Traditional Literacies

Module 1 simply orients you on the different concepts of “new

literacies” across the curriculum in the modern world.

Literacy, as perceived by everyone as the ability to read, write,

and do arithmetic. Traditionally, it is the literacy we all understand.
Module 2 will give you a tour on how the literacy of a person began
and the corresponding activities he/ she is doing based on the
literacy stage he/ she is in.

This module will review the students about the types of

traditional literacies in contrast to the “new literacies”. The module
aims to inform students on the types of traditional literacies and the
on how literacy begin in a person and the activities and skills it
includes. Thus, students are expected to identify the different
emergent and conventional literacy skills and its significance in
building the prior knowledge and learning. Moreover, it emphasizes
the role of the parents, teachers, and environment during the
traditional literacy years of the learners.

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Emergent Literacy
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

 Narrate emergent reading and writing experiences by

recalling childhood memories;
 Make parallel emergent learning activities guided by by the
different emergent literacy theories;
 Identify the nature or characteristics of emergent literacy
from the given statement.

INTRODUCTION
Although language and literacy are two different skills, they are
closely related. Language is the ability to both use and understand
spoken words or signs. It is all about ideas passing from one person to
another. Literacy is the ability to use and understand written words or
symbols to communicate. Language and literacy learning begins
prenatally! The child begins to learn the sounds and rhythms of his or
her home language in the womb and can begin a love of reading by being
read to as a newborn.

Emergent literacy has been defined as "those behaviors shown

by very young children as they begin to respond to and approximate
reading and writing acts." However, literacy goes beyond reading and
writing. It encompasses "the interrelatedness of language: speaking,
listening, reading, writing, and viewing."

This lesson will give knowledge on the nature and activities

involved in emergent literacy, characteristics of emergent readers and
writers, and the theories that support emergent literacy development.

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Let’s Recharge (Preparation)

Preparatory Activity:

a. How old are you when you begin reading? writing?

b. What are your childhood ways or practices to become a

reader and writer of ABCs?

c. Look at the pictures below, write four words to describe what

it is about.

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Let’s Engage (Presentation)

Emergent Literacy?

Definitions:

Marie Clay (1996) was the first one who used the term
emergent literacy. Emergent Literacy is based on an assumption that a
child acquires some knowledge about language, reading and writing
even before attending any formal education. She asserted that literacy
development begins early in life and is ongoing.

Emergent literacy refers to the many literacy-rich activities

children participate aging 0-5 years of age prior to formal reading and
writing instruction. Specifically, it has been defined as “the reading and
writing behaviors of young children before they become readers and
writers in the conventional sense” (Justice, 2006, p. 3).

Teale (1982) viewed literacy as the result of children’s

involvement in reading activities facilitated by literate adults. All
children who come to school already have certain experiences and
interests in learning (Teale, 1987). Thus, refers to competencies and
literacy skills in early childhood.

In addition, it refers to the reading and writing experiences of

young children regardless of whether or not they have learning or
physical disability (Teale and Sulzby, 1986).

It is also a process closely linked to communication which

usually it starts at birth, before any formal reading and writing begins.
This may include listening and speaking, signing, using objects, pictures,
gestures, or any combination of ways in which a child understands and
interprets experiences.

Emergent literacy is also defined as the behaviors of reading and

writing that lead to conventional literacy and “comprises all of the
actions, understandings and misunderstandings of learners engaged in
experiences that involve print creation or use” (Koppenhaver &
Erickson, 2003, p. 283), and these experiences are not only necessary
but closely related to later literacy outcomes (Justice and Kaderavek,
2004).

Examples of emergent literacy activities:

 engaging in shared storybook reading
 pretending to write or draw
 incorporating literacy themes into play
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 engaging in oral wordplay such as rhyming.

Shared storybook reading is the most common emergent

literacy activity for many children done by parents who are
scaffolding or during some sort of supportive behavior Parents
read to children who are very young before they can verbally
participate. Parents often engage in scaffolding or supportive
behaviors during emergent literacy activities.

Most of the time, emergent readers and writers make

discoveries and learning when they explore literacy materials, observe
print within the natural environment, interact with conventional
readers and writers, and see models of how and why print is used (Teale
& Sulzby, 1992).

Examples of emergent literacy behaviors may include

interpreting a story through pictures rather than through text,
manipulating books in nonconventional ways (e.g., looking at the book
from back to front or holding it upside down), scribbling, and the use of
invented spelling (Clay, 1993; Koppenhaver, 2000).

