Page 338 - KSPK ENGLISH LANGUAGE

7. Early literacy development

In preschool, children show emergent literacy behaviours – that is they demonstrate that they are in the
process of becoming literate. Children imitate what they see others do in their world around them and as
such, begin to understand the nature of the literacy-related behaviours they are emulating. These include
such activities as:
 holding a book in a certain way
 demonstrating certain body postures and eye movements
 turning the page often together with verbal story-like announcements
 holding a pencil correctly
 making marks which represent writing.

These activities are very important for preschool children and occur when the environment is favourable
to such action, i.e. include the sharing of books and the use for writing for a purpose by the adult, together
with opportunities for children to the browse through books, hold pencils and pens and engage in mark
making. This is not a formal approach to teaching reading and writing, but it is recognised as essential in
developing the skills children need to later become successful readers and writers. When the children’s
first language (L1) uses another script from English (e.g. Arabic), these skills will need a little more explicit
nurturing, however children are skilful at re-using strategies they have learned in their L1 and can transfer
successfully between the L1 and the L2.

Preparing for literacy
In most countries, learning to read in a formal sense begins in primary school, and preschool education
contributes to preparing children for learning to read and write by:
 expanding the number of words in children’s active vocabulary
 developing children’s phonological awareness
 helping children to make connections between the spoken word (phonemes) and the written word
(graphemes).

Notice there is a focus on listening and speaking in this preparation: this is because oral language skills
are the basis for the development of written language skills in children. The role of English teachers is
similar – to develop children’s listening and speaking skills in English so that they can be successful at
reading and writing in English later on.

Why is it important that children have a large active vocabulary?
Oral knowledge of a word supports reading in two ways:
1. If the target sound of a word is already known, it is easier to sound out a written word.
2. If a word is already known, it is easier to predict where it might appear in a text.
So the more words a child knows, the easier it should be to read them.

Why is it important to develop children’s phonological awareness?
Phonological awareness is about understanding the sounds of a language, i.e. that language is made up
of words, syllables, rhymes and sounds (phonemes). Phonemic awareness is a part of phonological
awareness, and refers to the knowledge of words at the level of individual sounds, e.g. how they can be
segmented (separated), blended (brought together) and manipulated (changed). For example, CAT is
segmented into C + AT; it is blended by bringing C and AT together; and it can be manipulated by changing
the onset C to M, so we get MAT, or the rime from AT to AP, so we get MAP.

There is much research into L1 learners of English that suggests when children’s phonological awareness
is developed they are better prepared to begin reading. It would make sense to assume this is the case
with L2 learners of English too.

Why is it important to foster an awareness of the connections between the spoken and the written
word?
Providing access to the written word helps children begin to recognise what a word looks like and how it
is represented in letters. This in turn alerts children to the different sound(s) that letters can represent
within the word.

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