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Emergent literacy in a task-based perspective

Lieve Verheyden

Centre for Language and MigrationK.U.Leuven, Belgium

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Emergent literacy=the development of competences(skills, insights, attitudes)within the domain of written communicationof children at preschool age (3 to 6 years old) (< systematic reading/writing instruction)

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e.g.: Lukas (1;8 – 3;0)

Lukas writes ‘letters’

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e.g.: Lukas (4.3 – 4;8)

Lukas writes ‘words’ using letters of his name

Lukas makes a count down to S. Nicolasday

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e.g.: Lukas (5;0 - 6;0)

Lukas creates a TV/PC usage scheme for the family

Lukas writes a letter to his friend

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These competences relate toIG 1. the medium ‘book’ (and getting oriented on it)IG 2. the story (and learning to understand it)IG 3. the functions of written communication

(-> realize why people read and write)IG 4. the relationship between oral and written

communication IG 5. one’s fonological/fonemic consciousnessIG 6. letters and the alphabetic principleIG 7. the actual ‘reading’ and ‘writing’

‘Intermediate Goals’ (Expertisecentrum Nederlands, Nijmegen)

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Emergent literacy in an educational settingWe know• reading and writing fundamentally belongs to

everyday life, even to that of very young children;

• some children, but certainly not all of them, develop a nummber of literacy competences ‘spontaneously’;

(powerful learning environment – conditions!)

• all children – priviliged or not – have to tackle the demanding task of learning to read/write in first class

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We opt for emergent literacy in a task-based perspective- bottom up: - who are the under six?

- what can grasp their attention?- how do they develop?

- task-based-> to communicate by means of ‘paper/pencil’

- child = language user (not learner)- the message (meaning) prevails - communication is context based

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<-> widespread synthetic top down approach of preparing children to learn to read/write

- top down (necessities in first class -> training in pre-primary)

- synthetic:- isolated, rather technical skills are trained- communication is disconnected from a communicative context and/or - communication is disconnected from communicative functions

- incompatible with who these young children are

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Emergent literacy in a task-based perspective

- a powerful learning environment

- motivating, functional tasks

- a supporting teacher

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Powerful learning environment

1. the teacher as a model of reading/writing2. written messages (verbal/pictographic) all over the

classroom3. paper and pencil (+ variations) always close at hand4. written communication (form/functions) as a topic of

interaction 5. motivating, functional tasks:

an activity in which the child engages in order to attain an objective and which necessitates the use of (in casu) written language

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Motivating functional tasks within preschool acitivities

We distinguish

1. writing/reading supporting the activity,

2. writing/reading as core business of the activity.

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1. Writing/reading supports the activity

1.1 Miss Cynthia wants to introduce a song that can be sung along.

Roet , roet, roet (soot)Wrijf – wang – kin – wrijf(rub - cheek - chin - rub)

Roet , roet, roet (soot) Smeer – toe – open – smeer (smear – close– open - smear)

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1.2 Lars reports on how he experienced different activities.

NAME: LARS

CORNER……….. BOOK CORNER

WRITING TABLE

PHYSICAL PRACTICEDRAMA

GAMES puzzles

dominoWITH THE TEACHER

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1.3 What do the children learn?

• IG 3 (functions of written communication)e.g. A ‘written’ document helps us to remember something (it bridges time).

• IG 4 (relation between oral and written communication)e.g. The notation (pictograms/written words) represents the meaning of the spoken word.

• IG 1 (book orientation): e.g. One reads (writes) from the left to the right, from top to bottom (at least in our language).

…

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• IG 6 (alphabetic principle)e.g.There are signs that refer to sounds. The ‘S’ we see, sounds like ‘s’.e.g. One’s name is always written in the same way.

• IG 7 (actual reading/writing)e.g. The song’s text can be remembered by actually ‘reading’ the pictographic representation. e.g. Lars actually ‘reads’ and ‘writes’ when he fills in the chart; a few days later he ‘reads’ the chart.

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1.4 What do we expect from the teacher?

• To integrate reading and writing in a natural, realistic, functional way.

• To look for age-compatible ways of representing oral messages.

• To help the children at reading the messages or filling in the chart -> the children explore the link between oral and written communication.

• To discuss the advantages and possible limitations of written communication.

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2. Reading/writing as core business of the activity2.1 Peter helps miss Nele

at tracing her teddy bear

WHERE ISMYTEDDY ?

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2.2 The children make admission tickets for the puppet play they prepared

ADMISSION TICKET

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2.3 What do children learn?

• Cf. supra: - IG 3 (functions),

- IG 4 (relation oral/written),

- IG 7 (actual skills).

• With the support and guidance of the teacher : - aspects of phonemic consciousness (IG 5)

What sounds alike? What sounds different? - aspects of the alphabetic principle (IG 6)

What sounds alike is written in the same way.There is a fixed order of sounds/letters in a

word.

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2.4 What do we expect from the teacher?

• Cf. supra (§1.3)

• To ‘use’ these motivating, functional, context-embedded tasks to make the children focus on some more technical aspects, in a way that is …

- age-compatible,

- dosed,- without losing the essence: communication!

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Emergent literacy: a task-based perspective!

• Young children communicate: they use ‘written language’ (‘read’ and ‘write’).

• Their focus is on the message of what they are reading/writing; not on the technical aspects of reading/writing.

….

HANNE, I’N SORYKATO FO HANNE

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• They experience that (written) communication helps them to reach certain goals (sing a song, remember something and talk about it, find a teddy bear).

• They explore the relationship between oral and written communication.

• They explore the ‘rules’ people take into account when ‘reading’/’writing’ (pictographic/verbal representation).

• They practice more technical skills when these are gradually being worked on within a variety of relevant communicative contexts.

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All this may help the preschoolers

• to acquire the 7 intermediate literacy competences, and

• to get deeply and honestly motivated to tackle the systematic reading/writing instructions in first class.

I’M TIRED, I GT BORDCasper and Hobbescompleted by Lukas