Section 2: Early Literacy

Section 2: Early Literacy
This section addresses Cognitive Development through the content area of Early Literacy and
overlaps with the Language Development section. The correlations are with the Kindergarten
Curriculum Standards in English/Language Arts.
This section also correlates with Head Start Performance Standards:
1304.21(a)(4)(iii) Promoting interaction and language use among children and between
children and adults
1304.21(a)(4)(iv) Supporting emerging literacy and numeracy development through materials
and activities according to the developmental level of each child.
1304.21(b)(2)(ii) Supports the emerging communication skills of infants and toddlers by

providing daily opportunities for each child to interact with others and to express himself or
herself freely.
1304.21(c)(1)(ii) Provides for the development of cognitive skills by encouraging each child to
organize his or her experiences, to understand concepts, and to develop age appropriate
literacy, numeracy, reasoning, problem solving and decision-making skills which form a
foundation for school readiness and later school success.
Early Literacy Page 1

Early Literacy for 0 through 4 months
Learning
Domain
Correlations
Area of
Learning Expectations Performance Indicators (examples)
Component
(examples) By the end of age span
Book Knowledge and
DEVELOPMENT
COGNITIVE
Appreciation
Eyes focus on simple

Book Handling Makes eye contact with the pictures but does not
pictures in books or make hand contact
Skills
drawings

Early Literacy for 5 through 8 months
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Begins to explore the

Looks intently at pictures for several minutes, with
Book Knowledge and
physical properties of a
DEVELOPMENT
wide-open eyes and thoughtful expression

book
COGNITIVE
Appreciation
Grasps the book and brings it to the mouth to suck

Book Handling and chew; shakes, crumples and waves the book
Skills Holds a board, cloth, or Holds book, using both hands, and manipulates the
plastic book and book to make the pages open and close, exploring
manipulates the pages how it works
Helps turn the pages, pressing the page to the left
after the adult has separated it from the remaining
pages

Early Literacy for 9 through 12 months (9 months to 1 year)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
Shows notable decrease in physical manipulation of

books accompanied by an increase in visual
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
attention to books; pats pictures

Book Knowledge and Appreciation
Shows increased Gives a book to an adult to read; after one reading,

Book Handling often takes the book, hands it back, and requests
involvement and
Skills that the adult read it again; sits in lap for longer
enjoyment with books periods
Turns pages awkwardly, experiencing some difficulty
in separating papers but succeeding through
persistence and effort
Begins to interact with
story and recognize Looks at pictures periodically, interspersed with hand
pictures of everyday manipulations and an occasional mouthing
Looking and familiar objects
Recognition Makes animal noises or other appropriate sounds
Begins to make (e.g. , "moo, moo") when she sees the familiar animal
Skills
or object pictured
associations about familiar
objects Laughs or smiles to show recognition of pictures

Early Literacy for 9 through 12 months (9 months to 1 year)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
Relates an object or an action in a book to the real

Knowledge and
Appreciation
world (e.g ., goes to get teddy bear after seeing a

DEVELOPMENT
Picture and Story picture of one in a book)

Book
Begins to recognize
COGNITIVE
Comprehension
symbols for objects Points to individual pictures and vocalizes while
Skills
pointing to picture
Early Writing
Writing
Early
Begins to show interest in Grasps the crayon and brings it to the mouth to suck
Behaviors and
exploring writing tools and chew
Skills

Early Literacy for 13 through 18 months (1 year to 1-1/2 years)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Turns pages well

Book Handling Begins to show interest in
Book Knowledge and
DEVELOPMENT
Turns an inverted book right side up, or tilts head as

Skills exploring books if trying to see the picture right side up
COGNITIVE
Appreciation
Names objects pictured (articulation may not be

accurate, but parent or other caregiver can tell what
he is trying to say)
Looking and Begins to show awareness
Recognition and interest in familiar Points to a picture and asks "What's that?" or
indicates in another way ("Dat?" or questioning
Behaviors pictures intonation) that a label is desired
Points correctly to a familiar object pictured when
asked, "Where's the…?"

