Developmental Stages For Acquisition Of Literacy Skills

Developmental Stages for Acquisition of Literacy Skills

Jane M. Flynn, Ph.D. La Crosse Area Dyslexia Research Institute, Inc. c. 1997

The following pages present a developmental sequence for listening, speaking, reading, spelling, and writing skills from preschool through high school. You may use these charts as a guideline for what kinds of literacy experiences to offer your students. Keep in mind, however, that these represent the normal, or average, kinds of literacy developments in children, especially for children raised in mainstream, middle-class homes. Children who come from different preschool literacy traditions or who have learning disabilities will have uneven development or lack of skill development in one or more areas. For these children, the charts will help you identify missing experiences or skills and provide them for your students who need early intervention or remediation.

Also keep in mind that the age/grade designations for different stages indicate when MOST children will enter a particular stage. Many may enter a stage earlier, and many children who will be normal readers and writers may enter a stage later. If, however, your children are more than one grade delayed, e.g., in 3rd grade and still in Accuracy Reading/Spelling by Sound, you should be concerned. Preschool Stage (Age 2-Kindergarten)

ORAL LANGUAGE READING SPELLING WRITING Emerging Language Print Concepts and Phonological Awareness Stage Imitative Spelling Imitative Writing

Concepts about Print Overgeneralizes (He goed home.)  Holds book right side up Imitates writing motions Assigns meaning to own “writing”  Understands that story goes from front to (scribbles) Simple descriptions of back Understands that drawing and writing are past events  Imitates adult reading using pictures Understands that different  Retells familiar story symbols represent things Asks how and why questions  “Reads” familiar signs (AI2b) Recognizes and attempts to write own name  Understands that print goes from left to Interacts in lapreading sessions: right and top to bottom “Reads” what (s)he has Thinks that own writing can be read by others written  Notices details and shows interest  Points to some words as story is read in pictures Copies print from the environment  Labels things Phonological awareness Sense of directionality develops  Labels actions  “plays” with the sounds of language (hot,  random placement of symbols or  Asks questions about what’s tot, pot) marks happening  Understands the concept of “word” in a  horizontal scribbles or marks  Answers prediction questions spoken sentence and can count words

 Relates story to own life heard  Expresses preferences for some  Can count, delete, and add syllables in stories and story types compound words and two-syllable words  “reads” story using pictures  Can substitute and delete beginning and ending sounds in a spoken word

Stage One (Kindergarten-1st Grade) Social Language Reading Accuracy Phonetic Spelling Early Writing

Most grammatical rules Phonological awareness/Phonics Spelling by Sound Consistent left to right and top to bottom writing mastered  Can count, delete, and substitute sounds in spoken words  Represents syllables or words with Sentences often begin with “I” Uses language to request,  Segments spoken words by sound single letters (ICU) control, explain, compare, Uses repeating sentence patterns (I like..., I  Distinguishes voiced and unvoiced consonants  Writes beginning and ending and seek info consonants (no vowels) like...)  Distinguishes long vowel sounds in spoken  Substitutes consonants (p 4 b) Engages in classroom words “Bed-to-bed” stories  Begins to distinguish short vowel sounds in  Omits nasals and liquids (m,n,l) interactions  may write chr 4 tr, jr 4 dr spoken words Uses complete but simple sentences  Matches letter sounds to letters (phoneme to  Represents vowels, but substitutes Participates in Show and short vowels Tell grapheme match) Inconsistent capitalization and periods  Unmarked long vowels (“bot 4 “boat”) . Event-centered  Builds one-syllable words sound-by-sound  Represents most sounds in one and narratives--who, (e.g., m-a-t) Uses simple forms of writing--letters, messages, two-syllable words when, where, what  Substitutes letters in dictated one-syllable stories . “bed-to-bed” stories words (e.g., change “mat” to “fat”) Spelling by Pattern  Decodes one-syllable words in reading, K-1st grade genres  Begins with overuse of silent e sometimes confusing short vowels  Narratives  Some representation of vowel teams in  Decodes words with beginning and ending  Informational (science, etc.) spelling (ay, ai) blends  Functional (directions)  Begins to master vowel teams (a-e, ee, etc.)  Responses to literature  Able to track sounds in one and two-syllable words and select symbol that represents each

Sight word recognition  Recognizes many words as logographs (Mom. Dad. love, etc.)  Needs 7-10 exposures to recognize words on sight  Masters first grade Dolch (sight) words

Oral reading  Reads slowly, often without expression or proper phrasing  Effortful decoding, inconsistent word recognition

Comprehension—Kgtn.  (Fall) Connect (Text-to-Self)  (Spring) Visualize

Comprehension—1st grade  (Fall) Connect, Visualize  (Spring) Question

Stage Two: Fluency (2nd-3rd Grade) Language for Learning Reading Fluency Phonic Spelling Basic Narrative Writing

