Emergent Literacy

Concepts About Print Elena Iantosca

Overview

It is very important for children to start pre-literacy activities at an early age. These activities will help children develop concepts about print. These concepts include knowing how to hold a book the right way, differentiating between print and pictures, turning pages left to right, and being able to tell the front of the book from the back (Ornstein, 1998). Once children have grasped these first basic concepts, children can move on to learning more complex concepts about text. Children will learn that one must read lines of text from left to right and then to go back to the beginning of the next line down. They will also learn that pages are read from top to bottom starting at the top left. Next children will learn to tell words from letters, two different letters, a capital and a lowercase letter, and two different words (Ornstein, 1998, p. 60 Lastly they will pick up on punctuation marks in texts. Each of these stages of gaining concepts can be aided by parents and family members with different kinds of books that I will discuss later. Developing concepts about print in children at an early age is invaluable to their literacy development. Without a firm grasp on these concepts, children will have trouble learning to read and write. These concepts about text give children the tools they need to read and to write by themselves. In addition, children's knowledge of these concepts when they enter kindergarten is a major factor in determining their literacy level (Nichols, Rupley, & Rickleman, 2004). Developing these concepts through early literacy experiences is so important that both the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the International Reading Association state that failing to give children literacy experiences until they are of school-age can severely limit the reading and writing levels they ultimately attain (Rog, 2001, p. 10). Families can help children develop these concepts about print by exposing them to books, magazines, and all kinds of print, especially in their homes. Having a variety of texts at home helps children learn bout how text works. Lack of exposure to text may limit childrens ability to develop an understanding of these concepts. Children exposed to books and other reading material at a young age will begin to try to imitate writing and reading if given the opportunity (Rog, 2001). Families can help their children develop these important concepts about texts in many simple ways. Reading to your children and reading in the presence of your children are both easy ways to help them with these concepts. You can begin reading to your children even before they begin to talk (Campbell, 1998). The first books you may want to try reading should have many pictures and not that many words per page with large print. You might also want to use board books so that your children do not tear the pages (Ornstein, 1998). A book such as Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt would be an excellent book for gaining the first concepts of reading. As you read with your children, ask them questions (Campbell, 1998) and talk about the book. Also, allow your children to turn the pages of the book and hold the book if they can or want to do so. After having experience with board books and learning how to hold a book and turn its pages, children will start to focus on the text more. Identify the title of the book, and ask your children to predict what the book is going to be about by looking at the cover. Ask them to show you what part of the page you should begin reading (the text versus the picture). When you read to your children, you might begin to guide their fingers across the words as you read pointing to each word as you say it. This will help them see that for each word you say there is a set of letters on the paper that corresponds; this is called one-to-one matching (Ornstein, 1998). Once you have read a short book to your children several times, ask them to try reading it to you, having your children re-tell the story in their own words (Miller, 1995). In this stage

of development, you should pick books with large print and few lines per page with a good amount of space between the words (Ornstein, 1998). A good book for this level is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. This book also has lively and interesting pictures that children will enjoy. Next as children begin to notice the difference between a letter and a word, they will need families to read them a new level of books. They might enjoy some rhyming books such as the Dr. Seuss books, Cat in the Hat and Hop on Pop (Ornstein, 1998). Lastly, as children begin to read more fluently, they will enjoy books that have to do specifically with things of interest to them. The stories in the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series may be popular at this stage though children will still need guidance from family members on these stories.

Family Activities
Bring your children to the grocery store with you. Before going, have them help you dictate the grocery list to you and watch you as you write the words. Say the words out loud as you write them. When you get to the grocery store, read your list out-loud as you point to the words and point to the corresponding words on the products you are buying. This activity will help children understand the practical use of print in action. They will see that you write left to right just like you read left to right also. Make a book with your children. Very young children might like a book of familiar photographs with labels under each photo that a family member can read to him or her. Older children might like to illustrate the book by themselves. You could write the words as the children dictate the story. Then you and your children could read the book together, pointing to the words as you read. Take your children to a restaurant. Show them the menu and whatever pictures may be on the menu. Read the menu to your children pointing to the words as you do. Let them help choose what to eat and have them point to it if they can remember which one it is. This activity will also help children realize how we use print in real life. Read to your children! The number one thing you can do for your children to help them learn concepts about print is to read to them everyday. A bedtime story is an excellent opportunity to read to your children. Make sure the book is interesting to your children. Ask them to predict what will happen in the book and guide their fingers along the words.

Resources
Learning About Print in Preschool: Working With Letters, Words, and Beginning Links with Phonemic Awareness By Dorothy S. Strickland and Judith A. Schickedanz This book is a great resource for caretakers of young children. The book begins by talking about what preliterate children should know about print and it goes on in later chapters to discuss strategies to develop these concepts. Though this is a book written for preschool teachers, parents will find the information very useful.

Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide By Betsey Hearne Written by a children's librarian, this book is a useful guide to help families choose interesting and appropriate books for children. The book is divided by chapters, and it starts with books for the very youngest children. Later chapters discuss books for children up to the young adult age. Hearne uses a conversational, down-to-earth tone that is easy to read. This book can be found at your local library.

Great Books for Babies and Toddlers By Kathleen Odean The author of this book is the former chair of the Newberry Award Committee, and she has much to offer. Odean offers over 500 annotations to books for families of children up to three years old. The book begins with a good introduction as to why reading age appropriate books helps children throughout their education. Odean also explains in plain logical terms why each book is good for its assigned age group. This book can also be found at your local library.

The Read-Aloud Handbook By Jim Trelease This is a great book about why its important to read-aloud to your children and how to do it effectively. This book cites many studies to support its claims on the benefits reading-aloud to children. Trelease organizes the book with families' questions and his answers about what they might ask about reading aloud to their children. This book also has an annotated bibliography of children's books at the end. You can find this book in your local library.

PBS Parents http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/rath-school.html This website is a good resource for parents. It has experts in the educational field and their answers to parents' questions about literacy. Parents may write in with their own questions as well and answers may be posted.

Early Years are Learning Years http://readyweb.crc.uiuc.edu/library/1997/learnabo.html This is a website that cites many of the NAEYC literacy guidelines. The website gives good ideas for how to address literacy from infancy to the primary years. It lists everyday activities that any family may try.

Kindergarten Activities http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/tablek.html

This website has a list of one hundred links to different pdf files that have checklists for activities that parents can try with their kindergarteners at a variety of levels. These checklists would be useful to parents not familiar with reading to children.

Irvine Unified School District: Family Literacy Project http://iusd.org/parent_resources/questionsencourage.htm This website lists questions families may ask their children before beginning reading a book, during reading, and after reading. These questions are designed to help children have conversations about what they read and to think about what they are reading more deeply.

References
Campbell, R. (1998). Facilitating preschool literacy. Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association. Miller, W. H. (1995). Constructing a handout to use with parents of young 'at-risk' children in improving emergent literacy skills. Paper presented at the Combined Meetings of the Great Lakes and South East International Reading Association. Nashville, TN. Morrow, L. M., & Strickland, D. S. (1989). Emerging literacy: Young children learn to read and write. Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association. Nichols, W. D., Rupley, W. H., & Rickelman, R. J. (2004). Examining phonemic awareness and concepts of print patterns of kindergarten students. Reading Research and Instruction, 43(3), 61. Ornstein, S. (1998). Learning to read through picture books. School Library Journal, 44(6), 60-61. Rog, L. J. (2001). Early literacy instruction in kindergarten. Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association. Seefeldt, C. (2001). A room rich in words. Scholastic Early Childhood Today,16(2). 40-47.

Words, Words, Words. Building Print Concepts with Preschoolers

Before a child can begin to put the sounds together to read about Sam and his green eggs, he must have mastered the concepts of print. In large part, this means that he understands that letters can combine to make words and that written words convey meaning. It requires some abstract thinking, as a child comes to realize that these organized symbols represent spoken words, which in turn, represent actual objects and ideas. Concepts of print also includes directionality (left to right, top to bottom) and function. So how do you go about instilling children with an understanding of the concepts of print? Here are a few ideas:

Hit the Books

Sharing books with children is one of the best ways to help them learn that print carries meaning. We dont often think about it as a learned skill, but children do need to learn how books work. Point out the title as well as the author and illustrator names. Use those terms and talk about how the children are authors and illustrators too! As you read, children are learning how to hold a book, where the text is, that

print flows from left to right and top to bottom(if you are following along with your finger or a pointer), and which direction the pages turn. So many concepts in one enjoyable experience! Now, dont bore your children with these concepts; theres no need to belabor the point. Simply be aware of them so that you know when and how to emphasize them, and also recognize when children are beginning to master some of these concepts.

Environmental Print
The term, environmental print does not refer to the Sierra Clubs latest newsletter. Environmental print includes the printed words that children see and interact with on a regular basis. These are often the first words children can read by sight, because they become meaningful and familiar. Environmental print can consist of signs, labels, charts, and branding. Yes, as much as we may not like the barrage of marketing towards children, the fact that your child can read the word Cars on any Pixar packaging, means he is building concepts of print. A World of Words. One way to draw attention to environmental print is to create a word wall. There are many ways to use a word wall, but one great way is for collecting environmental print. This means that the children cut out words (and some accompanying pictures) from cereal boxes, magazines, and even fast food take-out containers. Each word is then discussed and analyzed and attached to the wall near the letter of the alphabet that is at the beginning of the word. So, near the letter P, you may have labels for pizza, popsicles, popcorn, and princesses. This not only emphasizes the meaning of the words, the similar beginning sounds, but also the salient features of letter formation in spite of different fonts and scripts. If you dont have a wall to devote to the activity, create a binder divided by the letters of the alphabet and insert the words in the appropriate sections. Its amazing how this type of ongoing, child-driven activity can make children more aware of the words around them. Youll be amazed at how many words your children can already read.