Characteristics of an Emergent Reader:

 one who is interested in books but can’t yet read them
independently
 may be able to read some words but requires continued support
to make meaning from print.
 one who is not yet interested in reading books
 not yet developed intentional or symbolic means of
communication.
 one who is learning to use written language to express
communicative intent
 one who begins writing and scribbling

Transitions on the Perspective of Emergent Literacy

1. Basic literacy- it emphasizes the reading and writing of young

learners to construct meaning for themselves.

e.g. The child makes a stick drawing to show the members

of his family and this may include their cat or dog. In this
stage, whoever the child see in their family is considered a
family.

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2. Socio-cultural literacy -emphasizes the importance of social
interaction of children to construct cultural-specific
meanings and to demonstrate literacy practices as social
events and cultural phenomena.

e.g. The child begins to develop his socialization skills

through age mates- playmates set up. He is happy
whenever he see person other than his family.

3. Functional literacy which emphasize the use of technology for

instruction and literacy, and the young learners use of
technology to produce meaning.

e.g. The kind of transition most children are aware of

today. At a younger age, child knows how to manipulate
cellphones for communication and other purposes.

Theories Supporting Emergent or Early Literacy Development

Below are the proponents and theories supporting emergent or

early literacy.

1. Jean Jacques Rosseau (1712–1778)- Natural Learning

Emphasis: Child’s learning unfolds naturally; learning through

curiosity
Strategies: Strategies meshed the child’s readiness to learn;
little adult intervention
Activities: Allowing children to grow and learn with the
freedom to be themselves

2. Johann Heindrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827)

Natural Unfolding of Child

Emphasis: Natural learning with informal instruction, natural

potential of a child develops through senses
Strategies: Providing informal instruction, providing
manipulative experiences and learning about them
Activities: Informal activities that eventually lead to learning,
manipulating objects and learning about them through

3. Friedrich Froebel (1782–1852 “Father of Kindergarten”

Natural Learning of Child through planned environment

Emphasis: The adult responsible for the education of the child

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needs to be concerned with the child’s natural unfolding;
emphasis on the fullest benefits of playing to learn;
requires adult guidance and direction and a planned
environment.
Strategies: Providing adult guidance and a planned environment,
guided play, providing manipulative materials to learn
concepts, allowing “circle-time” which is an opportunity
to sing and to learn new ideas thru discussion
Activities: Teacher-facilitated activities, guided-play,
manipulative for learning certain, concepts and providing
opportunity for circle-time for singing

4. John Dewey (1966)- Progressive Education

Emphasis: Early childhood learning is child-centered; is built

around the interest of the child; child learns best through
play because of social interaction
Strategies: Allowing time for play and learning; providing a
relaxed atmosphere; informal activities for learning

Activities: Manipulative toys, arts, music, story reading, free and

outdoor play, snack, rest, circle time, informal reading
and writing

5. B.F. Skinner (1954) – Behaviorism

Emphasis: the outcome of learning is a permanent change in

behavior that is caused by a response to an experience or
stimulus
• Behaviorists suggest that we learn through imitation and
association, and through conditioning, or a series of steps
that are repeated so that the response becomes automatic

6. Maria Montesorri (1965)- Senses and Systems

Emphasis: Children need an early and orderly, systematic

training in mastering one skill after another; auto-
education
Strategies: Specific concepts meeting specific objectives; learning
materials are self- correcting; learning during “sensitive
period”, designing activities and experiences for learning.
Activities: Allowing children to use manipulative toys; working
with carefully designed and specific materials for specific
skills; work instead of play; activities for skill mastery

7. Jean Piaget (1969) Cognitive Development

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Emphasis: Children at certain stages are capable of only certain
types of intellectual endeavors; acquire knowledge by
interacting with the world; active participants in their
own learning
Strategies: Providing real life setting and materials, opportunity
to play explore and experiment and allowing kids to use
their curiosity, inquisitiveness and spontaneity to help
themselves to learn
Activities: Natural problem solving situation, playing, exploring
and experimenting, planning one’s own activities and
cooperating with teachers and peer in planning
evaluating learning.

