyment of songs, poems, rhymes and dramatic play and foster their intrinsic motivation to learn language and literacy (Roskos, Christie & Richgels, 2003, pp. 52-60). Therefore, early literacy is important in the early childhood context as it helps children acquire skills in coordination and interaction with meaningful experiences.
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Storybook reading, sound activities and letter games can help to enhance children’s early literacy development in a meaningful and enjoyable manner. For example, teachers can conduct phonological awareness activities such rhyming games, alliteration and sound matching to increase children’s awareness of the sounds of language (Roskos et. al., 2003). Furthermore, ensuring that there is a library corner stocked with good books can encourage children to try to read, hence promoting reading (Roskos et. al., 2003). There are many strategies that teachers can practice to promote early literacy skills such as recognition and awareness of sounds and letters. Teachers can link these strategies with play so as to create more language-rich environments where children can practice and demonstrate language skills (Riley-Ayers,
Pearson UK (n.d.) stated “Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.” This review and comparison consists of two lessons. One lesson presented by Megan Tupper is a comprehension and rhyming lesson that helps children understand the body characteristics and the understanding of what their body characteristics do in the story Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes (Hindley & Granstrm, 1999). Another lesson presented by Nina Deroziere where she used her talent to bridge the gap between music and language arts by reading the story Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon (Lovell & Catrow, 2001).
Jones Diaz, C. (2007). Literacy as social practice. In L. Makin, C. Jones Diaz & L. McLachlan (Eds.), Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice. (pp. 203-216).Marrickville, NSW: Elsevier.
Lonigan, C. J., Allan, N. P., & Lerner, M. D. (2011). Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy
This detailed text provides an understanding of reading and writing through detailed case studies, reflective questioning and further reading; in addition to links with the Early Years Curriculum (EYFS)(DCSF, 2008) provide informative information accessible to both practitioner and parent. As pointed out by the authors, literacy relates to fifty % of the early learning goals, therefore highlights the importance by the practitioner to make the acquisition of literacy exciting and meaningful through a multitude of role play scenarios, stories, rhymes and oral language, thus providing opportunities for the child to put life experiences of literacy into context, while scaffolding existing knowledge.
This activity suits the child’s current stage of oral development will interest them and aid in them progressing in their oral development. Children at this stage of development enjoy listening to stories which is good not only for their receptive skills, but also for their expressive language (Fellows and Oakley, 2014), in all four key components of spoken language. It helps with phonemes by getting the child to focus on the phonological patterns throughout the text (Fellows and Oakley, 214). Syntax knowledge allows them to observe the sentence structure and grammar in the book which allows them to develop a stronger awareness of the syntax. Visual aids in storybooks can aid in the child in the understanding of semantics (Fellows and Oakley’s), as the story is read aloud their receptive skills hear those more difficult words, when paired with a visual cue such as a picture in the book the child understands better and thus they are able to gain a better understanding of how to speak these difficult words. A better understanding of pragmatics can also be gained from storybooks as they understand how people communicate in society such as greetings and asking for things (Fellows and Oakley,
Literacy is most commonly understood as reading and writing. But before children can read and write, they need to learn about sound, words, language, books and stories (Raising Children, 2015). Children begin to develop and gain knowledge quite differently and with support and developmentally appropriate learning skills children will also come to understand the connection between letters and sounds. Literacy development or early literacy is the most essential in the first three years of life as it the earliest experience children have with language, sound and the positive interactions between child and adult. Vygotsky (1978) believed in how children developed, and the important role of adults in leading child’s early development. The interactions
As a teacher, you need to encourage all attempts at reading, writing, speaking, and allowing children to experience the different functions and use of literacy activity (The Access Center, n.d.). Moreover, it is crucial for educators to understand phonological awareness and phonics; know what constitutes good children’s literature and how to use it; know children who need additional assistance with beginning reading and writing (Cunningham et al, 2004 as cited in McLachlan et al, 2013, p. 112). Educators also need to plan effective activities to assist children experience reading aloud, listening to other children read aloud, listening to tape recordings, and videotapes so children have opportunities to integrate and extend their literacy knowledge (The Access Center, n.d.). Morrow (1990 as cited in The Access Center, n.d.) notes that classroom with greater teacher facilitation promote literacy behaviours, so it is educators’ role to provide literacy rich
Early childhood education is an issue that is examined both by media and academic professionals, both of which are represented by Alison Gopnik, a writer and professor (Gopnik, 2013). Gopnik (2011) found that over the years, parents and teachers work to their fullest to instruct children to read at very young ages. It can be Interpreted that reading skills take priority over creative skills, since children are instructed to read even in the womb (Gopnik, 2011). “Thus, the pressure is rising to make kindergartens and nurseries more like schools” (Gopnik, 2011). This pressure has come from the law since 2001, when preschools were pushed to become more academic (Gopnik, 2011).
Vukelich, C, Christie, J & Enz, B 2002, Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy, Allyn & Bacon, Bosten MA.
Being literate defines who I am, and forms an integral part of my life. From the practical to the creative, it aids, and enables me to perform in the tasks that modern society dictates. I shall explore the many aspects of my life that are affected by literacy. Through this, understanding in greater depth what it means for me, to be literate.
Reading and writing is a key part of everyone’s life. There has been some encouraging levels of reading development in primary school assessments. According to the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy report (2015), 95.5% of students achieve at or above the national minimum standard of reading. It is important to know effective ways to teach reading so children can become active problem solvers to enable them to read for meaning or for fun. Over the years, there has been a big amount of research into the most effective ways to teach reading skills to students. There are some systematically taught key skills and strategies that help achieve these levels of reading. Some of these skills include phonological awareness, phonemic awareness,
When you think of language the first thing that comes to mind is speech. Without speech, which is made up of letters, vocal sounds and words, we would not be able to communicate and understand each other’s needs. So in order for educators to help enhance literacy development they must take into consideration the whole classroom and how it should be designed. In this paper, I am going to create a floor plan of my current pre-school classroom and discuss how it fosters language development in the library center, dramatic play center, and the block center including an explanation of how these three areas support language acquisition.
Reading aloud helps a child’s memory, curiosity, and it builds their motivation (“Importance of Reading Aloud”). “Reading aloud introduces the language of books which differs from language heard in daily conversation, on television, and in movies. Book language is more descriptive and uses more formal grammatical structures”. Children learn many things while being read to. The more books that are read to children, the more their vocabulary expands. Reading to children can introduce them to different literature they might not find on their own (Koralek). Another essential skill that children need is the ability to listen, which they learn while being read to (“Importance of Reading Aloud”). Not only does reading give children the ability to listen, it gives them the ability to understand how stories work. “The more a child knows about and experience the joys of reading before kindergarten, the easier it will be to learn to read,” (“Why Reading to Children Is Important”). Reading is fun and the more it is done, the more children will enjoy it
Early childhood education is for children from the ages three to eight years old. In this field there are four learning goals that early programs have for a young child.
Ford, k (2010). 8 Strategies for Preschool English Language Learner’s Language and Literacy Development. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/36679/. Last accessed 5/4/2014.