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EDUC 9

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

MODULE 1
Traditional Literacies

Introduction

How would you define literacy? If someone is able to read and write, is
that an indication of his literacy? If you get to ask someone to find out how
he defines literacy, chances are you would get a lot of different answers.
Literacy is one of those terms that at first seems straightforward, but as
pointed out by Keefe and Copeland (2011), asking people to define literacy
“deceptively suggests simplicity, but instead opens up a world of complexity”
(p. 92).

Because there are so many different ways people think about literacy,
it is worthwhile to examine some ideas associated with it. For example,
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO, 2009-2014) has discussed literacy not just in
reference to teaching practices in schools but in reference to the meaning of
literacy across the world. Two key components to their description are that
literacy is a “fundamental human right” and is the “foundation for lifelong
learning” (para. 1).

In this module we will be discussing about traditional literacies to

include traditional, functional, early or emergent literacy, and basic literacy
and skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

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At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. define basic concepts related to traditional literacies;
2. give examples of the different literacies;
3. explain the different kinds of functional literacies;
4. give examples of emergent /early literacy;
5. cite theories on the different kinds of literacy; and
6. answer questions and activities related to the topics discussed.

Lesson Proper
Traditional Literacy

What is traditional literacy? There are many meanings associated with

the term. According to global.com dictionary , it is the ability to read the
written word to gain understanding and meaning.(  https://www.igi-
global.com/dictionary/using-video-games-improve-
literacy/37722#:~:text=1.,to%20gain%20understanding%20and%20meaning.

In the lesson introduction, you were asked how you would define
literacy. Traditionally, literacy education has focused on teaching reading
comprehension, writing and effective communication. However, as modern
forms of communication, collaboration and research shift increasingly to
digital formats, giving way to digital literacy which has become an
important facet of overall literacy education.

In order to succeed in school and beyond, students need to

understand how to navigate the digital world. This includes knowing how to
use technology in the classroom to research, critically evaluating and
processing information as well as creating and communicating within a
digital context. Integrating digital literacy into literacy learning is an
essential component of a graduate degree in reading education.
https://degree.astate.edu/articles/k-12-education/digital-literacy-literacy-
learning.aspx
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What is Functional Literacy?

Functional literacy-refers to the capacity of a person to engage in all
those activities in which literacy is required for effective function of his or
her group and community and also for enabling him or her to continue to
use reading, writing and calculation for his or her own and the community’s
development.
http://uis.unesco.org/en/glossary-term/functional-literacy
Functional literacy refers to the practical skill set needed to read,
write, and do math for real-life purposes, so people can function effectively
in their community. This definition comes from the United National
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, an
international agency that researches education, science, and
communication.
In the U.S., functional literacy is assessed by the National Assessment
of Adult Literacy, or NAAL. NAAL is put together every few years by the
National Center for Education Statistics, a research division of the Institute
of Education Sciences in the Department of Education. This research
classifies literacy according to four levels:
1) Below Basic Literacy: reading and writing words and numbers in
very simple documents.
Examples: locating easily identifiable information on a chart; signing a form;
adding a dollar amount to a deposit slip.
2) Basic Literacy: performing simple skills to understand short texts.
Examples: reading a pamphlet; using a TV guide; comparing ticket prices.
3) Intermediate Literacy: performing challenging skills to
understand long texts.
Examples: looking up information in a reference book; summarizing a long
article; placing an order and calculating the cost.
4) Proficient Literacy: performing creative and critical thinking skills
to understand dense or complex texts.
Examples: comparing viewpoints in editorials; interpreting statistical
graphs; measuring and calculating the costs of food items per ounce.
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Notice that as we advance from Below Basic to Basic, Intermediate,

and Proficient, we go from simple tasks to more and more complex skills.
Functional literacy, however, is about much more than getting a job. It’s
also about preserving skills our whole society needs to function. If we don’t
have individuals with mathematical knowledge, reading and writing skills, or
analytical abilities, we won’t have functioning businesses, governments, or
communities. In other words, we need functional literacy to have a
functional society.
Consequently, functional illiteracy will mean living in a dysfunctional
society, as satirized by the movie Idiocracy.
Therefore, with these stats and definitions in mind, let’s look at some
examples of functional literacy that prevent society from becoming
dysfunctional.

