Early Literacy Research Paper

Advanced Literacy Development

Neveka-Daniels-Ellis

Student name/I.D.: SS19178054

In partial Requirement of Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education

Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College

Submission Date: October 12, 2023

Lecturer: Ms. Estella Foster

Course code: SP101SEB

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Early Literacy Research Paper

Table of Content

Acknowledgement---------------------------------------------------------------2

Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------3

What is language -----------------------------------------------------------------

What is literacy--------------------------------------------------------------------5

Importance of developing the language and literacy skills in students---- 6

Two ways the development of language and literacy can become a vehicle

for personal achievement and social interaction ----------------------------6

Relationship between language and Literacy---------------------------7

How does language impacts two areas of literacy phonological

awareness and fluency-------------------------------------------------8

References----------------------------------------------------------------------- --12

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Early Literacy Research Paper

Acknowledgement

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” Words by Marcus

Tullius Cicero. Firstly, I must give thanks to the Lord for blessing me with the knowledge,

wisdom and perseverance for through Him all things are possible. The successful completion of

this assignment would not have been possible if it wasn’t for Him. I most definitely, must

acknowledge and specially thank our lecturer Dr. Estella Foster, who has guided us throughout

this assignment; by providing the class with the necessary information, resources and setting the

correct expectations for us as student-teachers. Thanks to everyone for their continued support

and motivation.

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Early Literacy Research Paper

Introduction

Language and literacy are critical pillars of human communication and cognition. They act as

conduits for the transmission of thoughts, ideas, emotions, and knowledge. Reading, writing, and

comprehending language is more than a talent; it is a doorway to personal and societal

development, empowerment, and progress. In this project, we will define language and literacy

and explain the importance of developing language and literacy skills for students. It also

describes two ways in which the development of language and literacy can become a vehicle for

personal achievement and social interaction and provide examples. This project will not only

highlight the necessity of language literacy but will also provide insights into the obstacles

experienced by those who lack access to these crucial abilities. We will investigate projects and

treatments aimed at overcoming these issues and building pathways for reading and language

competency at both the individual and societal levels. Finally, we hope to inspire a fresh

dedication to language literacy, seeing it as a foundation for personal empowerment, education,

and the overall improvement of society.

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Early Literacy Research Paper

What Is Language?

A language is a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols

which are used by the people of a particular country or region for talking or writing. d.

According to Aristotle, language is a speech sound produced by human beings to express their

ideas, emotions, thoughts, desires, and feelings.

What Is iteracy?

Literacy may be defined in many ways, there is actually no one definition for such term.

According to (Deewr, 2009) literacy is defined as the capacity to, confidence and deposition to

use language in all its form. 28). It incorporates a range of modes of communication including

music, dance , movement, storytelling visual arts, media and drama as well as talking listening

viewing reading and writing contemporary text include including electronic and print base media

in an increasing technological world, the ability to critically analyze text is a key component of

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Early Literacy Research Paper

literacy (page 28).The ministry of education prospective of literacy is the ability to identify,

understand, interpret, create and communicate using printed and written materials associated

with varying context that allows us to communicate effectively and make sense of the world

Iportance of Developing the Language and Literacy Skills

According to ,10, S., 17, J. and 15, A. (2023 Learning Without Tears. One importance of

developing the language and literacy skills of students is that; children who are proficient in

reading, writing, and understanding written communication are said to have excellent literacy

abilities. They can efficiently gather information, interpret it, and clearly communicate their

views and ideas because of this skill. One importance of developing the language and literacy

skills of students is that; Strong literacy abilities improve cognitive ability in a variety of ways.