Whats Your Function? Utilizing functional print is another great way to fill the childs environment with print. Your OCD persona can rejoice as you label shelves, bins, and cupboards with their contents. Create schedules that combine written words with pictures. Put up signs to label rooms, exits, pet cages and aquariums, even doors and windows. Teach children to use functional print like this to communicate with other children, as well as sign-ups to organize turn-taking. Point out the written recipes during cooking activities and written lyrics during singing time even when they already know the song by heart. Anything that uses print to perform a function. (Thats where that catchy term comes from.) Connecting theses printed words to the words they use and the objects and ideas they are familiar with creates powerful connections.

By Any Other Name

One of the most powerful words to teach a child to recognize in print is his or her own name. Help children to recognize their own names by using nametags, signin activities (even if they cant write their own names conventionally), and cubby labels. Label their artwork in front of them, post their names on job charts, and use their names in mystery word activities (where you write or reveal one letter at a time, causing them to recognize the difference between Ashley and Ainsley, while again seeing that words begin on the left and add on to the right). Names are a source of pride and belonging, and children are usually highly motivated to learn to read them. As you surround children with meaningful print, and engage them with it in useful ways, pointing out how words are constructed and the way print flows, children begin to learn information essential to their reading success. When you recognize what these concepts are and how children can learn them, you can emphasizethese aspects during child-centered, playful activities. When you have prepared yourself and your environment, you can maximize the learning that can take place all around you in natural ways.

What do you do to encourage children to learn about the concepts of print?

Top photo by Terri-Ann Hanlon. Begin reading this series on Emergent Literacy HERE. You may also like -

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11 Comments Filed under Building Readers Tagged as early literacy, emergent literacy, language and literacy, literacy

11 Responses to Words, Words, Words. Building Print Concepts with Preschoolers

1. joanne Petrie
August 20, 2010 at 2:19 pm

I thought your article was great and right on. I also believe parents need to be educated and write correctly by writing correctly, I am referring to the art of letter formation. Penmanship and the teaching of letters has gone down hill. Children are not shown to write letters from top to bottom L-R (unless the student is a lefty) in all settings nor the importance of bi-lateral skills.Kids dont even use scissors or help prepare food by chopping in the kitchen with a plastic knife. Kids are just too busy in front of the TV or computer. Before a child begins to write, lets do them all a favor and de-mystify what letters really are simply lines and curves. I stress this in my new book, recently published by Xlibris, The Mystery of the Land of Letters, in my Pre-K classroom, and during my handwriting support classes with first and second graders. If the adults in this world want children to write correctly we need to be responsible for teaching them to use their hands to build motor strength even before writing get rid of the markers for now let the children use chalk, pencils, and crayons. Reply

notjustcute
August 20, 2010 at 3:11 pm

Many great points, Joanne! We often get so focused on children writing, that we forget the foundational skills of motor control, and recognizing and being able to follow simple lines and curves. Ill have to check out your book, it sounds really interesting! Thanks for sharing your expertise here! Reply

notjustcute
August 20, 2010 at 3:14 pm

I just looked at your website (and realized I should have written Jo-Anne, not Joanne). Your book looks great. I love the idea of a rocket following those curves and lines. Brilliant! Reply

joanne Petrie
September 12, 2010 at 10:03 am

Thank you so much! I love educating others on the subject of writing in the early years. As you can tell it is a passion of mine. I work with many children who get down on themselves, frustrated, and the extreme cases even refuse to write saying they are stupid. As parents and educators many of us are in such a hurry to get kids writing that more harm than good is being taught. With this thought in mind, I am expanding on my website to include alphabet phonics/writing cards, posters, and downloads. When parents are in a hurry to speed up the process of writing for their children, I ask if they would rather have their house built on a stick or concrete foundation. Of course their reply is concrete. That is when I give them permission to slow down

the process of writing until the children I reach/teach have the strength, understanding, and desire to write properly. I am hoping these extras will be on site mid- October. Best, Jo-Anne Reply

2.

netc23
August 22, 2010 at 12:39 pm

read. read read read. go to library reading time when we can as I think its good for my son to have various people read to him. we practice letter recognition with a little game Ive made where I made two sets of alphabet letters each on a piece of paper I put one on the floor and hold one. I give one to him at a time and say A for Asher or G for Girlwe practice the sound of the letter and then he finds the match on the floor. this is also really nice to cheer on my son sometimes when weve been having a rough day. takes our mind off of everything but him achieving and me cheering. Reply

3.

Play
August 24, 2010 at 8:56 pm

Hi I added the links,

http://www.playisessential.net/prereading-skills.html Email me if you want something changed. Thanks, Play is Essential Reply 4. Pingback: The Write Way to Read Not Just Cute

5.

joanne Petrie
September 12, 2010 at 11:35 am

I did not leave my website link but here it is: http://www.spotandfreckleslearn.com Reply

notjustcute
September 13, 2010 at 5:46 am

Thanks, Jo-Anne! Im looking forward to checking out your new resources!