Emergent Literacy Activities, Game, and Strategies
Literacy is very important when teaching children. Richard Allington, a reading expert, outlines six elements that every child should experience every day. The six elements are the following:
1. Every child reads something he or she chooses.
2. Every child reads with accuracy.
3. Every child reads something he or she understands.
4. Every child writes about something personally meaningful.
5. Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
6. Every child listens to a fluent adult read aloud.
In teaching emergent literacy skills, children are being taught skills in oral language development, early writing skills, and concepts of print.
Teaching Emergent Literacy Skills has to be done in the correct sequence. Children need to first be able to recite the alphabet THEN match them to written letters. Secondly, in preschool, uppercase letters should be taught because they are easy to recognize. In first grade, lowercase letters need to be reinforced often because they found in print.
Oral language is a crucial aspect of emergent literacy because it said to be the single best predictor to how a child will do in school prior to physically starting school. What does this mean? This means that children need to be actively involved in language-rich environments at home and in the classroom.
Teaching Early Writing Skills occurs in four stages. Stage 1 is drawing and scribbling. Stage 2 is letters and letter-like forms. Stage 3 is salient and beginning sounds. Lastly, stage 4 is beginning and end sounds.
Concept of Print Skills are skills children need before they can physically start reading. These skills are proper book handling skills, being able to identify the title, author, illustrator, and distinguish between pictures and text, and understand reading orientation with a return sweep.
1. Every child reads something he or she chooses.
2. Every child reads with accuracy.
3. Every child reads something he or she understands.
4. Every child writes about something personally meaningful.
5. Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
6. Every child listens to a fluent adult read aloud.
In teaching emergent literacy skills, children are being taught skills in oral language development, early writing skills, and concepts of print.
Teaching Emergent Literacy Skills has to be done in the correct sequence. Children need to first be able to recite the alphabet THEN match them to written letters. Secondly, in preschool, uppercase letters should be taught because they are easy to recognize. In first grade, lowercase letters need to be reinforced often because they found in print.
Oral language is a crucial aspect of emergent literacy because it said to be the single best predictor to how a child will do in school prior to physically starting school. What does this mean? This means that children need to be actively involved in language-rich environments at home and in the classroom.
Teaching Early Writing Skills occurs in four stages. Stage 1 is drawing and scribbling. Stage 2 is letters and letter-like forms. Stage 3 is salient and beginning sounds. Lastly, stage 4 is beginning and end sounds.
Concept of Print Skills are skills children need before they can physically start reading. These skills are proper book handling skills, being able to identify the title, author, illustrator, and distinguish between pictures and text, and understand reading orientation with a return sweep.
Story Box
- Synopsis: When children are in Pre-K and Kindergarten they are working on oral language and reading skills such as: speaking in full sentences, narrative skills, and using descriptive language. The Story Box allows children to practice both narrative and oral language skills because they are verbally creating their own story based off images. This can also be used as an activity for the Language Experience Approach (the acting teacher will just have to write down the story as the child/children say it).
- Materials: story cards (can download at link), empty tissue box, giftwrap, scissors, and tape.
- Directions:
- Cut out images from the free printables to make cards for the box
- Use leftover wrapping paper to cover an empty tissue box, leave the top slot uncovered.
- Place all the cards inside the box and set aside the 6 story cards with people on them.
- Lets play! Ask your child to pick one of the people from the story cards to have a subject for the story. Once the main subject is picked, place the rest of the people in the story box.
- For the first couple of times, the acting teacher will need to model the activity for the students. Have children tell a story based off the cards they pull from the story box. If there is a group setting, go around the circle taking turns for each child to add a line to the story.
- Once the story is finished, line up the cards in chronological order and have the child/children recite the story to you.
Pre-Writing Practice Strips
- Synopsis: Three are four stages in early writing. Drawing and scribbling is the first stage in early writing skills. Pre-Writing Practice Strips helps children practice tracing patterns similar to drawing and scribbling. This activity will also help children master fine motor skills and proper pencil group. Since this is the first stage in early writing skills, children will be getting prepped to move into the stage of Letters and Letter-like forms.
- Materials: dry erase markers and dry-erase patterns
- Directions: Given dry erase markers, students will practice tracing various patterns and shapes. This will help children master early writing skills.
