What are emergent readers
Emergent literacy | Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities
“Emergent literacy is not age dependent but is based on experiences with print!”
–Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver
Who are emergent readers and writers?
Emergent literacy is the term used to describe the reading and writing experiences of young children before they learn to write and read conventionally (Teale & Sulzby, 1986). Emergent literacy begins at birth, regardless of whether or not a child has a disability. For older emergent literacy learners, it is important to keep all activities age respectful.
Emergent literacy is commonly defined as the behaviors of reading and writing that lead to conventional literacy and “comprises all of the actions, understandings and misunderstandings of learners engaged in experiences that involve print creation or use” (Koppenhaver & Erickson, 2003, p. 283), and these experiences are not only necessary but closely related to later literacy outcomes (Justice and Kaderavek, 2004).
Emergent literacy behaviours and understandings are directly related to opportunity and experience. Students with significant disabilities often have the fewest learning opportunities and experiences that lead to literacy.
Students who are emerging in their understandings of literacy are working to understand the functions of print and print conventions. Developing phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and important receptive and expressive language skills will eventually allow students to use reading and writing to interact with others. Emergent readers and writers are making discoveries and learning about literacy when they explore literacy materials, observe print within the natural environment, interact with conventional readers and writers, and see models of how and why print is used (Teale & Sulzby, 1992). Examples of emergent literacy behaviors may include interpreting a story through pictures rather than through text, manipulating books in nonconventional ways (e.
g., looking at the book from back to front or holding it upside down), scribbling, and the use of invented spelling (Clay, 1993; Koppenhaver, 2000).
An emergent reader is one who is interested in books but can’t yet read them independently or may be able to read some words but requires continued support to make meaning from print. It could also be a student who is not yet interested in reading books. An emergent reader may have not yet developed intentional or symbolic means of communication.
A emergent writer is one who is learning to use written language to express communicative intent, and beginning writing is defined as starting with emergent writing (drawing, scribbling, and writing letters) and ending with conventional writing abilities, usually acquired by second or third grade for typically developing children. (Strum, Cali, Nelson, & Staskowski, 2012)
Regular participation in reading and writing activities plays a central role in supporting typical children’s understandings about print.
Research in emergent literacy shows that students with significant disabilities, including those with complex communication needs, can benefit from the same type of literacy activities used with typically developing children but may require more time and opportunity. Regular participation in reading and writing activities plays a central role in supporting understandings about print for ALL students.
Many of the studies and literature surveys the last four decades have a common finding: nothing replaces sound early literacy instruction, even when taking into consideration recent technical advances.
If students with significant disabilities are not exposed to reading and writing materials, how can they learn to use them?
Old assumptions
An emphasis on functional skills, rote memorization, and readiness activities typically take precedence over in-depth literacy instruction (Skotko, Koppenhaver, & Erickson, 2004). Literacy development for 70-90% of students with significant disabilities rarely approached conventional literacy skills expected for typically developing students (Koppenhaver and Yoder, 1992).
- Literacy is learned in a predetermined, sequential manner that is linear, additive, and unitary.
- Literacy learning is school-based.
- Literacy learning requires mastery of certain pre-requisite skills.
- Some children will never learn to read.
New thinking
Holistic and explicit instructional approaches to balanced literacy that include daily reading, writing, and word study are critical for all learners, including those with significant disabilities (Erickson, Koppenhaver, & Cunningham, 2006; Sturm & Clendon., 2004).
- Literacy is learned through interaction with and exposure to all aspects of literacy (i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
- Literacy is a process that begins at birth – there are no prerequisites.
- Literacy abilities/skills develop concurrently and interrelatedly.
- All children can learn to use print meaningfully.
From an emergent literacy perspective, reading and writing develop concurrently and interrelatedly in young children, fostered by experiences that permit and promote meaningful interaction with oral and written language (Sulzby & Teale, 1991), such as following along in a big book as an adult reads aloud or telling a story through a drawing (Hiebert & Papierz, 1989).
Through the concept of emergent literacy, researchers have expanded the purview of research from reading to literacy, based on theories and findings that reading, writing, and oral language develop concurrently and interrelatedly in literate environments (Sulzby & Teale, 1991).
Where can I learn more?
Learning for All – This Alberta resource offers information, strategies and references for school leaders and teachers working with students with significant disabilities. This content was collaboratively developed through Learning for All, a one-year community of practice (2014-2015) for district leaders and consultants.
Literacy, Assistive Technology, and Students with Significant Disabilities. Karen A. Erickson, Penelope Hatch, and Sally Clendon, Focus on Exceptional Children, Volume 42, Number 5, 2010.