Kinds of Functional Literacy

Media Literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, and create messages
through different types of media. Its purpose is to turn people from mass
consumers into thoughtful citizens who aren’t susceptible to propaganda or
advertising.
Religious Literacy is the ability to interpret religious scriptures and
communicate with different faiths. Religious literacy is important for
combating fundamentalism (e.g., religious fanaticism) and prejudice (e.g.,
Islamophobia).
Financial Literacy is the ability to manage finances and make
decisions about money. Whether you’re a consumer, a business owner, or a
voter, understanding financial budgets, interest rates, and savings is an
essential life skill.
Computer Literacy is the ability to use computers. This skill set can
range from basic competency (i.e., using applications like email and
Microsoft Office) to advanced knowledge (e.g., programming and computer
science).
Legal Literacy is the ability to comprehend laws so you are able to
follow policies and legal procedures.
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Scientific Literacy does not necessarily mean memorizing facts;

rather, it’s knowing how to conduct experiments and identify evidence that
supports or contradicts preconceived beliefs or hypotheses.
Health Literacy is the ability to understand healthcare information,
particularly for making medical decisions or lifestyle choices about
nutrition, exercise, sleep, and other factors that affect physical and mental
well-being.
Civic Literacy (a.k.a. Civics) is awareness of how government works
as well as your rights and responsibilities as a citizen and voter.

Functional Literacy and Technology

Now, because our society is so high-tech, I want to emphasize two key
points about functional literacy by connecting it to technology.
First, functional literacy is primarily about skills or applied knowledge.
It’s only secondarily about facts or subject-matter knowledge. For
example, scientific literacy doesn’t mean you’ve memorized the intricacies of
how quantum computers work. Instead, it means you know how to ask
questions and apply methods of verification or falsification that make such
technologies possible.
Second, functional literacy keeps our high-tech society
functioning.
The kinds of functional literacy mentioned are relative to today’s
highly complex, technological society, but that doesn’t make them any less
valid. For instance, the ancient Greeks got by fine without media literacy or
computer literacy, but that’s because they didn’t have digital networks. If
these examples of functional literacy are unique to our high-tech society, we
evidently need them.
https://mindfultechnics.com/what-is-functional-literacy/

Emergent Literacy
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Emergent literacy is the idea that learning literacy actually begins at

a very early age, long before official lessons in school. This term is used to
describe the knowledge a child has of reading and writing before reaching
the age where those skills are taught. Emergent literacy argues that right
after birth, children are already in the process of becoming literate.

Characteristics

The key factors that support emergent literacy include how some
children come into their school years already familiar with the reading and
writing process. These children do not know how to combine letters to make
words, but they do know some important things about literacy. For example,
most children learn from the modeling of parents reading to them at
bedtime. Usually, children easily notice their mom or dad read their bedtime
stories from left to right. Later on, when learning to read in school, the child
already knows to start at the left of the page.

Secondly, emergent literacy involves learning basic phonemic

awareness. Phonemes are units of sound. For instance, 'fr' is a phoneme. It
is the first unit of sound in words like 'friend', 'frame', and 'freeze'.

Young children can begin to realize blended sounds require more complex
combinations. At such an early age, children do not relate the letters to that
specific sound, but they will begin to pick up on acceptable phonemes
within reading and writing. 'Fr' is an acceptable phoneme, but something
like 'tsw' is not. There is no word in the English language that combines
those letters to make one sound. During emergent literacy, children begin to
learn the acceptable phonemes to increase their phoneme awareness. This
knowledge is very important when they enter school and start to learn to
read.
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Theories

There are several important beliefs within the idea of emergent

literacy. These theories are based on approximate age boundaries of when
certain literacy skills develop. The first stage, stage 0 extends from birth to
first grade. These first five years of life display emergent literacy. As
discussed before, through modeling, children learn that reading occurs from
left to right. In addition, young children realize what letters are, even if they
cannot differentiate between all 26. Furthermore, most children learn the
alphabet and can even write their names.

In kindergarten and pre-K classes, students first start to have official

lessons on literacy. They will begin to relate letters to specific sounds. They
might even begin to use sight words, like 'stop' from stop signs or other
visual stimulation. In the years before first grade, these skills grow and
strengthen.