For instance, reading comprehension calls for analytical thinking, connection-making, and

critical thinking. This procedure stimulates the brain and fosters the growth of analytical and

problem-solving abilities. Additionally, literacy abilities help pupils communicate their ideas and

views clearly. They can more effectively express their viewpoints in academic contexts and

elsewhere if they can express themselves clearly in writing. Their total cognitive development

can be enhanced by their capacity to speak effectively, which can also promote their self-

confidence. Additionally, literacy abilities are very important for academic success in all subject

areas. Students are more likely to succeed in those courses when they can comprehend and

interact with the material they are studying. They can follow directions, understand complex

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Early Literacy Research Paper

materials, and critically evaluate information with the help of strong reading abilities, all of

which are necessary for academic success. Since

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Early Literacy Research Paper

How does language impacts two areas of literacy phonological

awareness and fluency.

Cook Gumperz recognizes the widely acknowledged significance of social interaction as a

setting for literacy learning. When it comes on to Personal Achievement having great language

and reading abilities could aid in individuals achieving more in society. People who are

proficient in a language can communicate their thoughts, ideas, and opinions effectively. Because

of their improved ability to understand and evaluate information, coherent essays or reports, and

effectively communicate in presentations or conversations, they may perform better academically

as a result. The development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, people can read and

write effectively, we can better understand and analyze complex information. This can help us to

take informed decisions and solve problems effectively. Which are crucial for success in many

areas of life, is another benefit of advanced literacy skills. Language and literacy abilities play an

important role in promoting social interactions. Individuals with strong communication abilities

can hold meaningful conversations, explain themselves clearly, and comprehend the perspectives

of others. This promotes healthy relationships and positive social interactions by encouraging

empathy, understanding, and respect. Furthermore, being able to read and write competently

helps people to participate in a variety of social activities, such as book clubs, online forums, or

community events, where they can connect with others, discuss ideas, and develop long-lasting

connections.

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Early Literacy Research Paper

Relationship between language and Literacy

There are various ways to demonstrate the relationship between language and literacy. Language

is interconnected and influences each other. There are many students who have speech and

language disorders and often have reading disorders as well. Students from low socioeconomic

backgrounds are especially at risk for language delays and reading difficulties. Effective letter

writing is one way; This necessitates both language and literacy skills. To generate clear and

cohesive phrases, you must understand grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. You must

also be literate and capable of reading and comprehending the letter's content. Another way to

demonstrate is book reading; when it comes on to book reading, reading comprehension is a

critical component of literacy. When reading a book, you must comprehend the general meaning

and message through understanding the words, phrases, and paragraphs. According to the Reader

Response Theory/ Interactionalist Theory of Louise Rosenblatt. Language abilities, such as

vocabulary and syntax, are critical for comprehending the content. Social media engagement:

Many talks and interactions take place on social media platforms in today's digital environment.

Language skills are required for creating clear and concise posts, comments, and

communications. Literacy skills aid in comprehending and interpreting the meaning of others'

messages, as well as participating in meaningful online discussions. These examples demonstrate

how language and literacy abilities interact to enable effective communication in a variety of

circumstances.

Emily Davis ’15 is a Community Fellow with the Swearer Classroom Program and an aspiring

speech-language pathologist. When she first sat down with Xavier* to go over his phonics

flashcards, she smiled at him blankly as he chattered away, completely unable to make out

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Early Literacy Research Paper

anything he was saying. Although this was her seventh semester as a literacy tutor with

the Swearer Classroom Program at D’abate Elementary School, she was still a bit taken aback as

she sat there, trying to decipher his words.

As she was not a licensed speech-language pathologist, she would not be able to

officially diagnose any communication disorders he had, but she still started to analyze Xavier’s

speech to try to figure out what the problem was. He seemed to me to have both articulation and

language disorders—he had trouble with certain sounds (he would say “w” for “r” and “sh” for

“s”) as well as grammatical errors (substituting “her” for “she”). These pronoun errors are

surprising to see in a first grader – they are much more common in toddlers and preschoolers. So

it was not surprising that Xavier’s teacher chose him to receive one-on-one tutoring in reading

skills.