Aware of audience and intent Decoding and word recognition Spelling by Pattern Uses basic sentence patterns when speaking automatic Understands that the same sound can be  Statements Converses with a variety of Reading speed increases (90-110 made by different letters  Questions audiences (teachers, peers) wpmc) -k, c, ck, ch  Interrogatives -vowel teams Uses tone, gestures, pace, Phrasing and expressiveness -g, j, dge, ge intonation to enhance meaning improves -ch, tch, ture Joins sentences, often overusing “and” Uses language to cooperate with Comprehension—2nd grade Understands that different sounds can be peers  Connect made by same letters Generally capitalizes beginning of sentences  Question -ow, ough, g, c, oo, s Uses vocabulary specific to the  Visualize -ed Inconsistent punctuation—periods, questions task, e.g., description,  (Spring) Infer marks, exclamations comparison Understands open and closed syllables in Comprehension—3rd grade one-syllable words and when adding endings Retellings are logical, (go-got, get-getting, bat-batted) Usually uses consistent tense and correct  Connect subject-verb agreement sequenced, on topic  Question silent letters (kn)  Visualize Predicts and recalls Titles work appropriately  Infer R-controlled vowels in one-syllable words  Transform (analyze and (ir, ur, er) synthesize) Writes in first of third person R-influenced vowels (or, ar, ere, ear, are, air Begins to use narrative form (e.g., follows Story Understands some syntax endings (-ed, -ing) Grammar Plot)

Includes many details, time sequence in narratives

Proofreads for spelling and word choice

Stage Three: Reading for Information (3rd-8th Grade) Mastery of School Reading for Meaning Semantic-Syntactic Differentiated Writing Language Spelling

Shares ideas, offers advice, opinions, Accuracy and fluency well established (115- Understands that syntax, not sound, and information 125 wpmc) can determine spelling Uses a variety of simple,  homophones (steel, compound, and complex sentences Differentiated language by task Uses all meaning-making strategies easily and steal) (report, storytelling, interview) appropriately  sign, signal Uses correct punctuation  context Able to orally develop a curriculum  phonological knowledge Understands that meaning rather than Writes dialogue in narratives topic  semantic knowledge sound can determine spelling  text structure  ed Uses paragraphs to signal related Draws conclusions, makes  or, er, ar sentences inferences, justifies and explains Finds main idea and supporting details Uses open-closed pattern knowledge Uses headings to organize Listens to draw inferences, evaluate, to double consonants in adding expository writing and make judgments Understands story grammar plot endings (pin-pinning) Uses a variety of linking words, Summarizes main idea Predicts, sequences, compares, draws varied vocabulary, adjectives, from speech or text conclusions, reacts to emotions of characters Uses open-closed syllable pattern to adverbs, similes and metaphors drop e and y to i patterns correctly Interprets whether a message has Recognizes tone, mood, author’s purpose in (come-coming, story-stories, Considers audience in developing been understood narrative works alternate-alternating) background information

Participates in group discussions Masters common prefixes, suffixes, Develops unique voice (Book Club, Literature Circles, and roots Grand Discussions) (re-, un-, pre-) Writes stories, reports, procedures, and explanations Uses spelling resources (spell checker, dictionary) Uses writing process to plan, organize, draft, edit, and publish work

Appreciates and can imitate authors’ styles

Stage Four: Multiple Perspectives (8th Grade-Adult) Language for Varied Reading with Multiple Perspectives Advanced Semantic-Syntactic Expert Writing Environments Responds to narrative and expository text at all levels Spelling  literal Selects language according to  interpretive/applied Understands syllable juncture Differentiates writing form by audience and purpose (friends,  evaluative/critical based on open-closed audience and purpose work)  creative/personal Understands that some words Writes to define, clarify, develop Persuades, debates Recognizes and interprets author’s purpose must be learned as exceptions ideas, and express creativity  informative (robin, ever, habit, balance) Explains own position on  persuasive Masters topic sentence-supporting controversial issues Refines meaning basis for details paragraph form  opinion spelling patterns (root constancy, Draws conclusions and makes word families) Organizes paragraphs to create a Understands figurative language inferences from oral and written  sign, signal, insignia logically-sequenced text text Masters content-area vocabulary  major, majority Researches topics to include Expresses independent, critical relevant details in writing Interprets text/vocabulary with multiple meanings Perfects knowledge of stress thinking (homographs) Writes a wide range of forms-- Employs appropriate pre-reading strategies  perfect, perfect Formulates hypotheses, critiques, poetry, narrative, essay, persuasive,  KWL, vocabulary graphic organizer  oppose, opposition evaluates, and influences others editorial, expository  Vocabulary frames  Establishing purpose (6 types) Able to sort by number of Uses concrete examples to syllables, by syllable patterns, and Develops a topic fully and keeping  Choosing reading rate illustrate/explain abstract ideas by stress patterns audience and purpose in mind Employs appropriate strategies during reading  Self-questioning, Questioning the Author Extemporaneous speeches Understands vowel alternation Writes a range of expository text--  SQ3R, EA2R  divine, divinity cause-effect, sequence, comparison  Find and record main idea (topic sentence)  image, imagine  SKRAWL notes Accurately uses a wide range of  receive, reception  KU RAPT notes punctuation  HUG (Highlight, underline, gloss) Learns Latin and Greek affixes Edits and evaluates own writing  Story, text mapping and roots  Patterns of organization (sequence, cause/effect, compare/contrast, etc.) Uses syllabication and pattern knowledge to spell unfamiliar Employs appropriate post-reading strategies polysyllabic words  Self-summary (SQ3R)  Prepare questions Uses a range of spelling Uses  Participate in discussion (comment, print and electronic resources elaborate, question) (spell checker, dictionary,  Article summaries, maps, matrices thesaurus)

Reads critically  Identifies purpose of article  Judges author’s authority on subject  Evaluates logic  Identifies bias  Cites evidence and evaluates worth  Identified author’s stake in subject (gain)  Applies to own life and to society