Early Literacy Behavior
Behavior of Emergent Literacy
From the moment of the birth, babies begin to acquire literacy information and they continue to build their knowledge of oral language, reading and writing as they go through their childhood.
Goodman (1984) reported that many children have already known certain things which are necessary for reading and writing competencies.
Literacy learning begins early in life and is on-going. Literacy is viewed as developmental which exemplified by content development of literacy with oral language, by learning to read write as social and cognitive endeavours.
Vygotsky’s assertions about higher mental functions as internalized social relationships show that children increase their independent engagement in reading activities, with previously acquired interaction with more literate others, such as their parents.
Literacy development begins with children’s first
experience with print.
Scarborough and Dobrich (1994) described emergent literacy as a highly complex concept and that children are developing simultaneously with respect to many crucial and eventual literate behaviour.
The behaviour provided for is a guide:
1. To determine which behaviour can be identified for acquisition,
2. To recognize which behaviour can be associated with approximation,
3. To identify which behaviour can be linked to development.
Holdway describes young children’s approximations of reading as “reading – like play”, that is almost unintelligible at first, until this “reading – like play” rapidly becomes picture – stimulated, page – matched and story – complete.
Meek (1982) describes learning to read in the early stage, like everything else as a child has come to know, as an approximation of adult behavior with a genuine, meaningful function.
In the course of their childhood literacy skills are developed.
Teachers also enhance their early literacy skills through free.
Not all preschool kids possess the same skills or demonstrate the same behaviour.
Moreover, these behaviours are not generalizable in terms of age since emerging kids vary with respect to their readiness.
Physical Abilities Language Skills Reading Skills Writing Skills
• playing toys• manipulating clays,
blocks, legos• attempting puzzle
work• putting together
toy parts• dismantling toy
parts• holding and using
pencil• holding and using
crayon• finger pain ting
• humming• imitating familiar
sound• singing• counting• reciting• producing pleasant
sound to imitate reading voice
• using incomprehensible language but perceived as reading
• browsing books and other colorful reading materials
• looking at pictures and other print materials
• eyes focused intently on books
• recognizing letters, numbers
• recognizing pictures
• observing adult reading
• scribbling • squiggling• drawing• tracing• coloring• interested in pencil
and paper activities
• attempting to make marks on paper
• recognizing lines and shapes
• imitating adult writing
Roneth R. Dela Cruz
3CC1