8. Lev Vygotsky (1981) – Schema Acquisition

Emphasis: Mental functions are acquired through social

relationship; learning takes place when the child
interacts with peers and adults in social setting as they
act upon the environment
Strategies: Providing meaningful and interactive activities,
providing activities that allow a child to internalize,
exposing a child to new situations to actively interact
with others
Activities: Story reading story retelling, directness listening –
thinking activities

Concepts on Emergent Literacy

Before Now
Early literacy was somewhat A great deal of attention to
neglected. literacy development in early
childhood.
Little attention given to a child’s Acquisition of given information
literacy was in Grade 1. about literacy begins at birth and
continues at the course of early
childhood.
Assumed that the beginning of Development of literacy in a
literacy was in Grade 1. child’s earliest years.
Speaking and listening will learned Simultaneous development of
in early childhood while reading language- related abilities.
and writing will learned in school
age.
Reading instruction was ignored in Emphasis on oral language
pre-school education. development and preparation for
Reading.

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No advocacy for formal reading Capitalized on child’s existing
instruction. knowledge, information about
literacy and reading and writing
experiences
Pre- schoolers were not perceived Children are active constructor of
as readers and writers. their own learning.
Waiting for a child natural Nurture emergent literacy from
maturation to unfold. birth to kindergarten to Grade 1.
Preparation for literacy was Continuous building of
through the acquisition of a set of knowledge on oral language,
prescribed hierarchy reading and writing.
of skills.
Progression from part to whole,Children learn from
a set of skills as prerequisites to
meaningful and functional
reading. situations.
Drills from contrived Children are interested and
attempt early to communicate
in writing reading and writing
are cultivated concurrently.
Writing had been certainly Literacy is learned through
missing writing develops after interaction with and exposure
reading. to all aspects of literacy (i.e.
listening, speaking, reading,
and writing).

Let’s Remember (Verification)

Remember this!
Emergent literacy is the literacy that all children experience
from birth up to five years. Sound- letter identifications and
productions, beginning reading and writing are just common activities
of emergent literacy that are usually being scaffold by parents, school,
and environment that surrounds the child.
Indeed, the child’s emergent literacy is dependent on the level of
scaffolding he/she receives from the people around him/ her. It is
important as well to remember that early literacy doesn’t begin at the
first grade or after five years old but begins at an early age of childhood.
Thus nurturing the child’s emergent literacy skills through exposing
them into meaningful and functional situations is important for them to
become active creator of their own learning.

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Let’s Do It (Application)

Activity 1. Narrate your first experiences on reading and writing.

Who guided you that time? What were the problems/ struggles
you and your parents/ family members encountered during your
beginning reading and writing stage?
Title of Activity: Emergent Literacy Exeprience

Activity 2. Think you are a parent/ guardian, or a nursery and

kinder teacher and guided by the different theories above, make
a parallel activity as a teacher/ parent based on the description
of each theory to promote emergent literacy among learners.
Choose three theories from the discussion.
Title: Emergent Literacy Activities

a. Theory:
b. Name of Acitivity:
c. Lesson/ Topic:
d. Mechanics (this shall enumerate and detail the task you
and your students must do during the activity)
e. Material (samples, selection, etc.)

(Note: You can modify your ways/ activities for your

students. I’ll leave it you and to your creativity.)

Materials Needed: Bondpaper, pictures, pen (if not

computerized)
Format:
Margin- 1.5”L and 1” in all other sides
Font- Cambria, 12
School Heading (with name and school logo)
Name: Year and Section:
Activity No. Rating

Title

CRITERIA OF RATING
Creativity of Content Relevance Uniqueness/ TOTAL
Thoughts Originality
30% 40% 20% 20% 100%

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Evaluation
A. Direction: Below are sample activities, draw a happy face if the
number indicates emergent literacy and sad face otherwise.
___________1. The child reads the novel of Nicholas Spark.
___________2. John is tracing the ABC sheet given by his teacher.
___________3. Ms. Smith taught the child on how to write properly
the excuse letter.
___________4. Mr. Casy taught Quinnt the proper production of
vowels and consonants guided by the IPA.
___________5. Tita Rollynda watches Convo traced letters that she
prepared for him.
___________6. Teacher Alma is reading Grimm’s Fairy Tale book to
her nursery pupils
___________7. Dedo explained the lesson of Aesop’s fable to the
children in the orphanage.
___________8. A child with autism may not experience emergent
literacy.
___________9. Ms. Marga teaches Cassie to make simple scribbling
of the letters before reading.
___________10. Cyrus is trained by his parents while he is still six
months to always look and hold the cloth book
about shapes.

B. Direction: Read the statement or scenario related to the concept of

emergent literacy and give your comment/ reaction to it. Would
you agree to each or not? Support your answer with theories/
literature if possible.

