A Focus on Emergent Literacy Skills | ECM Element 6

Session Description:  This session will discuss element 6, Emergent Literacy Skills, which considers how teachers explicitly plan and provide curricular experiences and developmentally appropriate activities to support the development of early literacy skills. When there is a focus on emergent literacy, teachers promote children’s awareness of the sounds of language, recognition of letters, development of concepts of print, and expression through writing in the context of play-based learning activities.

Why does it matter?
Well-developed skills in phonological awareness (awareness of the sounds of language), alphabet knowledge (knowing the letter names), concepts of print (awareness of print and its function) and emergent writing (young children’s first attempts to express themselves through writing) contribute significantly to a solid foundation for literacy.