According to Gail E. Tompkins, emergent literacy, which takes place from birth to five years, is “children’s early reading and writing development before conventional reading and writing” (2015, p. 400). Essentially, the balanced literacy approach “recognizes that there is literate knowledge that is necessary for the act of learning to read” and that this knowledge “leads to conventional literacy acquisition” (Arrow, A. & McLachlan, C., 2011, pp. 1-2). Arrow and McLachlan have determined that “the act of learning to read is, therefore, on a continuum, with early literacy abilities necessary for the acquisition of later developing conventional abilities” (2011). The emergent literacy approach embraces the experiences and cognitive skills acquired by children before they enter school and necessitates a competent teacher to effectively implement the approach so that every student’s literacy needs are being met. Competent teachers take a student’s strengths into consideration, as well as his or her needs, when planning and executing instruction so that the student gains the literacy skills, strategies, and knowledge he or she needs in order to succeed at current and consequent grade levels.
Critical thinking lies at the core of the emergent literacy approach. A competent teacher tailors his or her instruction to the specific strengths and needs of his or her students, which requires a great deal of observation and preparation on the teacher’s part. Competent teachers also implement certain literacy activities in the classroom and then evaluate the effectiveness of these activities. If majority of students responded well to literacy play centers, then the teacher will continue to incorporate these centers in the classroom and determine how to make the centers even more effective than they already are. The emergent literacy approach calls for an educator’s utmost attention and effort and will not be of value to students if their teacher does not believe wholeheartedly in the approach.
Combined with critical thinking, a teacher’s creativity is key in effectively implementing the emergent literacy approach. As demonstrated in parts one and two of the emergent literacy video, it is Mrs. H’s extreme creativity that makes her execution of the emergent literacy approach such a success. Not only is her classroom visually stimulating to emergent readers and writers, but Mrs. H also provides students with countless opportunities to exercise their reading and writing skills. Whether Mrs. H is rotating the books in the classroom book nook to correspond with the current theme or requiring students to build structures out of Legos and then write about what they constructed in designated notebooks, she is constantly and effectively engaging students in the learning process in age appropriate ways. By writing students’ “news” on a large notepad and then reading and dissecting the news as a class, Mrs. H is giving students a chance to express themselves verbally and exercise their reading and writing abilities. By analyzing a bag of grocery items beginning with the letter “F” and arranging a trip to the market, Mrs. H is extending students’ learning beyond the classroom and forming a connection between their school and home lives. Mrs. H is constantly observing students as they read or write to determine where their strengths and needs lie and offers an array of centers and activities that appeal to these strengths and needs. As a future educator, I aim to implement the emergent literacy approach as creatively and effectively as Mrs. H does in her San Antonio classroom.
References
Arrow, A. & McLachlan, C. (2011, Jan.). The emergent literacy approach to effective teaching and intervention. Research Gate.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net
Tompkins, Gail E. (2015). Literacy in the early grades: A successful start for pre-k−4 readers and writers. United States of America:
Pearson Education.
Critical thinking lies at the core of the emergent literacy approach. A competent teacher tailors his or her instruction to the specific strengths and needs of his or her students, which requires a great deal of observation and preparation on the teacher’s part. Competent teachers also implement certain literacy activities in the classroom and then evaluate the effectiveness of these activities. If majority of students responded well to literacy play centers, then the teacher will continue to incorporate these centers in the classroom and determine how to make the centers even more effective than they already are. The emergent literacy approach calls for an educator’s utmost attention and effort and will not be of value to students if their teacher does not believe wholeheartedly in the approach.
Combined with critical thinking, a teacher’s creativity is key in effectively implementing the emergent literacy approach. As demonstrated in parts one and two of the emergent literacy video, it is Mrs. H’s extreme creativity that makes her execution of the emergent literacy approach such a success. Not only is her classroom visually stimulating to emergent readers and writers, but Mrs. H also provides students with countless opportunities to exercise their reading and writing skills. Whether Mrs. H is rotating the books in the classroom book nook to correspond with the current theme or requiring students to build structures out of Legos and then write about what they constructed in designated notebooks, she is constantly and effectively engaging students in the learning process in age appropriate ways. By writing students’ “news” on a large notepad and then reading and dissecting the news as a class, Mrs. H is giving students a chance to express themselves verbally and exercise their reading and writing abilities. By analyzing a bag of grocery items beginning with the letter “F” and arranging a trip to the market, Mrs. H is extending students’ learning beyond the classroom and forming a connection between their school and home lives. Mrs. H is constantly observing students as they read or write to determine where their strengths and needs lie and offers an array of centers and activities that appeal to these strengths and needs. As a future educator, I aim to implement the emergent literacy approach as creatively and effectively as Mrs. H does in her San Antonio classroom.
References
Arrow, A. & McLachlan, C. (2011, Jan.). The emergent literacy approach to effective teaching and intervention. Research Gate.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net
Tompkins, Gail E. (2015). Literacy in the early grades: A successful start for pre-k−4 readers and writers. United States of America:
Pearson Education.