Aspects of Literacy Establishment Essay

Introduction

Early literacy development plays a significant role in a wide variety of fields and activities. It may be particularly essential in terms of early education, communication, and means of obtaining knowledge. There are five main predictors of early literacy, including oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, concepts about print, and early writing (Fricke et al., 2016). Each of these predictors involves a set of specific skills. Oral language is closely related to expressing thoughts and feelings, sharing information and ideas, remembering, asking for help, and giving advice. Phonological awareness is the ability to understand different sound patterns (Center for Early Childhood Education, 2013). It also represents such skills as identifying syllables and rhymes, correlating the letters with the sounds, and understanding blended sounds. Alphabet awareness is the ability to identify letters from the alphabet, which is related to writing and understanding letter sounds (Center for Early Childhood Education, 2013). Concepts about print involve the ability to recognize print, understand its meaning, and the diversity of purposes. Early writing is related to allowing communication through writing, even if the spelling is incorrect. It provides children with the opportunity to practice writing and improve their spelling gradually.

Communication has numerous functions and areas of implementation, and hence literacy may be an inseparable part of modern life. The above-mentioned predictors may indicate that literacy skills are developing correctly. They may also be utilized in order to identify weak points and introduce an individual approach to each child. Even though, in some cases, one predictor with its set of skills may be less developed than the other, these predictors correlate with each other (Teale et al., 2018). Therefore, poorly developed skills in one area may lead to insufficient skills in the other. Lack of alphabet awareness may prevent the development of writing skills and interfere with understanding of the concepts about print. It may be necessary to address each predictor comprehensively in order to introduce sustainable early literacy.

My Literacy Experiences

1. One of the first literacy experiences is closely linked with the introduction of the native language and learning how to speak (OL) (V)
2. Learning Spanish allowed me to identify different sound patterns (PA)
3. Even though my parents did not teach me English, they provided me with preliminary skills in Spanish (V) (OL)
4. I heard English speech for the first time and was surprised by the difference in the sound patterns (PA)
5. I watched various cartoons and TV shows in English, trying to understand the meaning of words (OL) (PA)
6. Unfortunately, there were insufficient reading experiences, yet I was introduced to reading and writing when my grandparents sent letters (AK) (CAP)
7. Even though my parent did not read to me, they explained to me the concept of letters and introduced the basics of the Spanish alphabet (AK)
8. My parents also bought me various educational toys designed to teach simple words and letters (AK) (CAP)
9. I frequently saw my parents reading and writing while paying bills and doing different paperwork (CAP) (W)
10. Sometimes I took sheets of paper and tried to write simple words asking my parents for help (W)
11. English literacy was significantly influenced by learning at school and particularly communicating with other students as I learned new words and speech patterns (OL)
12. Frequent communication with native speakers improved my pronunciation and language perception (OL) (PA)
13. During English lessons, I learned to identify letters and developed my writing skills (W) (AK)
14. The ability to understand letters and words allowed me to acknowledge that there are large amounts of written information surrounding me (CAP)
15. These skills also allowed me to complete my first writing tasks and read my first books (V)
16. Going to the Library for the first time in order to complete a school project played a significant role in my literacy development as I understood the wide variety of its functions (CAP) (V)
17. I read the Lord of the Rings in English in order to improve my knowledge and to challenge myself (V)
18. As technology developed, social media appeared, and I was introduced to typing and using messengers on a daily basis (W) (CAP)
19. My college teacher helped me understand the importance of literacy and the ability to read and comprehensively interpret information (CAP)
20. Harry Potter was the first book I read for the plot and not as a part of practicing English (V)
21. My taste in literature began to establish, and I started to read frequently (CAP)
22. I read Shakespeare for the first time and realized the difference between modern and old English and ways of speaking (V)
23. During the same period, I kept a diary, which considerably contributed to the development of my writing skills (W)
24. I started looking up several unfamiliar words in the dictionary every day in order to improve my vocabulary (V)

Significant Event Map

Personal Reflection

My early reading and writing experiences are associated with struggle and lack of practice. Both of my parents are from Mexico, and hence English was not introduced to me during my childhood. Unfortunately, that led to a lack of practice and insufficient knowledge regarding English vocabulary, speech patterns, and the alphabet. I was not able to develop oral language skills and writing skills early enough. Moreover, there was no particular help at school as multicultural practices in education were not present yet. In addition, my parents have specific views and attitudes towards early literacy. Therefore, they did not read to me in childhood in English or even Spanish. Even though I faced significant difficulties in childhood, I was able to develop my literacy skills during school and college.

It was hard to learn English as a second language at school. However, I am pleased that I am able to read and write properly. I view myself as a relatively literate individual who obtained literacy skills through hard work. Reading books became one of my hobbies, and I read various novels on a daily basis. Furthermore, I use the dictionary to broaden my horizons and learn new vocabulary. Writing skills also became an inseparable part of my life as I keep a diary, actively communicate with friends using social media, and sometimes even write short stories. My primary strength is the ability and willingness to improve my literacy skills. Permanent commitment to learning new things may be the key to becoming a truly literate individual. Another strength is represented by the fact that I am able to speak two languages and utilize such knowledge to construct unique speech patterns.

Nonetheless, there are several significant challenges that I face during the process of learning. As already mentioned, I was not introduced to English during my childhood. Moreover, I had a lack of practice in reading, listening, and writing. Therefore, it may be hard to minimize my accent and develop phonological awareness. In addition, my English vocabulary may not be large enough to call myself a native speaker. It may be necessary to make considerable efforts in order to learn more words and diversify my oral language.

School attendance played a significant role in my journey to becoming a literate individual. Communication with native speakers allowed me to improve my oral language skills and enrich my vocabulary. Live interaction may be critical in terms of preliminary literacy skills development. Moreover, it brings a deeper understanding of phonological aspects. Reading books and classical literature also contributed to my literacy skills development. Even though it may not always affect all key predictors, it is closely linked with vocabulary and writing. It may be possible to significantly improve writing skills by reading texts with good edited grammar. One of my college teachers encouraged me to overlook my attitude to literacy and understand the importance of good reading and writing skills. Finally, the introduction to social media and digital communication devices allowed me to practice writing and positively affected my concepts about print.

Literacy is an essential part of modern life, and it may be highly beneficial in a wide variety of fields. It may be helpful during research or provide the necessary basis for communication. Literacy is vital in terms of writing diverse papers or conducting scholarly studies. Therefore, viewing myself as a relatively literate individual implies that I acknowledge my capabilities. Furthermore, as a bilingual person, I have higher opportunities and may access more sources. Conclusively, I believe that being literate is crucial, and hence I will always seize opportunities to improve my skills.

References

Fricke, S., Szczerbinski, M., Fox-Boyer, A., & Stackhouse, J. (2016). Preschool Predictors of Early Literacy Acquisition in German-Speaking Children.Reading Research Quarterly, 51(1), 29–53. Web.

Teale, W. H., Whittingham, C. E., & Hoffman, E. B. (2018). Early literacy research, 2006–2015: A decade of measured progress. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 20(2), 169–222. Web.

YouTube. (2013). Five Predictors of Early Literacy.YouTube. Web.