Early Literacy Behavior

Behavior of Emergent Literacy

 From the moment of 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.
 When children attend formal education, they have been already
equipped with many literacy concepts and certain oral language,
reading and writing competencies.
 Goodman (1984) reported that many children have already known
certain things which are necessary for reading. When children have
acquired naturally develop these skills,until they have internalized
many of its rules and have learned its more complex processes.
 Literacy development begins with children’s first experience with
print.
 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.
 Studies conducted about early literacy development recognize
children as natural readers and writers and that their literate
behaviour does not begin at a particular age but emerges continually.
 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.
 When children are immersed in literacy by being surrounded with
materials that promote their early literacy by being exposed to
meaningful literacy events, and by having constant interaction with
literate adults, they demonstrate that behaviour as they acquire,
approximate and develop their early literacy skills. The behaviour
provided for is a guide:
 1. to determine which behaviour can be identified for acquisition-
early signs of their abilities, interest and information about
literacy.
2. to recognize which behaviour can be associated with
approximation-conditions when children are almost correct in
their literacy skills, and
3. to identify which behavior can be linked to development-
practices with scaffolding, up to minimal adult supervision or
no guidance at all since they can independently perform those
early literacy skills.
 Holdaway describes young children’s approximations of
reading as ‘reading-like play’ rapidly becomes picture-
stimulated,page-matched and story-complete.

Early Literacy Behavior

Physical Abilities Language Skills Reading Skills Writing Skills

 playing toys  humming  browsing books  scribbling
 imitating and other  squiggling
 manipulating familiar sound colourful reading  drawing
clay, blocks,
 singing materials  tracing
legos 
 counting looking at  coloring
 attempting
 reciting pictures and  interested in
puzzle work
 producing other print pencil and
 putting together materials
pleasant paper activities
toy parts 
sound to eyes focused  attempting to
 dismantling toy intently on books
imitate make marks on
parts  recognizing
reading voice paper
 holding and
 using pictures  recognizing
using pencil  observing adult
incomprehensi lines and
 holding and ble language reading shapes
using crayon but perceived  imitating adult
 finger painting as reading writing
Physical Abilities Language Skills Reading Skills Writing Skills
 holding books  using oral  emulating  practicing
 turning pages of language adult reading writing strokes
books  possessing oral  enjoying story  copying letters
 attempting to use vocabulary telling and numbers
paper and pencil  reading aloud  interested in  starting to
 drawing  narrating reading aloud write his name
 tracing familiar stories  retelling and names of
 scribbling  inquiring  half narrating family
 discriminating  commenting  half reading members
pictures  using oral  possessing  copying
 discriminating language for reading environmental
colors communication vocabulary print
 recognizing  naming objects  writing with
shapes and sizes and characters adult
 identifying supervision
texture  making notes
 discriminating
sounds
 imitating
movements