Early Literacy for 13 through 18 months (1 year to 1-1/2 years)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
Selects books on the basis of content, thus

demonstrating some understanding of what they are
about
Begins to recognize
Shows a preference for a favorite page of a book by
Picture and Story "favorite books" and
searching for it or holding the book open at the page

Comprehension repeatedly requests to repeatedly, as if that part were particularly well
read them understood or appreciated
Performs an action that is shown or mentioned in a
book
Uses book babble (i.e. , nonsense jabber that sounds
like the child is reading rather than conversing with
someone) as well as conversational babble
Story Reading (expressive jargon)
Pretends to read books
Behaviors Fills in the next word in the text when the adult
pauses, says the next word before the adult reads it,
or reads along with the adult when a highly
predictable text is read
Early Writing
Early Writing
Shows increased interest
Behaviors and Grasps the writing tool in palm to scribble or mark
in exploring writing tools
Skills

Early Literacy for 19 through 24 months (1-1/2 years to 2 years)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
Might continue to rotate a book in an attempt to get a

picture right side up when something in the picture is

Book Handling Shows interest in exploring actually upside down; may become frustrated and
Behaviors books lose interest in the book
Turns board book pages easily, one at a time; carries
book around the room
Looking and
Shows awareness and Points to a picture and asks "What's that?" or
Recognition indicates in another way ("Dat?" or questioning
interest in familiar pictures intonation) that a label is desired
Behaviors
Performs an action that is shown or mentioned in a
book
Begins to interact with
Picture and Story story through familiar hand
Shows empathy for characters or situations depicted
Comprehension motions and expression of in books (e.g ., pretends to cry after being told that a
emotions child in a book is sad)

Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
Picture and Story Enjoys books that relate to Draws associations across books (e.g ., retrieves a
book about bath time, or gets two books and shows
Book Knowledge and
Comprehension personal experiences the adult that they contain similar pictures or events)
Appreciation
Pretends to read to dolls or stuffed animals and to

self
Enjoys looking at book by
Fills in the next word in the text when the adult
self, while sitting by peers
pauses, says the next word before the adult reads it,
Story Reading or when being read to by or reads along with the adult when a highly
Skills an adult; begins to connect predictable text is read
familiar books to play Recites part of a story's text outside of the story-
experiences reading context, (e.g ., when swinging in a swing)
Coordinates text being read with the picture
Early Writing
Writing
Early
Begins to use writing tools Holds large writing tool and marks with it, resulting in
Behaviors and
to make marks on paper visual feedback
Skills

Early Literacy for 25 through 30 months (2 years to 2-1/2 years)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
Talks about the characters and events in storybooks

in ways that suggest understanding of what has been

Begins to understand the said or read
Picture and Story
Early Literacy
connection between books Relates events in books to personal experiences

Comprehension Makes associations among similar books (e.g ., child
and personal experiences
gets two books about trains and shows the adult that
they contain similar pictures or events)
Recites whole phrases from favorite stories if the
Book Reading Recognizes and enjoys adult pauses at opportune moments
Skills reading familiar books Protests when an adult misreads a word in a familiar
and usually predictable story
Early Writing
Early Writing
Uses variety of writing Holds tool in palm of hand using all fingers (palmar
Behaviors and grasp) and scribbles
tools to make scribbles
Skills

Early Literacy for 25 through 30 months (2 years to 2-1/2 years)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Component
By 30 months, child stops activity to focus on

Is aware of and can

interesting sounds around her (e.g ., dogs barking,
identify many sounds in birds singing, and sounds of trains, planes, sirens,
the environment vacuums, etc.)
Auditory
Discrimination Begins to distinguish
Early Literacy
Makes accurate distinctions between words that

between words with similar contain very similar-sounding phonemes, such as
phonemes, such as pat path-pass, hat-pat, bug-bud, map-nap, shot-shop, hit-
and path hat
Engages in and enjoys

Phonological word play with silly sounds Plays with words himself if he hears adult modeling
Awareness and real and nonsense rhymes or silly-sounding words
words

Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Asks to read books to the adult and may be able to

recite several books fairly accurately, especially if
Story Reading Begins to recite from memory they are simple and predictable
Behaviors familiar books
Reads familiar books aloud, rendering the text very
accurately, particularly when a book is predictable
Early Writing Draws a circle
Scribbles and draws with

