Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Language And Literacy Development Chapter 5
HELPFUL TERMS
Concepts About Print Knowledge about print and books that ranges from a basic level
(e.g., front and back of a book) to a more advanced level (e.g.,
printed words are separated by spaces).
Decoding Identifying words by using letter-sound relationships.
Early Literacy Initial behaviors showing that young children understand
aspects of reading and writing prior to gaining formal literacy
skills. Examples include understanding how to hold a book
and turn pages from front to back, or that writing is used to
communicate to others.
Early Writing Initial behaviors that illustrate understanding of aspects of
writing such as direction from left to right and top to bottom, or
that words have bigger spaces between them.
English Language Learner The description given to a child or adult who is not a native
English speaker and is learning English.
Environmental Print Print that occurs naturally in the environment on signs,
advertisements and labels. It usually appears with certain
colors, shapes, patterns and pictures that help children as young
as 2, recognize patterns and identify the print as if reading.
Literacy-Rich Classrooms Classrooms that provide high-quality literacy materials that
encourage reading and writing.
Phonemes The smallest unit of sound in a spoken language, e.g., the “f” at
the beginning of the spoken word “farm”.
Phonemic Awareness The awareness of individual phonemes within words, e.g.,
ability to segment the word “fish” into 3 phonemes, /f/, /i/, /sh/,
or being able to blend individual phonemes into a whole word.
Phonics Knowledge of common letter-sound relationships, not just
sounds for single letters, but also groups of letters.
Phonological Awareness The whole spectrum from early awareness of speech sounds and
rhythms to the highest awareness of syllables and phonemes.
Story Bags Collections of items such as miniature animals, people, vehicles,
shells, feathers, etc. that can be used to create a story.
Scientifically Based The process of using scientific methods to gather information on
Reading Research how children develop literacy skills, and how they can be
prepared to learn to read.
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