One of her main sources of motivation for being a school speech-language pathologist has been

the literacy work she have done through the Swearer Classroom Program with kids like Xavier. I

have loved working with the kids one-on-one and in small groups in a positive, uplifting school

environment. Even though she was only responsible for a very small part of it, it is rewarding to

see the progress they make over the school year. While learning not to get the “y” and “w”

flashcards mixed up may seem like an insignificant gain, it is small steps like these that allow for

future reading success. Her work at D’abate has allowed her to understand the importance of

early reading skills and the variety of factors that have an impact on them. She ``believe that one

of the most rewarding aspects of being a speech-language pathologist will be seeing how treating

a child’s communication disorders can translate into academic progress. These examples , m,

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Early Literacy Research Paper

demonstrate how language and literacy abilities interact to enable effective

communication in a variety of circumstances.

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Early Literacy Research Paper

How does language impacts two areas of literacy phonological

awareness and fluency.

Language has impacted literacy in many ways including phonological awareness and reading

comprehension. Reading is the act of processing text to derive meaning. To learn to read,

children must develop both fluent word reading and language comprehension (Gough &

Tunmer,1986). Phonological awareness? is "the recognition that words have constituent sounds.

Constituents of a word (e.g., book) be distinguished in three ways: by syllables (/book/), by

onsets and rimes (/b/ and /ook/), or by phonemes (/b/ and /oo/ and /k/)" or the awareness of and

ability to work with sounds in spoken language, sets the stage for decoding, blending, and,

ultimately, word reading. Phonological awareness begins developing before the beginning of

formal schooling and continues through third grade and beyond it is essential for reading because

written words correspond to spoken words. Readers must have awareness of the speech sounds

that letters and letter combinations represent to move from a printed word to a spoken word

(reading), or a spoken word to a written word (spelling) (Moats, 2010). Awareness of the sounds

in spoken language is required to learn letter-sound correspondences; to blend sounds together to

decode a word; and to "map" words into long-term sight vocabulary (Kilpatrick, 2015). These

skills include awareness of syllables and onset-rime segments. Later, children develop the ability

to blend and segment individual phonemes. Advanced phonemic awareness includes the ability

to manipulate phonemes by substituting, reversing, and deleting phonemes and continues to

develop into third grade and beyond.

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Early Literacy Research Paper

(The National Reading Panel, 2000) found that phonological awareness can be developed

through practice activities as part of core instruction. Phonological and phonemic awareness

practice activities can be brief, engaging, and woven into whole-group and small-group

instruction based upon students' needs. Reading fluency is defined as the ability to read

accurately, smoothly, and expressively. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without

having to struggle with decoding. When reading quietly, fluent readers, in addition to

automatically recognizing words, group words quickly to aid get meaning from their reading,

which subsequently translates into their understanding of the text. Fluent readers seem natural

when reading aloud, as though they're speaking. Non-fluent readers speak slowly and choppily.

Fluency is crucial because it connects word recognition and comprehension. It gives students

time to concentrate on what the text is saying. They can draw connections between what they are

reading and their prior knowledge. Non-fluent readers, on the other hand, must spend more time

decoding, leaving less time for comprehension. Because of reading errors, kids will frequently

have to read the same material numerous times to gain comprehension. Furthermore, non-fluent

readers frequently do not read with expression.

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Early Literacy Research Paper

References

10, S., 17, J., & 15, A. (2023, April 14). Why is literacy development important for children?.
Learning Without Tears. https://www.lwtears.com/blog/literacy-development-
stages#:~:text=Strong%20literacy%20skills%20translate%20well,usually%20have
%20improved%20cognitive%20ability.

Hoffman, B. (2021, November 17). What is reading fluency? and why is it important?. My
Learning Springboard. https://mylearningspringboard.com/what-is-reading-fluency-and-
why-is-it-important/

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (n.d.). Phonological

awareness. Skills for Early Reading: Phonological Awareness - Evidence Based Early
Literacy. https://www.doe.mass.edu/massliteracy/skilled-reading/fluent-word-reading/
phonological-awareness.html#:~:text=About%20Mass%20Literacy,upon%20students
%27%20needs.

Vignette definition and meaning | Collins english dictionary. (n.d.).

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/vignette

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