Developmental Continuum: From Beginning Emergent to Beginning Developing Phase

Beginning Literacy Awareness              Pre-K                          K	Participating Confidently in Literacy Events                     1	Increasing Foundational Literacy Competencies	Making Transitions to the Developing Phase
Oral Language Foundations
Children can: Approximate adult grammar with some overgeneralizations (e.g., "goed" for went) Pronounce most phonemes3 correctly (common mispronunciations f, l, s, r, th) Use language incorporating simple sentence structures to inform, make requests, and meet social and emotional needs Ask questions when something is not understood Name most things in their immediate world and enjoy learning new vocabulary within concrete and high interest experiences	Children can: Recognize differences between language of home and school Increasingly use language in sustaining social interactions Engage in imaginative play--talking to self and others Give simple descriptions of past experiences Share information from television programs, field trips, and informational books	Children can: Apply most grammatical rules correctly in their speech Recognize differences between fiction and nonfiction books Use descriptive language Distinguish between "sense and nonsense" Use language to create and sustain imaginative play and role plays Recognize and use simple story structures to tell, retell, or write and draw stories	Children can: Recognize whether a sentence with a simple structure is grammatically correct Correctly pronounce all phonemes (with guidance) Make some adaptations in their language to meet the requirements of audience and context (e.g., formal/informal context) Learn to use specific vocabulary from different subject areas appropriately Use language to mediate and resolve conflicts Include details such as when, who, where, what in describing experiences, stories, and television shows Listen to informational books and retell the most important information

Beginning Literacy Awareness              Pre-K                          K	Participating Confidently in Literacy Events                     1	Increasing Foundational Literacy Competencies	Making Transitions to the Developing Phase
Textual Foundations
Children can: Listen to and enjoy stories read in "one-on-one" and small group situations Discuss pictures/illustrations Incorporate words and phrases from books into their play Respond to stories through drawing Incorporate story elements into their play	Children can: Listen to and enjoy stories read in whole class situations Confidently share feelings about books how enjoyment and understanding of books through talking, drawing, and dramatizing meaningful parts Choose to return many times to favourite books Make connections between story events and own experiences Distinguish text from illustrations Voice-print match4 when supported by teacher framing of words and sentences Demonstrate book knowledge: cover, front/back, right side up, how to turn pages Participate in framing and counting words in short Morning Messages and other meaningful texts	Children can: Show an interest in the meaning of words in books Show enjoyment of books through responding to them in discussing, drawing, dramatizing, and writing Realize that print contains a constant message Use vocabulary for print concepts (letter, sound, word, sentence) istinguish letters from words and words from sentences Show awareness of punctuation marks and their uses Make predictions that show understanding of cause and effect	Children can: View books as sources of information as well as enjoyment etell familiar stories using most elements of story structure (e.g., setting, characters, episodes/events, problem and resolution) Understand that all texts have authors Distinguish between different types of texts and formats (e.g., fiction/nonfiction, stories, poems, signs, lists, personal letters, etc.) Use left to right and top to bottom progression, and voice-print matching consistently

Beginning Literacy Awareness              Pre-K                          K	Participating Confidently in Literacy Events                     1	Increasing Foundational Literacy Competencies	Making Transitions to the Developing Phase
Graphophonic Foundations
Children can: Enjoy and participate in language games showing awareness of rhyme and alliteration of initial consonants Make auditory discriminations of sounds in the environment how awareness of sound qualities (e.g., loud/soft, high pitched/low pitched, near/far, abrupt/ sustained) Recognize and imitate short sound sequences making use of concepts of first, last, middle, same, different Recognize shapes in the environment and in printed materials Copy/draw simple shapes and lines Make visual discriminations between a few letters Write own name using letters and letter-like approximations Show interest in magnetic letters, making letters in sand/salt, etc. Show interest in alphabet and one-letter books Repeat short sentences with varying forms	Children can: Demonstrate increased awareness of rhymes and various forms of alliteration when listening to stories, poems, and songs Recognize and imitate sound sequences making use of the concepts of repetition and pattern Count words in spoken sentences and clap the syllables in spoken words Segment familiar compound words Segment and blend words into their onsets and rimes5 Create rhymes and short phrases using alliteration Write own name and a few high frequency words correctly orm most letters correctly Copy words and short sentences, cut sentence strips into words and words into letters Recognize and name most of the letters of the alphabet Show awareness of the alphabetic principle and expect letters to have consistently corresponding sounds	Children can: Segment short words into their phonemes and blend a short sequence of phonemes into words reate word families and apply knowledge of familiar rimes when decoding (with teacher support) Make use of knowledge of initial and final consonants to predict what a word might be (during Shared Reading, Morning Message, or cloze activities) Recognize, name, and write all the letters of the alphabet Write dictated words made up of familiar phonemes and/or make such words using sets of letters Leave spaces between words when writing Recognize some short vowel sounds and digraphs within meaningful words (e.g., children's names) when supported by teacher/adult	Children can: Apply letter-sound knowledge during independent reading Show interest in unfamiliar letter-sound patterns Use pictionaries in writing and decoding Increase their letter-sound knowledge through sustained interest and alertness to opportunities to do so (through environmental print, new books introduced in Shared Reading)