Officially, reading does not begin until the next stage: stage 1. This
stage lasts from first to second grade when children learn how to sound out
words and translate the letters into blended sounds. Letter recognition is
complete and all acceptable phonemes are realized. Once in this stage, the
child has left emergent literacy.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/emergent-literacy-definition-theories-
characteristics.html

Although language and literacy are two different skills, they are
closely related. Language is the ability to both use and understand spoken
words or signs. It is all about ideas passing from one person to another.
Literacy is the ability to use and understand written words or symbols to
communicate. Language and literacy learning begins prenatally! The child
begins to learn the sounds and rhythms of his or her home language in the
womb and can begin a love of reading by being read to as a newborn.
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Emergent literacy has been defined as "those behaviors shown by very

young children as they begin to respond to and approximate reading and
writing acts." However, literacy goes beyond reading and writing. It
encompasses "the interrelatedness of language: speaking, listening, reading,
writing, and viewing."

There are many ways for young children, including infants and
toddlers, to engage with books:

Holding, tasting, and turning the pages

Having an adult hold the child while reading a book
Pointing to and talking about the pictures
Inviting the child to finish or join in saying repetitive phrases
Asking questions
Near the end of the first year of life, children begin to understand that
pictures represent real objects and understand the meaning of about 50
words. By 18 months, the child knows 1,800 words and, given exposure to
rich language and literacy experiences, is rapidly learning new words every
day.
Daily reading to a child, or even telling little nursery rhymes from
birth, significantly improves a child's ability to read and write.

How To
Maintaining and passing on their home language to their children,
which helps children connect to their families and have a strong, positive
cultural identity of their own
It is easier for children to become fluent English speakers if they have
a solid foundation in their home language
The young brain is fertile ground for learning two or more languages
at once
Using "parent-ese," talking to an infant with slower speech and
exaggerated vowel sounds, to help the baby figure out the sounds of his or
her home language (e.g., "mmaaaammaaaa")
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Directing a toddler's interest to a sound in the environment (e.g.,

"Listen, that's mama's phone ringing.") or pointing a toddler's attention to a
word that has the same beginning sound as her name (e.g., "Do you hear
the sound of banana? Ba, banana. Ba. It sounds like your name, Bai.")
Responding appropriately to infants' coos, gestures, and body
movements and all the ways infants and toddlers communicate before they
use language
For example, when an 8-month-old points to something, look at what
the baby points to. These are the beginnings of conversation!
Describing what the child is doing (e.g., "Sarah can't take her eyes off
of you while she's breastfeeding.")
Adding elaborations to the words children say; for example:
If a toddler points and says "truck," the parents might extend this by saying,
"Yes, that is a garbage truck emptying our dumpster," or, "I think you hear
the sirens of the fire truck."
Talking directly to children from early infancy about what they see or
experience (e.g., "You're looking at me. Yes! A smile. I love your smile. A
smile for Daddy.")
Talking about things you are doing (e.g., "I'm making a sandwich.
First, I'll wash my hands. Then, I'll get out the bread.")
Reading and sharing stories with young children
Engaging young children in learning vocabulary by using rich
language to talk about the pictures and stories in a book, asking questions
while reading, and pointing to pictures as parents describe them; for
example:
" That baby is smiling. Can you touch his mouth? He's happy."
"What's going to happen to the next monkey jumping on the bed?"
Pointing out familiar icons, such as a stop sign or the name on the
grocery store, as well as shapes, colors, and letters in the environment
Pointing out written words that have meanings to toddlers, such as
their names and the names of family members
Counting fingers and saying rhymes during hand washing; thus, you
have touched on a healthy behavior and layered it with literacy and math
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Following a recipe and reading it out loud

Providing markers and crayons for making the most of everyday
writing, such helping to "write" grocery lists, thank you notes, etc.
Visiting the library, getting library cards, and attending a toddler's
reading experience
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/home-visitors-handbook/emergent-
literacy

Literacy and Basic Skills

Top 5 Skills Needed for Childhood Literacy

Literacy skills are all the skills needed for reading and writing. They
include such things as awareness of the sounds of language, awareness of
print, and the relationship between letters and sounds. Other literacy skills
include vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension.

Here are some simple definitions of some of the skills contained within
the larger concept of literacy.

Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness (awareness of sounds) is the ability to hear and

play with the individual sounds of language, to create new words using
those sounds in different ways. This usually occurs within the natural
course of a child's development.

