Building Emergent Literacy
Welcome to the Building Emergent Literacy Module! This module is the first module in a six-part series that explores the foundational knowledge about emergent literacy needed to support diverse young learners in various settings. Specifically, this module will lay the foundation for the roadmap to reading in later years by highlighting the history of early literacy and a direction to take in supporting child outcomes.
Estimated Completion Time: 2.5-3 hours
Welcome!
Welcome to the Ohio Literacy Library’s Early Childhood (B-K) series! This series presents six modules designed to assist all educators and other interested stakeholders in helping young children acquire emergent literacy skills.
In this module, we will address emergent literacy, including the history of early literacy, developmentally appropriate practices, assessment, and supporting a wide range of diverse young learners. We will discuss each of these areas while incorporating strategies for fostering emergent literacy experiences in the early years and identifying considerations for adapting and modifying content to support the individualized needs of young children across environments and experiences.
Whether you are an early interventionist, caregiver, teacher, administrator, paraprofessional, parent, related service provider, higher education faculty or candidate, or have another role in helping a child develop their early literacy skills, we want first to say THANK YOU. We know your time is valuable, and you would not be here if you weren’t interested in supporting outcomes for young children and families.
Sincerely,
The University of Cincinnati Systems Development & Improvement Center
Prerequisites
None.
This is the first course in a six-part series on early childhood emergent literacy.
Module Description
This module introduces a foundational overview of building emergent literacy skills that can start well before children are reading. Potentially, the content here can serve as a guide for determining how and when to foster language and literacy skills in all children while also serving as a resource to identify red flags early. By completing this module, we hope you will gain the necessary background knowledge to continue with further modules that delve deeper into best practices in early childhood literacy. The content of this module is designed to assist early childhood educators, families, and other stakeholders in learning why emergent literacy is an essential component of literacy learning and how to support all children.
Course Navigation, Design, and Policies
Throughout each course, you will see a Course Outline with a green ribbon and the title of the course at the top right corner of the page. The outline displays every section of the course. Click any section to jump right to it.
At any time you are in a module, you can go back to the Home Module page by clicking the Back to Module button located directly under the module outline.
As you go through the course, you will have the opportunity to click the Mark Complete box at the end of each section. When you do this, the sections you have completed will be crossed off in your outline, and you will be taken to the next section of the course.
Your progress will automatically be saved within the learning management system, and you can view your course progress through the progress bar located near the top of most sections.
Exiting and Resuming a Module
Know that your progress will automatically be saved within the learning management system. If you exit the website, once you log back in you can easily access your courses by clicking the on the My Dashboard button located on the gray ribbon on top of every page.
Note Feature within the Modules
Throughout each module, you will notice some Reflection boxes that provide various prompts. Each reflection will be in a grey box with an image of a pen/lightbulb. A built in feature of each module is the ability to take notes and save them for your future use. This feature can be used within any part of the module, but is especially helpful for the reflection activities.
To access the note feature, simply click on the purple Take Notes button fixed in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. When you click on this button, a Take Notes box will appear. This box can be moved anywhere on the screen. Within the box, there is a SAVE button as well as a Print Button.
The easiest way to print all the notes you take from the entire module is to click View All Notes. When you click View All Notes, you will be taken to a page like the one below.
Click the boxes of the Notes you would like to print, and then click Download Selected. All your notes will be downloaded into one document separated by headers.
All Ohio’s comprehensive learning modules are relevant to any educator working to support students’ literacy development. In each module, you will find in-depth narrative text, linked resources, realistic scenarios, reflection activities, and embedded audio and videos.
Each module is self-paced. The approximate time for completion of the module is listed in the Simple View of Reading Module text box on the home page of the module.
Additional information included on each module’s home page include:
- Required prerequisites for the module.
- A more detailed description of the module.
- Helpful downloadable resources for the module including an outline of the module’s content and supporting resources, a step-by-step guide to assist you in navigating the professional learning modules, and an in-depth information about the purpose and key elements of the Ohio Literacy Library.
Certificates
Professional Development Certificates
are available for each comprehensive learning module. To earn a Professional Development Certificate, you must obtain a passing score of 85% or more on the module post-test. Please note that you are only allowed up to two attempts to obtain a passing score to earn your certificate.Badges
When completing professional development modules within All Ohio, you can earn badges based on your engagement in and mastery of content within each comprehensive learning module. You earn
Achievement Badges when you demonstrate proficiency with module content (i.e., obtaining a score of at least 85%), whereas Engagement Badges are awarded based on your level of participation on the site. Your earned Certificates and Badges will be displayed on your “All Ohio Dashboard.”
If you have any issues with accessing the content or functionality of this course, please email: allohioprojectteam@uc.edu
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Desired Outcome
After completing this module, you will understand the foundational approaches to building emergent literacy. Our goal is that as you engage with this content, you will reflect on the current practices that you use and consider how these align with recommended and evidence-based practices. We hope your engagement with this content supports your growth as you support the ongoing development of young children.
Module Learning Objectives
This module aims to increase your knowledge and understanding of emergent literacy. By completing this module, you will be able to:
Identify examples of evidence-based emergent literacy practices.
Describe the history of early literacy.
Explain considerations for facilitating emergent literacy skills.
Discuss environmental factors that may impact emergent literacy.
Helpful Resources Related to this Module:
An outline of the module’s main content and supporting resources.
Welcome & Navigation
Step-by-step guide to assist you in navigating the professional learning modules.