Cotton Swab Letter Tracing
- Synopsis: When children are in the early stages of writing, they need plenty of opportunities to practice letter formation and proper pencil grip. Cotton Swab Letter Tracing will teach children how to properly hold a pencil and practice forming both lowercase and uppercase letters. Not only are children practicing early writing skills, they are also practicing letter recognition skills.
- Materials: paint, cotton, swab, sturdy paper, and maker
- Directions: The acting teacher will use the marker to write letters (can be both uppercase and lowercase) on a sturdy sheet of paper. He/she will supply children with the paper, cotton swabs, and paint. Children will hold the cotton swab like they would hold a pencil and dip it into the paint. Using the paint dipped cotton swab, the children will trace over the letters written in marker.
Hot Wheels Print One to One
- Synopsis: When learning to read, children must learn where in a sentence to start reading and where to end. Hot Wheels Print One-to-One is a flash card activity that uses traffic light colors and traffic lights to show a child where to start reading and where to end. This is a great activity for children to practice reading orientation as part of concepts of print skills. The link below takes you to more information including both types of flashcards.
- Directions: With a teacher, children will put their pointer finger on the green dot and read all the words following the yellow and stopping on the read dot. This will teach children that punctuation ends a sentence. For the next level up, children will use the flash cards with traffic lights on them, they will start with the green light read the sentence allowed guiding their finger across the line and stopping when they reach the red light.
Pete the Cat Book
- Synopsis: One of the most important factors in determining future reading success is the development of concepts of print. Left to right orientation, top to bottom orientation, return sweep, spaces between words, and where to begin reading and end are all concepts of print skills. Pete the Cat and other age appropriate books are perfect ways to teach students all about the concept of print skills. This activity includes working with children and having practice each skill with an adult.
- Materials: craft stick, craft blue, button, and any Pete the Cat book
- Directions:
- Create the Pointer
- Using the craft glue, attach the button to the craft stick. Give ample amount of time to dry before allowing the child to use.
- Practice Concept of Print Skills
- Read through the book with the child and point out all the different skills with the pointer. As the acting teacher, show the child the different parts of the book, how we read from left to right, where we start reading and end reading, the title, author, letters, words, and sentences.
- After reading through the book once, give the student the pointer and ask them about the different concept of print skills.
- Use a different book each time for students to practice these skills with various books and also to develop reading skills.
- Create the Pointer
My Letters, Words, and Sentences Booklet
- Synopsis: Before children can read books, they need to be able to identify and note the differences in letters, words, and sentences. My Letters, Words, and Sentences Booklet helps students develop concept of print skills and letter recognition skills. Children are practicing their skills of identifying letters, words, and sentences as part of concepts of print. The best part about this booklet is that it can be used as both an introductory and reinforcement activity. Students will use provided material to create pages of letters, words, and sentences in their booklet. My Letters, Words, and Sentences Booklet is a great way for students become aware of text and concepts of print.
- Materials: My Letters, Words, and Sentences Booklet, scissors, sheet full of letters, sentences, and single words, and magazines.
- Directions: This booklet can be utilized two different ways 1) with teacher supplied materials and 2) with magazines
- Teacher Supplied Materials
- During instruction, a teacher will provide students with the same information he/she is using (like in the video from the link).
- Students will follow along with the teacher and practice sorting letters, words, and sentences into the appropriate pages in their booklets.
- Magazines
- A teacher will supply students with kids appropriate magazines and old storybooks.
- Students are too look through the materials provided and cut out various letters, words, and sentences that they can identify.
- Using the cutout material, students will place them into the booklet onto the appropriate pages for the teacher to check and for future reference.
- Teacher Supplied Materials
Proper Book Handling Skills
- Synopsis: When children are learning to read, book-handling skills are an important aspect students need to know. Book-handling skills are part of the early literacy skill: concepts of print. It is important that teacher’s instruct students on proper ways to handle a book and constantly remind them the proper ways, the perfect way to do this is have a chart on the wall.
- Directions: The chart can be color-coded to show students the good and bad book handling skills. Teachers go over the chart at the beginning of the year and then place it near the classroom library. The chart will be used as a reminder for students to treat books properly.