Phases of Literacy Development EngEd 370-E1Misty Radig

Phases of Literacy Development

The first five years in a child's life are critical to literacy

development. Learning begins at home and in the child's

immediate environment. Once the child enters school, a

formal literacy instruction from Kindergarten to the Third

grade helps the child to become fluid and proficient

readers. From birth through the Third grade, children will

go through five phases of literacy development.

Phases of Literacy Development

• Phase 1: Awareness and Exploration

• Phase 2: Experimental Reading and Writing

• Phase 3: Early Reading and Writing

• Phase 4: Transitional Reading and Writing

• Phase 5: Independent and Productive Reading and Writing

Phase 1: Awareness and Exploration

• Occurs from Birth through Preschool

• The child becomes aware of and interested in print, hearing and discussing stories, and understanding that print has meaning.

• Demonstrate logographic knowledge (environmental print, i.e. cereal box

labels)

• Pretend-read and scribble

• Identify some letters and letter-sound relationships

Phase 1 Learning Activities

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3

Letters of the Week Hunt

Pick out letters each week

to focus on. Choose a

vowel and a few

consonants. Look for those

letters throughout the week

on sings, packages, in

books, etc.

Story Time

Attend Story Time at a local

library, shop, etc.. Talk

about the book after, then

choose one with a similar

topic/theme for bed time.

Scribble and Write

Provide an area with paper,

crayons, and chunky

pencils, for the child to

practice writing letters and

their name. Write their

name in big letters on a few

sheets of paper so they can

trace over it.

Phase 2: Experimental Reading and Writing

• Occurs in Kindergarten

• Child begins to experiment with oral and written language

• Basic understanding of print concepts: left-to-right, top-to-bottom orientation

• Enjoy story time

• Begin writing letters and high-frequency words

• Familiar with rhyming

Phase 2 Learning Activities

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3

Shaving Cream Letters

Coat cookie sheets with a

layer of shaving cream.

Write a letter on the board

or sheet of paper. Have the

child write the letter with

their finger in the shaving

cream.

Word “Memory”

Create a “Memory” style

game with words and

corresponding pictures, such

as the word “house” and a

picture of a house. Mix the

cards up and spread them

out face-down to play, then

take turns trying to find pairs.

We Are Robots

Segment out a word in a

robot-like voice. Then do it

again with the child. Finally

have them blend the sounds

together into the word. Do

this with multiple words.

Phase 3: Early Reading and Writing

• Occurs in First Grade

• Instruction becomes more formal

• Begin to read simple stories and can write simple phrases

• Shows comprehension skills like prediction

• Fluency and site-words increase

• Punctuation in writing emerges

• Writing is meaningful to them and shows

background knowledge

Phase 3 Learning Activities

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3Beach Ball Comprehension

On a beach ball, write the

words who, beginning, middle,

end, and favorite part with a

permanent marker. After

reading a story, have children

pair up, and toss the ball to

each other. The child catching

the ball tells their partner the

answer to whatever question is

facing up when they catch it.

Adapted From:

https://www.education.com/activity/articl

e/storyball_first/

Sight Word Jenga

Get a selection of plain,

rectangular, wooden blocks.

Write a sight word on each

block. Stack the blocks into a

Jenga tower. Have children

take turns removing blocks. If

they remove the block without

the tower falling, their partner

must use that word in a

sentence. Continue until the

tower falls.

Adapted From: https://www.education.com/activity/article/jenga-sentences/

Punctuation Red Light Green

Light

Play Red Light Green Light, using

signs with punctuations on each

one. The children much follow

the “action” of the punctuation

when the sign is held up.

Comma: slow down/walk

Exclamation point: Hop and

wave your hands!

Question mark: Stop, tilt your

head, and put your hands on

your hips.

Period: STOP right now!

Source:

https://www.education.com/activity/articl

e/punctuation_green_light_red_light/

Phase 4: Transitional Reading and Writing

• Occurs in Second Grade

• Reading and writing become more complex

• Reads with greater fluency

• Comprehension increases

• Uses cognitive and metacognitive strategies

• Skills such as proofreading, conventional spelling, and sustained silent reading emerge.

Phase 4 Learning Activities

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3

My Journal

Each day have the child

write down something they

did, liked, or didn’t like

about their day, in at least

three sentences. Have them

draw a corresponding

illustration on page.

Story Fact Hunt

Take turns reading a short

printed copy of a story. Ask

comprehension questions to

the child, and have them

“hunt” for the answer in the

text, and highlight it.

Silly Sentences

Create two sets of cards,

one with nouns and the

other with verbs. Have the

child randomly select one

card from each pile, create

a sentence with them, and

draw a picture. Example,

noun: cow, verb: sail. “The

cow sailed on the sea.”

Draw a picture of a cow

sailing.

Source: https://www.education.com/activity/article/silly-pictures/

Phase 5: Independent and Productive Reading and Writing

• Occurs in Third Grade

• Shift from transitional reading and writing to independent

• Able to adapt reading and writing based on the audience and

purpose

Phase 5 Learning Activities

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3

Shoebox Diorama

Give the child a shoe box

and various craft supplies.

Have them create a

diorama of their favorite

scene from a selected book.

Fan Fiction

Have the child create a

short story based around

one of the side characters

from a book.

Thanksgiving Recipes

Have the child look up their

favorite Thanksgiving recipes

online, and create a set of

four recipe cards: a main

dish, a side dish, an

appetizer, and a desert.

Adapted From:

https://www.education.com/activity/articl

e/create_recipe_practice_writing_third/

Works Cited:Vacca, J. A., Vacca, R. T., Gove, M. K., Burkey, L. C., Lenhart, L. A., & McKeon, C. A. (2010). Reading and learning to read(Eighth ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Images:[Toddler and Adult Reading]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.parents.com/baby/development/intellectual/age-by-age-guide-to-reading-to-your-baby/[Boy writing the letter I]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nellieedge.com/handwriting/kindergarten-writing-fluency/[First grade writing sample]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://gebarbieri.wordpress.com/tag/first-grade-writing-samples/[Four boys reading]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.educationaltutorialservices.com/turning-young-children-into-enthusiastic-readers/[Girl reading book in grass]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/premium-photo/outdoor-portrait-cute-young-girl-reading-book_2674227.htm