Quick Guide #13 “Supporting Literacy Learning in All Children” by David A. Koppenhaver and Karen A. Erickson (pp. 181-194) in Quick Guides for Inclusion: Ideas for Educating Students with Disabilities, 2nd edition
Research Based Practices for Creating Access to the General Curriculum in Reading and Literacy for Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities.
Karen Erickson, Ph.D., Gretchen Hanser, Ph.D., Penelope Hatch, Ph.D., Eric Sanders, M.S./CCC-SLP, 2009.
Comprehensive Literacy for All is written by Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver. This is the new version of Children with Disabilities: Reading and Writing the Four-Blocks Way, which was used by the Literacy for All community of practice.
“Literacy improves lives—and with the right instruction and supports, all students can learn to read and write. That’s the core belief behind this teacher-friendly handbook, your practical guide to providing comprehensive, high-quality literacy instruction to students with significant disabilities. Drawing on decades of classroom experience, the authors present their own innovative model for teaching students with a wide range of significant disabilities to read and write print in grades preK–12 and beyond. Foundational teaching principles blend with concrete strategies, step-by-step guidance, and specific activities, making this book a complete blueprint for helping students acquire critical literacy skills they’ll use inside and outside the classroom.
” (Published 2020)
Preview Comprehensive Literacy for All here.
A Guide to Emergent Readers and Stages of Development
As a teacher, you know each of your students is unique. Never is that more apparent than with developing readers.
But you have lesson plans to propose and an entire class of students to teach.
You don't have time to design a reading development strategy for each of your little readers. Instead, you need a plan that will meet your students where they are, wherever that may be.
That's where the stages of reading development come in.
From early emergent readers to fluent readers, this simple breakdown helps you understand what stage each of your students is in so you can better meet their needs.
Want to know how to keep your readers on track and engaged?
Check out this guide to designing an instruction plan that addresses student readers of all stages.
What Is an Emergent Reader?
The emergent reader stage is one of the most vital in a student's journey.
After all, 65% of 4th-grade students read at or below an early fluent reading level, which is only one step above the emergent reader stage.
Making sure a student progresses beyond emerging reader status with confidence and excitement, then, is important for assuring they improve beyond a basic level of reading comprehension.
Compared to an early emergent reader, emergent readers have learned the alphabet and have a handle on a large vocabulary of CORE words.
They've progressed beyond picture books and books with small regions of text. Now, your emergent readers have a good understanding of phonics and are starting to comprehend word meanings in addition to word sounds.
Emergent readers will typically read books with increasingly larger blocks of text. They can handle more complex sentences and rely less on pictures for comprehension.
While they may read books on familiar topics like home and family life, these stories go into greater depth than their early emergent reader precursors.
What's more, these students will have more confidence in recognizing high-frequency words.
They're venturing into both fiction and non-fiction stories. And most excitingly, emerging readers have begun to discover that reading has many uses and purposes beyond the classroom.
How to Engage and Excite Your Emergent Reader
Engaging and exciting your emergent reader is all about choosing the right books and offering assistance only when needed. The reasons behind this latter point are twofold.
First, your student needs to know they are supported and that you're there for assistance with sounding out words or comprehending definitions if needed.
But secondly, too much help can actually be detrimental to the child's confidence in their abilities.
They need to know that you think they can read independently. That way, it gives them the space to form their own confidence in reading independently.
The other tips for engaging and exciting your students is a no-brainer.
Choosing the right books that are challenging but not so challenging that the student feels defeated is vital to helping emerging readers move into the next stage of development. Our phonics collection starts at the very beginning.
Here are three books that we think are perfect for your emerging reader:
- A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein
- Look What I Can Do by Jose Aruego
- Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle
The 4 Stages of Reading Development
If you have a student who is still struggling to achieve emergent reader status despite your very best efforts, it's time to return to the four stages of development.
That way, you can see where your student is lagging while also exciting your little reader with all the learning they have to look forward to.
1. Early Emergent Readers
Early emergent readers are just beginning their reading journey.
These students are typically 6 months to 6 years old and are learning the alphabet.
As they advance, these readers begin to recognize the difference in uppercase and lowercase letters.
Aside from the alphabet, early phonics is extremely important during this phase.
Children should be learning the relationship between the way a letter looks and its associated sound, beginning with the differences in vowels and consonants.
You'll know your early emergent reader is on the cusp of becoming an emergent reader when they begin to automatically recognize high-frequency words (core vocabulary words).
Also, your almost-emergent readers will be able to read consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words.
2. Emergent Readers
As we mentioned above, emergent readers have learned the alphabet and are beginning to understand early phonics.
They can often read independently with assistance if needed.
You know your emerging reader is moving on to the next stage if they're starting to comprehend word meaning more automatically instead of focusing on word recognition alone.
3. Early Fluent Readers
This stage is where the magic starts to happen. Early fluent readers are typically between the ages of 7 years and 10 years old.
