Fostering Young Children’s

Interest in Literacy

By, Jennifer Brand

Concepts about the written

No I won’t Language

• Through experiences in homes and communities, children learn that with the written word, comes meaning, and reading and writing are used for a variety of purposes important in everyday life.

• Children’s understanding of the importance and use of reading and writing reflects how written language is used in their own community.

• Children have a wide range of literary experiences and these experiences vary from community to community

• The main purpose for written language varies between communities. Some purposes are:

– Practical tool - to pay bills

– Leisure-time activities

– debating social and political issues

• Important for primary-grade teachers to demonstrate the purposes of written language and provide opportunities for the students to experiment with reading and writing in many areas such as:

• Posting signs in the classroom

• Making a list of classroom rules

• Writing notes to students in the class

• Exchanging messages with classmates

• Reading and writing stories

• Making posters about favorite books

• Labeling classroom items

• Drawing and writing journals

• Reading and writing charts and maps

• Reading and writing letters to pen pals

• Writing notes to parents

• Writing morning messages

Three types of concepts that young children acquire from their experiences with varied materials are:

• Book - Orientation concepts

• Directional concepts

• Letter and Word concepts

• Concepts are acquired as children are read to, read books themselves, through demonstrations of writing, and through writing activities.

Levels of the concept word

• Young children do not differentiate between words and things.

• Children describe words as labels for things.• Children understand that words carry meaning and

that stories are built from words• More fluent readers and writers describe words as

autonomous elements having meaning of their own and definite semantic and syntactic relationships.

Environmental print

• When children begin word recognition, it usually starts with symbols (i.e. McDonalds).

Ways to increase the literacy experiences of the children.

• The morning message - Demonstrates purpose and correct writing patterns

• Literacy play centers - Demonstrates practical purpose

• Sign in sheets - Practice writing names for genuine purpose

• Mail Boxes: Exchanging messages with classmates - Gives reading and writing social purpose

Bibliography

• Reading of the 21st, by Tompkins

• Microsoft Power Point Presentations

• Dr. Mi