Beginning Literacy Awareness              Pre-K                          K	Participating Confidently in Literacy Events                     1	Increasing Foundational Literacy Competencies	Making Transitions to the Developing Phase
Foundations of Independant Reading and Writing
Children can: Display enjoyment of, and interest in, books (e.g., choose books independently, request rereadings of favourites, talk about books they like) Show an awareness that the text of favourite books is consistent and/or that the story stays the same across readings Recognize environmental print that is connected to their own experiences Use a combination of scribbling, letter approximations, and letters to write own name and other meaningful words and phrases Imitate reading and writing behaviours Communicate through and about their drawings Dictate short stories to accompany their drawings Use literacy materials provided at structured play centers in meaningful ways	Children can: Enjoy being read to, relate story events to own experiences, and choose and discuss favourite books Participate orally in Shared Reading of predictable books "Pretend read" to other children or toys using a familiar book and a simple retelling format, or an unfamiliar book and the pictures to construct a story Read classroom labels, signs, and other environmental print Recognize a few high frequency words within instructional contexts such as Word Wall activities and Shared Reading of predictable books Use the meaning of the story to predict what might happen Understand that what can be said can be written and read Show an interest in authorship and write words and messages using invented spelling Suggest and make literacy materials for use in Structured Play and other learning centres View self as a reader and writer	hildren can: Attempt to read familiar texts independently (e.g., predictable books, poems, experience charts, etc.) Expect to get meaning from text Use picture clues and knowledge of content/topic to confirm meaning Use knowledge of oral language and letter-sound relationships to decode Show interest in categorizing, sorting, and creating lists of words using letter-sound knowledge, knowledge of some common word structures (e.g., er, ing, es, s endings), and word patterns (e.g., rimes) Spell short, high frequency words correctly in own writing and increasingly use graphophonic knowledge to spell unknown words Attempt to use punctuation and capitalization Independently initiate reading and writing activities Contribute ideas for responding to books	Children can: Sustain reading behaviours alone for longer periods Participate confidently in Guided Reading instruction Check one information source with another to decode and retain meaning (with teacher support) Use knowledge of frequently encountered words and word families to decode and spell Notice mismatches (e.g., word predicted does not make sense in that context) and self- correct some of the time Rely less on picture clues for meaning Add to their bank of sight words and recognize these words across contexts Choose reading as an activity for home and school Make some use of phrasing and expression in oral reading Demonstrate confidence in reading and writing activities (e.g., get started quickly, make attempts before requesting help, etc.)

Beginning Literacy Awareness              Pre-K                          K	Participating Confidently in Literacy Events                     1	Increasing Foundational Literacy Competencies	Making Transitions to the Developing Phase
Developing and Integrating the Foundations
Teachers can: Create a community of learners in which each child is valued and supported in taking risks with his/her literacy learning, and children are encouraged to help each other Read books for children's enjoyment on a daily basis Reread children's favourite books Engage children in informal conversations and show an interest in what they say Engage children in language play such as finger plays, rhyming games, tongue twisters Sing, chant, and recite poems, songs, and Nursery Rhymes with children on a daily basis Draw children's attention to letters and letter sounds in their own names and in environmental print Support literacy-related play activities Encourage children to experiment with writing and reading behaviours Create a print-rich environment Demonstrate the foundational literacy concept that what can be said can be written and read through activities such as Morning Message and the creation of short Experience Charts Model reading and writing behaviours Create and maintain classroom libraries and well-stocked writing centers Believe in each child's desire to learn and in his/her unique set of abilities Show an interest in reading and writing for enjoyment, and talk with children about personal reading and writing interests	Teachers can: Create a community of learners Frequently read books to children that are interesting and conceptually rich Draw children's attention to authors and illustrators Encourage children to describe experiences that are important to them Support children in developing the language needed for a variety of social situations through modeling appropriate language and engaging children in role playing activities Draw attention to connections between children's experiences and those of characters in books Provide regular opportunities for children to participate in Shared Reading and Interactive Writing in whole class and small group situations Provide many opportunities for children to explore letter-sound relationships Develop graphophonic knowledge and concepts of print in activities that move from whole, to part, to whole Support children in blending and segmenting sounds in high interest words such as their own names Demonstrate key features of reading and writing behaviours through problem solving out loud as they read and write (e.g., "We need to start here on the page and move from left to right as we read."; "We need to make a period next as this is the end of our sentence.") Provide daily opportunities for children to read and write independently at their own level, and support their approximations of reading and writing behaviours Believe in each child's desire to learn and in his/her unique set of abilities	Teachers can: Create a community of learners Read books to children daily choosing a wide variety of topics and genres, and including several books by the same author for discussion of common and unique features (e.g., characters, themes, style, illustration techniques, etc.) Select books that broaden children's understanding of gender, culture, and other aspects of human difference Help children build their sight vocabulary through drawing attention to high frequency words and those with personal meaning (during Shared Reading activities; through the development and use of Word Walls, personal word banks, etc.) Demonstrate the use of problem-solving strategies (e.g., use of picture clues; semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and graphophonic6 knowledge; reading ahead; rereading; etc.) Show their own interest in reading and writing through reading when children are reading and writing when children are writing, and sharing personal writing and information about their own favourite poems and books Engage children in discussion of their own reading and writing preferences Expand children's knowledge of topics and purposes for writing and reading through a variety of concrete experiences such as field trips Believe in each child's desire to learn and in his/her unique set of abilities	Teachers can: Create a community of learners Continue to read books for children's enjoyment daily Select books that expand children's vocabulary development Engage children in conversations on a variety of topics and for differing purposes including the establishment of rules and routines and reasons for them, and the planning of new centers, field trips, etc. Expand the foci for social play and children's roles in setting up centers and incorporating literacy materials into them Encourage and support children's reading and writing across subject areas Model ways to find and obtain information from books Demonstrate and encourage the use of a wide variety of ways to respond to books Encourage children to talk about their reading and writing Model critical reading of, and response to, books (e.g., pointing out stereotypes, defending personal book preferences) Engage children in discussion of their own reading strategies and writing approaches Provide opportunities for children to write every day for a variety of purposes and audiences Believe in each child's desire to learn and in his/her unique set of abilities Show an interest in reading and writing for enjoyment, and talk with children about personal reading and writing interests