FEATURE
Learning & Literacy Series
Early Literacy and Foundational Skills "Literacy is the jump-off point from which all of life's successes take flight."
- Lauri Fortino
In its simplest definition, literacy is best described as fluency in reading and writing. It is fundamental to mastering any subject in school but the demands of the 21st century require literacies beyond written language. Literacy has evolved from just a means of reading words into a tool for creating innovative spaces. Informational literacy, social literacy, multicultural literacy, digital literacy, and financial literacy are all parts of today's modern definition of literacy. As communication globally has become more accessible, these are the skills all students must begin to learn and practice to best prepare for the future. This ability to participate more fully through access, comprehension, and communication will enable students to better understand themselves, their environments, and their role in society. Early Literacy and foundational skills Learning to read and write starts well before preschool. It starts with the early development of skills through literacy-rich experiences such as learning how to hold a book, tell
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| PRI VATE SCHOOLS GUIDE / 2022
stories, and sing songs. To develop literacy skills, children need to start with strong language skills- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These language skills lay the foundation for literacy skills required to listen, speak, read, and write. Listening is a core skill that allows children to detect and discriminate between different sounds by drawing on three separate processes-- the sense of hearing, reacting to noise, and attending to sounds. Whereas speaking is the action of conveying information or expressing one's thoughts and feelings in spoken language through vocal variety including projection, enunciation, pronunciation, and pace. Children verbally communicate what they hear and understand through speech. Often referred to as oral language, listening and speaking are considered the most developmentally foundational skills. Through oral language, children learn a variety of skills critical to reading and writing, both of which are needed for further stages of literacy development.
