Emergent Literacy

Since I have yet to work with young children in my field experience I don't have many examples of emergent literacy. I sat in for an afternoon with a kindergarten class and observed kids during a math lesson in which they were learning about numbers and instead of writing the number 3, they would draw three things to represent the number. Some of the kids drawings were fairly easy to identify, trees or squares but then other kids drawings would be completely indecipherable for me- looking mostly like scribbles. I found it interesting the contrast between students. I wonder now, after reading the Sulzby and Teale article, if the children who have more experience with literacy in their homes were the ones who were drawing better or if it was simply a matter of varying degrees of motor skills.

While I was observing this classroom I also saw the teacher use different strategies to promote literacy among her students. She used flashcards during transitions while some children were making their way to the rug. The flashcards had the letter and a picture to represent it. The teacher would call on kids to read the letter, say the sound, and describe the picture. I remember finding it so entertaining to watch them during this activity. One child was given the letter N. He would say "N, nnnn, Egg" but the picture was of a nest. She would prompt him again on the picture but every time he would say "egg" instead. I remember thinking that he's right the picture does have an egg in the nest. Being in this classroom for the afternoon reminded me of how much we actually have to learn. All the literacy skills that we take for granted and seem so obvious, actually had to be learned at one point in time- amazing.