And at this point, not only can students identify word sounds on their own but they can also comprehend those word meanings independently.
These readers should be given books of different varieties now so that they can appreciate the diversity of the form.
This is a great time to introduce students to genre fiction, an excellent way to excite your early fluent readers with fun, engaging stories.
Complete independence while reading and comprehending is a signal that your early fluent reader is ready to progress.
4. Fluent Readers
If your student or child has made it to this stage, congratulations!
Considering that only 34% of 8th graders achieved National Assessment of Educational Progress "Proficient" reader scores in 2018, this is truly an accomplishment for the record books.
A hallmark of this stage is the ability to read aloud with proper pauses for punctuation.
Fluent readers need absolutely no assistance with reading comprehension. And they are starting to actually understand the meaning behind what they read instead of just comprehending word meanings.
At this point, your fluent reader should begin to choose their own books and form preferences about what they like to read.
This is an exciting time in a student's reading development journey. But it's also an exciting point, in general, since becoming a fluent reader is a major pit stop along the road to true independence.
Special Education for Your Struggling Reader
Are your emergent readers struggling to move on to the next stage of development?
Check out AdaptEd's carefully curated selection of books to engage and excite your child or students today!
Emergence, how much in this word for
Terms:
emergence
Terms:
element
Terms:
system
Terms:
property
In response to a comment by Victor, April 19, 2014 - 10:24, link
In fact, using the word "emergence" (from the English emergerence emerging, suddenly appearing) they are trying to indicate a special status system qualities (qualities of the system as a whole) contrasting them with the qualities of the elements.
And from this side, there is no significant difference between the two examples given (stainless steel and an oscillatory circuit) - in both cases we are dealing with the identification of some quality of the system that was absent from its elements. It is clear that the nature of new qualities in static systems (stainless steel, any polymers, etc.) and dynamic (oscillatory circuit, mechanisms, etc.) is different, but the essence of the systemic (emergent) effect is still the same: something new has appeared, which elements did not have. By the way, we noticed that the oscillatory circuit from the standpoint of emergence is similar to, say, a car: they connected static parts, and it drove, or, even better, connected the gears into a clock, and they vibrated.
We can also single out a strong emergence variant (if the previous one is called weak) - this is when not just the presence of a system quality is stated, but its fundamental novelty, historically the first evolutionary appearance - the formation of a system with qualities that did not exist before.
In this (strong) sense, one speaks of the emergence of evolution (biological, social, technical). That's all wisdom.
Where is the problem?..
And the problem is in the language (in words), which means that initially in the minds. Read what you wrote:
For me, emergence is a new phenomenon ...
Do two words ("emergence" and "phenomenon") go together here? Is emergence a phenomenon? Emergence is neither a property, nor a thing, nor a process... well, not a noun.
Did you notice how neatly I began my story about emergence ( using the word "emergence" trying to indicate )? Emergence in the sense in which it is used can only be in one form - in form adjective "emergent": emergent property, emergent quality, emergent effect, that is, property, quality, effect emerged, appeared (emergence) during the formation of a system of elements. And in this sense (and there is no other) the word "emergent" is an absolute synonym of the word "systemic": systemic quality, systemic property, systemic effect.
And now it is clear why I do not use the word "emergent": if I want to be adequately understood, and not to bullshit readers, I will strive to use Russian words that are familiar to them. I want to write about system quality (about what arises, appears when elements are combined into a system), so I write "system quality". I want to write about the system-forming quality of the dynamic system (oscillatory circuit), so I will write about it, and not about emergence.
And it is understandable why many people like to insert the word "emergence" (precisely in the form of a noun): one gets the impression that we are talking about some kind of mysterious phenomenon (" emergence is a phenomenon "), the effect of which, it is possible that - to explain. What to explain? It is clear that - the emergence of systemic qualities. So dissertations on the topic "Emergence as a component of the invariant-variant structure of translated texts" or phrases such as "emergence is characteristic of economic and business systems" (system properties are characteristic of systems), "synergy is an integral part of emergence" (it has part?), "the control mechanism is "hidden" in the presence of emergence", "the conceptuality of an organism is that its development begins with the appearance of an emergent entity .
.. of the second kind", etc. It is enough to read this "emergence as a component of an invariant-variant structure "(and hundreds of other similar thoughtful sayings) in order to forget this word, throw it out of your vocabulary.
Guest, 19 April, 2014 - 14:11
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Issues of theory and practice (included in the list of VAK) . Tambov: Diploma, 2013. No. 3. Part 1. S. 111-113. 
Thanks to this principle, the author considers it possible to explain the process of passing the bifurcation points by the discursive system, to substantiate, with different interpretations of certain semantic components of a fairy tale, the emergence of completely different storylines that lead the reader to the creative attractor set by the author. 
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