1. Teacher Mina teaches toddlers in Shaw Academy

Incorporated. She has been teaching there for 15 years. A parent
once said that she used to teach reading to the learners by letting
them read the words by letting them follow her say it. She also
encouraged the learners to do visual memorization for them to
read easily. (15 pts)
2. Aling Jenny has a two-year old child. She bought many reading
materials for Johnny to read and she plans to read him those
when he gets four and let him touch it.(10)
3. A child who writes better can be a good speaker.(5)

Materials Needed: Bondpaper, pictures, pen (if not

computerized)
Format:
Margin- 1.5”L and 1” in all other sides
Font- Cambria, 12
School Heading (with name and school logo)
Name: Year and Section:
Evaluation No. Rating

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Conventional Literacy
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

 Devise activities to your pupils to promote conventional

literacy;
 Distinguish the type of Conventional Literacy skill
described in each statement;
 Discuss the importance of learning the different
Conventional Literacy skills as a parent, teacher, and
learner.

INTRODUCTION
As the child reaches five, a new stage of literacy commences. It is
considered as the beginning of a more formal reading and writing of the
learner. This usually starts at the grader years as the child begins to be
exposed to reading and writing more than identifying the letters and
sounds formed into words.

This stage refers to conventional literacy. A type of literacy that

introduces the child into the formal reading and writing as they begun
to build their own understanding about vocabulary, spelling, details, and
grammar of the written and read texts.

This lesson shall provide a thorough discussion about the nature

and concepts of Conventional Literacy and its difference to the
Emergent Literacy. Moreover, the conventional literacy skills are also
explained as part of the lesson for the benefit of the parents, teachers,
aspiring teachers, and environment. These literacy skills shall serve as a
guide to the people mentioned above on how to deal and perform
properly during the conventional literacy years of the pupils.

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Let’s Get Started (Activity)

A. Direction: Read aloud the given set of words below.

bed Bad tap top

said Sad bag beg
mate meet beach bitch
beat Bait son sun
feel Fail check cheek
win wean pen pain
fool Full hair hare
cot caught ball bowl

B. Direction: Infer what will happen next from each statement.

1. Luz studies for her first period exam tomorrow

morning. The next day, she woke up late and very tired.

2. The surrounding is so dark and the streets were flooded and

many cars were floating. People stored food and were advised
to stay at home.

3. Teachers are busy printing the lesson. The brigade eskwela is

also scheduled and the parents bought the needed school
supplies of their children.

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Let’s think it deeply (Analysis)

1. From the reading you had above, what are your observations/
discoveries? List at least three below.

2. How did you come up with your answers in Activity 2? How did you
find it?

3. What skills did you use while doing the activities?

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Let’s Learn It (Abstraction)

Conventional Literacy?

Conventional literacy refers to reading and writing that follow

the form, content, and use of standard conventions (Koppenhaver,
2000). It is built on discoveries and understandings made during the
emergent literacy phase of development.

The term conventional literacy skills is not widely used but is

adopted to emphasize its focus on reading, writing, and spelling
instruction provided to elementary and secondary students and those
earlier-developing pioneering skills that may not themselves be used
within literacy practice but may warning the development of
conventional literacy skills.

It involves skills as decoding, oral reading fluency, reading

comprehension, writing, and spelling. The use of these skills is
evident within all literacy practices, and they are readily recognizable as
being necessary or useful components of literacy. Conventional skills
can be thought of as being more sophisticated, mature, or later-
developing manifestations of reading and writing, and they are to be
contrasted with precursor, predictive, foundational, or emergent skills.

Conventional reading and writing skills that are developed in the

years from birth to age 5 have a clear and consistently strong
relationship with later conventional literacy skills.

Additionally, six variables representing early literacy skills or

precursor literacy skills had large prophetic relationships with later
measures of literacy development.

Six early literacy skills important in Conventional literacy:

 Alphabet knowledge (AK): knowledge of the names and sounds
associated with printed letters

e.g. Being fully aware of how words are read and pronounced.

 Phonological awareness (PA): the ability to detect, manipulate,

or analyze the auditory aspects of spoken language (including
the ability to distinguish or segment words, syllables, or
phonemes), independent of meaning

e.g. Identifying the number of syllables found in each word.

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Differentiating meaning of words that are homonyms and
homographs.

 Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) of letters or digits: the

ability to rapidly name a sequence of random letters or digits

e.g. Counting numbers 1-100

Naming parts of the body

 RAN of objects or colors: the ability to rapidly name a

sequence of repeating random sets of pictures of objects (e.g.,
"car," "tree," "house," "man") or colors
e.g. Ability to name objects and colors that are usually seen
in the surroundings.