Not to get too technical, but it's interesting to break down the parts of the
language, most of which we learn intuitively by hearing our parents and
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others around us. It's worth noting that words are made up of various
sounds besides just consonants and vowels, including:

 Digraphs: Two letters which form a single sound, such as the "ea" in
"bread" or the "ng" in "song." 
 Onsets: The part of a syllable just before the vowel of that syllable. In
the word "cat" the onset is the /c/ sound.
 Rimes: A syllable's vowel and the sound immediately after. In "cat,"
the rime is the /at/ sound.

A phoneme is the smallest sound segment in spoken language that

has a meaning. In the word “cat,” there are three phonemes, /c/ /a/ /t/.

As your child begins to play with small pieces of a word, it indicates they
have some phonemic awareness. This is why rhyming stories such as Dr.
Seuss are great picks to read to children, even if they can't yet read
themselves, to get them familiar with the different ways sounds can be
rearranged.

Awareness of Print

Parents can encourage print awareness by exposing children to books

and other reading materials from a very young age. Most print awareness
begins in the home and the child's everyday environment. Reading to
children is crucial in order to foster this awareness and to introduce them to
the letters of the alphabet.1

Children also pick up print awareness from environmental print, such

words found on road signs, cereal boxes, and the like. It's important for
children to have at least some print awareness before entering first grade to
ensure they don't struggle when learning to read. 
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Vocabulary

Children learning to read (and most people) typically have two kinds of
vocabulary, which is the collection of all the words a person knows and uses
in conversation. 

An active vocabulary includes words a person uses regularly in speech

and writing. Words in the active vocabulary are those which a person can
define and use in context. The words in a passive vocabulary are those
which a person knows, but whose meaning he may have interpreted through
context and use by others. 

Spelling

Spelling is simply defined as the arrangement of letters to make a

word. The way words are spelled and understanding concepts behind
irregular spellings help children learn to read earlier, particularly if they're
encountering new words.

Reading Comprehension

If a child can read and understand the meaning of something he

reads, he's said to have reading comprehension. More than just being able
to read the words, reading comprehension includes the ability to draw
inferences and identify patterns and clues in a text.

For instance, if a child is reading about a person who decides to carry

an umbrella, the child can infer that the person is expecting rain, or that
rain may factor into the story somehow. 

https://www.verywellfamily.com/literacy-skills-1449194#:~:text=Top%205%20Skills
%20Needed%20for%20Childhood%20Literacy.%201,Vocabulary.%204%20Spelling.
%205%20Reading%20Comprehension.%20More%20items
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On the otehr hand, the mandate of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong
Learning (UIL) is to promote lifelong learning with a focus on adult and
continuing education, literacy and non-formal basic education. In addition, UIL
is contributing to UNESCO’s priority focus on literacy by strengthening national
capacities to scale up quality, inclusive and gender-sensitive literacy
programmes.

UIL’s main activities in Literacy and Basic Skills

UIL’s Literacy and Basic Skills activities focus on gender equality, Africa and
youth:

1. Promoting holistic, integrated, sector-wide and cross-sectoral

approaches to literacy through advocacy, networking and partnership
activities
2. Facilitating policy dialogue with relevant actors in Member States and
assisting them to integrate literacy and basic skills into national
education policies and development strategies in order to support peace,
social cohesion and sustainable development
3. Conducting action-oriented and policy-driven research and
disseminating the results in order to improve the quality and relevance of
literacy policies and programmes. UIL focuses in particular on action
research that addresses the following issues:
 Assessing learning outcomes in literacy programmes
 Developing empowering approaches that promote inclusion and
gender equality
 Reaching vulnerable youth
 Promoting diversity through multilingual and multicultural
approaches
 Achieving relevance through integrated and intergenerational
approaches
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 Ensuring quality through professional development, enhanced

curricula and materials, and enriched literate environments that
incorporate information and communications technologies (ICTs)
4. Making available evidence-based knowledge and examples of innovative
literacy and numeracy policies and programmes through the Effective
Literacy and Numeracy Practices Database (LitBase)
5. Developing the capacities of literacy stakeholders in order to improve
policies, programme design, management, monitoring and evaluation.
Strengthened capacities in Member States will be used to:
 Integrate youth and adult literacy and basic education into
national recognition, validation and accreditation frameworks
and/or mechanisms
 Apply strategies and tools that provide access and promote the
successful completion of basic (skills) education, particularly for
disadvantaged young people and adults