Starting Small: The First Steps Early Literacy Series Starting Small: The First Steps Early Literacy Series is a collection of short presentations designed to acquaint you with the basics of early literacy development. This initial presentation defines “literacy” and establishes that its development begins even before birth. LITERATE FROM BIRTH

What is literacy? It’s not uncommon to hear literacy described as something learned in school. But the truth is that literacy begins long before children set foot in kindergarten. In fact, new research suggests it may begin before a child is born. To understand how literacy develops, let’s begin by asking an important question: Just what is literacy? Take a moment to consider that. If you were asked to define the word “literacy,” what would your definition include?

Literacy is about making meaning Speaking/Writing: Expressing Meaning Listening/Reading: Understanding Meaning At its most basic, literacy – whether spoken or written – is the process of making meaning. You can think of reading, writing, speaking and listening as complimentary processes operating like a two way street. Moving in one direction are speaking and writing – which involve the expression of meaning. They are the ways we communicate with others. Moving in the other direction are listening and reading, which relate to the ways others communicate their meanings to us. Whether spoken or written, literacy is about the creation of meaning.

The importance of symbols No definition of literacy would be complete without one other piece: the use of symbols. To illustrate their use, take a moment to read the comic strip at the top of the frame. Were you able to understand the story that Peanuts illustrator Charles Schultz was telling? Charlie Brown is delivering newspapers and Snoopy is fetching each as it is thrown. It’s a meaning Mr. Schultz was able to communicate without the use of a single word – but was able to tell instead with pictures. In this case what we are seeing is not a boy and his dog, but symbols representing them. And we were able to understand his meaning. This idea of pictures as symbols is famously illustrated in Renee Magritte’s famous painting shown below. In French it explains, “This is not a pipe.” And of course, it isn’t…not a real pipe at least. Magritte’s painting is a picture. He is using a symbol to represent something real.

Words are symbols too – whether spoken or written. “Pipe” Words are symbols too. Whether spoken or written, the word “pipe” is not a pipe, but an even more abstract way of representing this real life thing. With this understanding our basic definition of literacy is complete.

Literacy is the use of symbols to create meaning. Literacy is use of symbols to create meaning.

Literacy is developmental Literacy is developmental. It progresses toward more and more “grown up” versions. The ability to use spoken and written language to create meaning is developmental. It starts before birth - in very simple forms - and progresses toward increasingly complex “grown up” versions. For this reason, it’s important to understand that children are literate (in early ways) long before they come to school. And it is important that we – as parents and other interested adults - treat them this way. In Part 2, we’ll learn more about the early development of language.