 Writing or writing name: the ability to write letters in

isolation on request or to write one's own name

e.g. Writing one name or other’s name with the supervision or

assistance of parents/ teachers.

 Phonological memory: the ability to remember spoken

information for a short period of time.

e.g. Remembering the names of the fable while the teacher is

reading aloud.

An additional five early literacy skills were also moderately

correlated with at least one measure of later literacy achievement.
These five additionally potentially important variables include

 Concepts about print: knowledge of print conventions

e.g., left-right, front-back) and concepts (book cover, author,
text
 Print knowledge: a combination of elements of AK, concepts
about print, and early decoding.
e.g. Reading the words/ content of the book and other print
materials.

 Reading readiness: usually a combination of AK, concepts of

print, vocabulary, memory, and PA

e.g. . Reading the words/ content of the book and other print
materials with understanding on the basic thoughts.

 Oral language: the ability to produce or comprehend spoken

language, including vocabulary and grammar. It is the ability to
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communicate displaying a good command with vocabulary and
grammar.

 Visual processing: the ability to match or discriminate visually

presented symbols.

e.g. Identifying pictures that do not belong to the group or

spotting difference from the pictures.

Let’s Do It (Application)

Direction: Think you are a grade teacher. Devise five activities to your
pupils to promote conventional literacy. Be guided of the
different conventional literacy skills in making your parallel
activities. Do not forget to include the following.
a. Topic title
b. Conventional Literacy Skill
b. Mechanics (this shall enumerate and detail the task you
and your students must do during the activity)
c. Material (samples, selection, etc.)
c. Test items/ questions / representations must be at least
five.
(Note: You can modify your ways/ activities for your
students. I’ll leave it you and to your creativity.)

Below is an example of how your activities look like. It is

just one of the many activities that would fit to the different
conventional
literacy skills.

e.g. Title: Reading Comprehension

Conventional Literacy Skill: Reading Readiness
Mechanics:
1. The teacher will provide to the pupils the reading
material.
2. She will read it first and the pupils will follow her on
the second reading.
3. After reading aloud, students will be given five
minutes to do silent reading.
4. Students will answer the reading comprehension
questions given by the teacher. (Note: Questions
must be HOTS [Higher Order Thinking Skills].

Material: Fable (The Monkey and the Camel)

(reflect the material )

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Reading Comprehension Questions:
(at least 1-5)

Materials Needed: Bondpaper, pictures, pen (if not computerized)

Format:
Margin- 1.5”L and 1” in all other sides
Font- Cambria, 12
School Heading (with name and school logo)
Name: Year and Section:
Activity No. Rating

Conventional Literacy Skills

Title

CRITERIA OF RATING
Creativity of Content Relevance Uniqueness/ TOTAL
Thoughts Originality
30% 40% 20% 20% 100%

Evaluation
A. Essay
Direction: Discuss briefly the given questions below.

1. Why is it important to learn about the different skills of

Conventional Literacy as a
1.1. parent;
1.2. teacher; and
1.3. learner?

B. Identification
Direction: Distinguish the type of Conventional Literacy skill
described in each statement.

1. The teacher assigns the students to read minimal pairs.

2. Students were told to identify the difference of the given set of
words based on its meaning.
3. After the discussion, Ms. Cruz asked the students about the
different parts of a plant.
4. One of the students’ activities in their English class is to share
their vacation experience.
5. Mam Gammy instructed the learner to copy the questions of
the test on the board.
6. Pupils encircle the pictures that are rough as instructed by

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their teacher.
7. Jane is able to identify that “bad and bed” differs in vowels.
8. Teacher Nida showed a picture to the learners for 2 minutes.
After, she asked them about the things they saw from the
picture.
9. Pupils were able to identify the different parts of the book.
10. Ms. Ice reads a fable to the pupils and later posted some
sentences from the fable with missing words. The pupils
were told to read the sentence and supply the missing
words.

Assignment

Direction: Share your literacy experiences when you were in grade

school through writing.

Materials Needed: Bondpaper, pen (if not computerized), art

materials
Margin- 1.5”L and 1” in all other sides
Font- Cambria, 12
School Heading (with name and school logo)
Name Year and Section
Assignment No. Rating

___________________________________
Title

CRITERIA OF RATING
Narration Content Organiztion TOTAL
Skills of Thoughts
15% 25% 10% 100%

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