{"id":32026,"date":"2024-05-06T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/?p=32026"},"modified":"2024-05-06T18:02:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T22:02:48","slug":"early-literacy-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/early-literacy-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential teaching strategies for developing early literacy skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are early literacy skills?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Early literacy requires exposure, practice, and repetition to help children learn to read and build their skills and make them lifelong readers and writers. A love of reading and all things literacy related cannot be cultivated early enough. We are a species that thrives on storytelling, from the early days of Homer\u2019s orator skills to social media nowadays. Find ways to encourage partnership between your school\u2019s teachers and families so that reading and writing are emphasized early and often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is early literacy development important for students?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Developing early literacy skills is crucial for healthy brain development, and its importance extends far beyond success within a school\u2019s walls. Obtaining basic literacy skills by third grade has been tied to higher academic success later in schooling and then in the workplace. Plus, there are physical and mental benefits, too. Reading 30 minutes daily has been shown to reduce heart rate and blood pressure<\/a>. Lower reading scores in high school have been tied to health issues in adolescence and adulthood, partly because poor reading skills can affect informed decision-making about one\u2019s health. Basic literacy and skills can help thwart the ills of poverty and even incarceration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a child is not reading at grade level by fourth grade, they are statistically likely to remain illiterate throughout their life.<\/p>LucyProject.org<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Social and emotional wellness<\/a> and strong literacy skills help support good mental health. Social and emotional learning<\/a> can help support students in expressing themselves, their feelings, and their needs. SEL and literacy thrive in such supportive and nurturing classroom environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are early literacy skills literacy skills examples?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to examples of literacy skills, the key areas are reading<\/strong>, writing<\/strong>, listening<\/strong>, and speaking<\/strong>. Then, the content areas become more nuanced as we begin to look at awareness of sounds, relationships between those sounds and letters, awareness of print, building comprehension, gaining vocabulary, and learning how to spell. These skill sets are the foundational blocks for literacy proficiency and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearpod\u2019s<\/a> instructional delivery platform helps educators connect with their students through meaningful interactive learning experiences. Engage every student in their learning through impactful features, from collaborative tools to formative assessments, and use data to inform your next instructional decision. Whether you’re looking to enhance existing resources or supplement your curriculum with 22,000 standards-aligned lessons, videos, and activities, Nearpod has everything you need to facilitate transformational learning literacy experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New to Nearpod? <\/strong>Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teachers: Sign up for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Administrators: Schedule a call<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Teaching strategies for developing early literacy skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reading strategies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. Embrace the Science of Reading<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably heard quite a bit about the Science of Reading<\/a> (SOR). This newer movement relies on decades of research about the best strategies to employ for teaching reading. SOR is not a program but rather supports a return to a highly structured set of approaches rooted in decoding skills and language comprehension versus phonics, whole language, or balanced literacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within Nearpod, you can explore the Nearpod library<\/a> by standard or focus on one of the English Language Arts (ELA)<\/a> strands for teaching reading: Conventions of Standard English, Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, Knowledge of Language, Phonics, Word Recognition, Fluency, Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, or Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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