Concepts of Print

and Genre

Authored by Nell K. Duke for TE 301

With modifications by Meagan K. Shedd
Summer 2009
About Concepts of Print
• Concepts of print can be viewed as basic knowledge
about how print in general, and books in particular,
“work.”
• Concepts of print include such things, in English, as
that:
• It is print that we “read.”
• Illustrations are related to the print.
• Print represents language.
• There are many purposes for print (this is also part of genre
knowledge).
• Words don’t change between readings (usually).

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 About Concepts of Print
• Concepts of print , continued:
• We read words from left to right.
• We usually read from word to word left to right.
• We read from top to bottom (at least when it is a text to be read
linearly).
• We use “return sweep” -- when we get to the next line down, we
start back at the left again.
• Space separates words (part of “concept of word”).
• Words, sentences, and texts have a “beginning” and “end”
(usually).
• Words have a “first letter”, a “last letter”, and “middle letters”.

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About Concepts of Print
• Concepts of print , continued:
• The orientation of letters matters in print (a pen is
a pen no matter how you hold it, but a letter could
be a p, b, q, or d depending on how you hold it).
• There is a “right side up” for print.
• We hold a book a certain way.
• We open books a certain way.
• We turn pages of a book from left to right (at least
when it is text to be read linearly).
• http://www.dropshots.com/chrisconsolati#date/20
08-01-13/17:51:52

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About Concepts of Print
• Concepts of print , continued:
• Books have a front and back, a cover (usually), an
author, perhaps an illustrator.
• Some books have other important parts such as
the index, table of contents, glossary (this is not
always included in “concepts of print”).
• Many people consider knowledge of punctuation
and upper and lower case letters as part of
concepts of print as well.

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Alphabetic Principle
The alphabetic principle is a concept of print or closely
related to concepts of print. The alphabetic principle
is the understanding that words are made of letters
and letters for the sounds we say when we way the
words. It includes the understanding that by putting
letters together in different ways, we make different
words.
Definition from Bennett-Armistead, V. S., Duke, N. K., & Moses, A. M. (2005).
Literacy and the youngest learner: Best practices for educators of children from birth to
five. New York: Scholastic.

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The Importance of
Concepts of Print
• Concepts of print are essential to conventional
reading and writing.
• Concept of word is especially predictive of growth in
reading in the early grades.
• Instruction sometimes relies on, or assumes, concepts
of print. For example, a teacher may assume that
children know what she means when she says, “Look
at the beginning of the word,” but not all children
may know this.

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Development of
Concepts of Print
• Concepts of print can begin to be developed very
early (see video).
• But concepts of print may still be developing well
into elementary school (or beyond, in rare cases).
• Some concepts of print -- such as learning how to
hold and open a book -- are likely to be acquired
before others -- such as the direction in which to read
letters within an individual word.

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Development of
Concepts of Print
• As children are developing concepts of print, they may be
actively developing theories about how print works. For
example, one child wrote:

LAEYMBABCODLPK
• She then “read it as “I like rainbows because they
have so many colors.” What is her theory about how
print works?
Example from Teale, W. H., & Sulzby, E. (1989). Emergent literacy: New perspectives. In
D. S. Strickland & L. M. Morrow (Eds.), Emerging Literacy: Young Children Learn to Read
and Write (pp. 1 - 15). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

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Development of
Concepts of Print
• There are assessments designed to measure
where children are in their development of
concepts of print.
• You can also learn a lot about where children
are in their development of concepts of print
by observing children as they draw, write and
interact with books and other texts.

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Development of
Concepts of Print
• There are many ways to help children develop
concepts of print. You will learn more about this in
TE401/2 but here are some ideas for now:
• Hold the book or other text so children can see it.
• Point to words as you read them.
• Write in front of children in such a way that they can
read it.
• Say words as you write them.
• Use terminology like “front,” “back,” “author,”
“illustrator” and so on.

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Development of
Concepts of Print
• When the time seems right, explicitly tell children about
particular concepts of print (e.g., “this space here tells you
it’s the end of this word”).
• Have children “help” you with concepts of print (e.g.,
“Now where should I start reading?” or “Juan, can you help
me turn the pages of this book as I read?”

Adapted from Bennett-Armistead, V. S., Duke, N. K., & Moses, A. M. (2005).

Literacy and the youngest learner: Best practices for educators of children from
birth to five. New York: Scholastic.

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