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(Unit 2) Topic 8: Promoting Early Literacy

3 Clock Hour of Early Childhood Education

Comprehension is the Heart of Literacy

Topic 8 Page 4

Reading and writing are fundamentally about meaning. They are communication processes. Rich early literacy experiences include engaging children in interactions with print in ways that make meaning central. These experiences cultivate children’s understanding of the purpose of print: to share ideas, to entertain, to persuade or provoke, to inform, and to comfort. When children listen to stories about a topic that has special importance in their lives, when they are amused by an author’s sense of humor, and when they watch an adult turn to books or other print media for information, they understand that reading and writing are meaningful processes. When adults model and assist children in making predictions, retelling or reenacting, making inferences, and responding to and generating questions about stories and other text, they are promoting the processes that support comprehension.

One of the keys to understanding text is in background knowledge. In fact, children’s experiences with the world significantly influence their ability to comprehend printed material. As infants discover how to roll a ball, as toddlers explore floating and sinking objects, as preschoolers observe wildlife in their setting, they are building a knowledge base that will serve them well as readers in the years ahead. Thus, a rich, coherent content program, thoughtful instruction, and a myriad of valuable experiences during the early years are significant components of an early literacy program.