Behaviors and
intentionality Imitates a horizontal crayon stroke
Skills
Is aware of and can identify
Identifies the source of familiar sounds in the
many sounds in the
Early Literacy
environment and continues to notice new sounds

environment
Continues to distinguish
Makes accurate distinctions between words that
between words with similar
Auditory contain very similar-sounding phonemes (e.g. , path-
phonemes, such as pat and pass, hat-pat, bug-bud, map-nap, shot-shop, hit-hat
Discrimination path
Discriminates among sounds Responds appropriately when asked to speak with a
different volume or to turn up or down the sound of a
based on volume and
recording or a toy; can identify whether a sound is
pitch—loud vs . soft, high vs . high or low, loud or soft, long or short when
low, long vs. short compared to another sound.
Engages in and enjoys word Plays with words herself if adult models rhymes or
Phonological
play with silly sounds and silly-sounding words; recites one or two favorite
Awareness real and nonsense words rhymes/poems

Early Literacy for 37 through 48 months (3 years to 4 years)
Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of Learning Expectations Performance Indicators (examples)

Component
Makes relevant comments and asks logical

Engages verbally with questions about the story; begins to predict what will
stories in books and happen next
Verbal movies Tells own story, with a sequence, using one or more
pictures
Expression and
Communication Uses more advanced Speaks in longer sentences, using more adjectives
and adverbs, and some clauses beginning with
sentence structure and
when, if, after; asks to have unknown words
varied vocabulary in verbal
Early Literacy
explained
expression Asks for names of unknown objects, colors, etc.
Listens attentively to Maintains attention to stories and responds to
stories, conversations, and questions appropriately
explanations and Participates with understanding in activities with
demonstrates stories, songs, finger plays and poems
Listening and understanding Notices if reader omits parts of a familiar story
Understanding Understands an
increasingly complex and Comprehends and uses new words that are
varied vocabulary for introduced with stories, thematic units, field trips and
objects, attributes, actions, other daily activities
and events

Correlations
Learning
Domain

Component
Repeats rhymes without prompts and enjoys rhymes

in songs, poems, and finger plays
Initiates word play and Identifies whether or not two words rhyme
likes rhymes and silly
Enjoys stories with alliteration, where all words have
sounds and words
the same speech sound; plays with the sounds and
participates in the production of more words
Early Literacy
Completes a rhyme and

Phonological With a familiar poem, supplies a missing word that
recites at least three rhymes with another word
Awareness rhymes
Begins to detect the
Claps or beats the rhythm (syllable beats) in own
syllable structure (rhythm) name and other familiar names
of oral words
When the adult provides 2 words that can be
Begins to combine (blend)
combined to form a compound word, child identifies
parts of compound words the compound word (e.g ., given base and ball, she
to make a whole word produces the word baseball

Correlations
Learning
Domain

Component
Recognizes specific books by their covers; asks to

Demonstrates interest in be read to; asks for favorite books to be read again
books and what they and again; pretends to read; makes comments and
contain asks questions as story is read; participates in re-
reading by supplying repetitive phrases
Understands how books

Early Literacy
Recognizes when books are upside down or

work and the way they are backwards, and turns to correct orientation
handled
Print Awareness
Begins to attend to print in Asks questions about printed name and letters in it;
the environment, recognizes printed name and attempts to print; uses
especially own name same purposeful scribbling when "writing"
Shows awareness that

print conveys a message, Begins to look at and comment about the print as
much as the pictures; begins to "read" common signs
that print is read rather and other print when traveling in a vehicle
than the pictures

Correlations
Learning
Domain

Component
Discriminates
Identifies which objects are the same or different in
likenesses/differences in real
color, shape, size, texture
Visual objects
Discrimination Discriminates
Can discriminate which pictured objects are alike or
likenesses/differences in
different based on color, shape, size, number
pictured objects
Completes puzzles of 4 to 10 pieces; notices and
Visual Whole- Develops awareness of parts identifies missing parts and common objects;
Early Literacy
Part-Whole and wholes and how the constructs a simple block design, using a model
Relationships parts relate to the whole
Finds hidden figure pictures
Uses left-to-right and top-to- Continues a color-, or shape- or size-pattern using a
Visual bottom scanning and concrete model
Sequencing observes and reproduces Continues a pattern of 2 variables (shape and color,
(Patterning) each element in a pattern of color and size, or size and shape) from a concrete
3-dimensional objects model
Begins to recognize begin- Looks at peer's name in print and recognizes that
ning letter of familiar words Johnny starts with the same letter as his own name,
Letter or environmental print Joshua
Recognition "Writes" name on paper; letters may or may not be
Attempts to "write" his own
readily identified by others; letters may or may not be
name from left to right or in a straight line

Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Recalls more detail from stories, using growing

K.1.02c
vocabulary
Understands story events Recalls many events from recent experiences (e.g .,
and overall theme, and field trip or family excursion)
conversations
DEVELOPMENT
Holds conversation with adults or peers about

K.1.02b
COGNITIVE
familiar books
Early Literacy
Makes comments during story reading that relate the

Listening and story content to previous stories, or to his own life K.1.02
Relates plot of story to self experiences
Understanding and own experiences Correctly answers questions about the story plot and
events
Shows understanding of stories with more complex
Can organize more events chain of events
and more complex events Begins to predict what might happen next
in sequential order K.1.02
Follows a sequence of 3 directions
HSII A2

Correlations
Learning
Domain

Component
Asks questions and makes comments related to a K 1.01e

Engages in dialogue topic of discussion K.1.01g

(conversation with others) Understands and uses past, present, and future verb
HS I B 2
tense appropriately
Retells story with many events in appropriate K 1.01d
Organizes major steps of sequence, with and without pictures
Early Literacy
K.1.01h
an event or story in
Verbal Verbalizes the major events of the day with some
sequential order K.1.01i
sequential order
Expression and
Communication Uses an increasingly Labels objects in books using a variety of adjectives
K.1.01a
complex and varied K.1.01h
spoken vocabulary and Comments on characters and events in books and
HS I B 3
sentence structure movies
Asks many types of
K.1.01g
questions and responds Asks and answers who, what, where, when, why
K.1.01a
correctly to many types of questions
HS I B 4
questions

Correlations
Learning
Domain

Component
Develops increasing sense K.1.04g

Claps or beats the syllable rhythm in 2- to 4-syllable
of syllable structure in oral words
HS IIA4
words
K.1.04e
Produces, independently of adult assistance, a word,
real or nonsense, which rhymes with his name or
Produces rhyming words another given word (make sure that she is varying HS IIA3
Early Literacy
her responses and not memorizing rhyming pairs)
Phonological Identifies whether or not two words begin with the

Awareness same sound (when adult gives 3 or 4 oral words,
Starts to develop an
child selects those that begin with the same sound K.1.04.f
awareness of beginning and identifies the sound, not the letter) HS IIA2
sounds in words Names several words that begin with the same
sound as his name
Continues to increase Consistently claps the syllable beat of words of up to

K.1.04g
4 syllables; blends given syllables to identify a whole
awareness of the syllable word; deletes a syllable from a compound word and
K.1.04c
structure of oral words HS IIA4
identifies the remaining part

Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Understands concept of K.1.03 b

spoken and written word Recognizes printed name and those of siblings or K.1.03 f
playmates; identifies some of the letters in own
and that alphabet letters name; routinely puts "name" on his products HS IIC2
have individual names HS IIC4
"Writes" messages as part of play activities; asks for

Shows interest in K.1.03 d
help to make a list of things or write a note to
purposeful writing HS IID1
someone special
Early Literacy
Shows good Uses book reading conventions: "reading" front to K.1.03 c

understanding of back, turning 1 page at a time, looking from top to K.1.03 e
Print Awareness conventions of print the bottom of the page, pointing left to right HS IIB4
Demonstrates good word

awareness, calls attention K.1.03 a
to print in the environment, Identifies familiar words in books and in environment K.1.03 b
and recognizes some HS IIC1
common words
Routinely engages in K.1.03 d
Includes reading and writing activities in dramatic
HS IIC2
purposeful reading and play; initiates writing notes to people; shows pride in
HS IID1
writing writing attempts
HS IID4

Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Discriminates likenesses
and differences in black &
white shapes, figures, and Selects the figure(s) or design(s) that differ based on
designs with subtle fine, internal difference or orientation
Visual
differences in detail or Art K.2.1/2
Discrimination
orientation Math K.3.1
Discriminates likenesses Correctly sorts letters and numerals and can find
and differences in symbols words that match; names a few letters and numerals
Early Literacy
Math K.2.1
Completes puzzles of 8-20 pieces
Further develops
Visual Whole-
awareness of relationships Reproduces a 2-dimensional design with parts that
Part-Whole
of parts and wholes using vary by color and shape; constructs representations
Relationships
more abstract figures of objects from parts, with no model
Math K.3.1.
Uses left-to-right and top-
to-bottom scanning;
Visual observes and reproduces
Reproduces simple color, size and shape patterns
Sequencing a pattern with 3- from a paper model
(Patterning) dimensional objects by
using a 2-dimensional
paper model Math K.2.2

Correlations
Learning
Domain
Area of
Component
Recognizes letters of her own name (first and then

last) and letters that frequently occur in
environmental print K.3.03.b
Recognizes letters in a specific context (mostly

environmental print), but may not recognize them
when the context changes K.3.02.a/f
Is more likely to confuse uppercase letters within
Begins to recognize letters
each of the following groups -- DCGOQ, BRPSJU,
Early Literacy
EF, and NMWAVYHLITKXZ -- but may make

distinctions between letters that belong to different
Letter groups K.3.02.a/b
Recognition Knows part of the ABC sequence by rote, but does
not use it to associate a letter symbol with a letter K.1.3.b
name K.3.02.f
Can recognize some letters both in a familiar context
Begins to recognize (own name, environmental print) and in isolation
frequently occurring K.3.02/03
Recites ABCs; matches letter symbol with letter
uppercase and some of
names by rote, but may have difficulty with letters
the most frequently that come later in the sequence (e.g., identifies
occurring lowercase letters KLMNOP as one letter); discriminates differences
between upper and lower case letters K.1.03.f

Section 2: Early Literacy

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Section 2: Early Literacy

This section also correlates with Head Start Performance Standards:

1304.21(b)(2)(ii) Supports the emerging communication skills of infants and toddlers by

Early Literacy Page 1

Eyes focus on simple

Early Literacy Page 2

Begins to explore the

wide-open eyes and thoughtful expression

Grasps the book and brings it to the mouth to suck

Early Literacy Page 3

Shows notable decrease in physical manipulation of

attention to books; pats pictures

Shows increased Gives a book to an adult to read; after one reading,

Early Literacy Page 4

Relates an object or an action in a book to the real

world (e.g ., goes to get teddy bear after seeing a

Picture and Story picture of one in a book)

Early Literacy Page 5

Turns pages well

Turns an inverted book right side up, or tilts head as

Names objects pictured (articulation may not be

Early Literacy Page 6

Selects books on the basis of content, thus

searching for it or holding the book open at the page

Early Literacy Page 7

Might continue to rotate a book in an attempt to get a

Book Knowledge and Appreciation

picture right side up when something in the picture is

Early Literacy Page 8

Pretends to read to dolls or stuffed animals and to

Early Literacy Page 9

Talks about the characters and events in storybooks

in ways that suggest understanding of what has been

connection between books Relates events in books to personal experiences

Early Literacy Page 10

By 30 months, child stops activity to focus on

Is aware of and can

Makes accurate distinctions between words that

Engages in and enjoys

Early Literacy Page 11

Asks to read books to the adult and may be able to

Scribbles and draws with

environment and continues to notice new sounds

Early Literacy Page 12

Area of Learning Expectations Performance Indicators (examples)

Makes relevant comments and asks logical

Early Literacy Page 13

Area of Learning Expectations Performance Indicators (examples)

Repeats rhymes without prompts and enjoys rhymes

Completes a rhyme and

Early Literacy Page 14

Area of Learning Expectations Performance Indicators (examples)

Recognizes specific books by their covers; asks to

Understands how books

Recognizes when books are upside down or

Shows awareness that

Early Literacy Page 15

Area of Learning Expectations Performance Indicators (examples)

Early Literacy Page 16

Recalls more detail from stories, using growing

Holds conversation with adults or peers about

Makes comments during story reading that relate the