A Quest to Understand Emergent Literacy
Mary LaMantia Rogers, Early Childhood Consultant, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
This is a story about a Head Start teacher who began as a classroom volunteer and teacher assistant. For the past three years she has been a lead teacher at a Head Start center in South Carolina. She earned her CDA credential four years ago and renewed it last year. Since that time, she has been keeping a professional journal about her decision to learn more about the topic of emergent literacy. The following journal entries describe part of her search:
Sunday:
Long drive back from a good training session with agency head teachers. As usual, I've collected a wealth of information. Can I ever use it all?
One thing I've come back with that disturbs me is at lunch yesterday my companions were talking about language development and emergent literacy. I wanted to join in the conversation but didn't want my Education Coordinator to know that I didn't know what emergent literacy was.
Tomorrow after the children go home I will set up a meeting with Chatrene. As Center Director I'm sure she will tell me what it is. I will ask if she has any information on emergent literacy, any examples for the classroom, and any materials to use. Then I will see what I can include in our class so we are being developmentally appropriate.
Monday:
Chatrene was in meetings today. I left a message that I had some questions and may need her help and could we speak about it tomorrow.
Had a meeting with center staff about activity plans and reorganizing the learning centers to focus on the local community farmer's market. Each staff member shared what they would contribute to make the center more reflective of the community. Jameelah would bring in pictures from the local market and fields to show the kinds of vegetables harvested by the families. Peter said he'd make signs for the play at the farmer's market and get fruit and vegetable catalogs for cutting and pasting. Lynn would work on plans with the children about the cooking activity, the recipe, and grocery list to take on the field trip to the market. I'll bring the camera and film and use these with the children to create a large storybook about our visit to the market and cooking activity. I'll coordinate the parent volunteers and buses. We divided the responsibility for the different centers among each of us and will meet next Monday to continue discussing it.
I have been wondering if emergent literacy means I should teach the children the written names of the vegetables we purchase, etc. I can't wait to talk with Chatrene about this. I know she'll give me the answers I need. I do hope I'm not biting off more than I should. Things are too busy now to commit any more time to learning new techniques.
Wednesday:
Chatrene visited our classroom today. She liked the farmer's market and field trip plan. She suggested we consider using the catalogs for the children to build a large storybook and even a wall mural for the hall. She thought this would help them tell the story from their point of view.
After class, I was anxious to see what she had to explain to me about emergent literacy.
Her response to my request for information was not what I expected. Chatrene just handed me a dictionary and said let's get started. I was surprised. She said to look up the terms and we'd discuss them. At this point I knew this was not going to be simple.
I looked up "literacy" first. The definition read, "the quality or state of being literate." Chatrene just listened as I spoke. Nothing was any clearer with this definition so I read further. "Literate" was defined as "able to read and write." This was clear. It does pose a basic conflict for me because reading and writing are not part of our program. We do not teach reading and writing. We read to the children, listen to their stories, and tell a few ourselves. We ask open-ended questions, write their comments on their drawings when they want us to record their thoughts, and more-too much to list in my journal.
Chatrene told me to keep looking and thinking about my classroom and children. I asked her if she would just tell me. But she said I'd understand it better if I did the searching.
I flipped to "emergent." I was not quite sure how this word's meaning could possibly impact on the inappropriateness of what I had defined so far about literacy; that is, literate meant reading and writing. What about communication and language? I think these two are also part of literacy and they are more descriptive of what I do in early childhood: I talk with the children, they talk with me, and we talk with each other. And we build vocabularies with each new experience.
I found a phrase that caught my attention: "Rising as a natural or logical consequence." Okay. Does this mean something that arises naturally-not taught? Chatrene and I talked about this in terms of literacy arising out of the natural consequences of children's play, their environments, and the people and experiences they encounter.
We spent a good hour talking about what each of us felt the definition might mean in the Head Start classroom. Finally, we agreed: it suggests that literacy for young children (which includes reading, writing, speaking, listening) must "emerge" from their natural experiences and can emerge through the spontaneous process of child choice.
Friday:
I spent today thinking about what I had discovered yesterday and observing the children during play periods watching where, when, and how they would read, write, listen, and speak.
Just how were they literate, to what degree, and what was I doing to encourage it for them at their developmental level? I guess I was so surprised at what I was actually seeing because I had never looked at this issue of literacy in the preschool environment before. The children knew their names, classroom labels, picture books, and each other's drawings! Their conversations were full of "their" stories. Little Erika even showed me a get-well note she had written for Eduardo who was home sick. It was full of scribbles and pictures and she'd signed her name. This was not what we as adults know as writing but it was writing: It was Erika's writing and it said something! It said, "We miss you. Get well!"
I understood that reading was not just words. Could it also be the interpretation of pictures, body language, scribbles, picture signs, all the various forms that successful daily communication includes to facilitate interaction in the classroom? How did they learn how to read those signs?
I felt that emergent literacy not only referred to reading and writing but also to speaking and listening. Children can read/interpret signs, pictures, and words in their environment. They can write in their own language.
I learned that many skills are developed in advance of the actual process of reading, writing, and speaking for each area of literacy. I also learned that I understand better when I do my own research instead of being supplied with the answers. And I feel that I am nearing the end of my quest.