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Session 2 of 6

Ready to Read: Building the Literacy Foundation

Before children can become confident, fluent readers, they need strong foundational skills that prepare their brains for reading. This session explores the essential early literacy skills that form the building blocks for everything that follows.

What do children need to be ready to read, beyond simply knowing their letters?

How can we intentionally build these skills before formal reading instruction begins?

Why It Matters

Pre-Reading Skills Are More Than Letters

Pre-reading skills involve far more than recognizing the alphabet. They include oral language development, phonological awareness, print awareness, vocabulary growth, and narrative skills, the cognitive tools children need to decode text, comprehend meaning, and engage confidently with written language.

Children who enter school with strong pre-reading skills are far more likely to become proficient readers. Children who lack them are at real risk for reading difficulties later on.

The Five Building Blocks

Key Pre-Reading Skills

Tap each skill to see what it means and why it matters.

1
Oral Language Development
The foundation everything else is built on
Children need a rich language environment to develop vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills. Understanding spoken words is what allows children to eventually make sense of printed ones.
Why It Matters
Builds vocabulary Supports comprehension Strengthens conversation skills
Oral Language, Two Halves

Receptive & Expressive Language

Both are critical to reading and writing success. Tap each card to see how to support it.

A Powerful Everyday Tool

Serve and Return

One of the most powerful ways to build oral language is through serve and return, the natural back-and-forth between an adult and a child. Just like a game of tennis, the child serves by babbling, pointing, or gesturing, and the adult returns with words, expressions, or gestures. These exchanges build the neural connections that support language and social-emotional development.

ChildPoints to a dog
Adult"Yes, that's a dog! The dog is barking."
ChildSays "ba"
Adult"Ball! You want to play with the ball?"
ChildMakes eye contact
AdultSmiles and talks about what the child is looking at
A Critical Asset

Developing the First Language

For children who speak a home language other than English, continuing to develop that first language alongside the second strengthens cognitive skills, self-identity, and family connections, and gives them a stronger foundation for learning additional languages.

  • Promotes bilingual brain development and cognitive flexibility
  • Strengthens family and cultural bonds
  • Prevents language gaps and confusion
  • Respects and values the child's identity
Understanding the Marks

Print Awareness

Print awareness means understanding that print is not just scribbles, it carries meaning and connects to spoken language. Tap each concept as you build it into your classroom routines.

Unlocking the Code

Alphabet Knowledge

Many children first learn the alphabet in order, but research shows alphabet knowledge develops most effectively through several approaches at once. Tap each one.

Letters like m, s, a, t, and p appear often in early words, so teaching them early helps children blend sounds and read simple words sooner.
Letters from a child's own name or a favorite word are more motivating and memorable than a letter with no personal connection.
Teaching letters with similar sounds or visual features together strengthens sound-letter connections and supports blending.
Children benefit from seeing, hearing, saying, and writing letters repeatedly in different contexts, such as sand, playdough, or markers.
Bridges to Comprehension

Narrative Skills

Narrative skills, the ability to understand, tell, and retell stories, form the foundation for reading comprehension. A child who can retell a story understands its plot, sequence, and main ideas far more deeply.

Ways to Build It
Story retelling with picture support Personal story sharing Story sequencing games Storytelling with props "What happens next?" predictions
Check Your Knowledge

Apply What You've Learned

The Scenario
You have a group of students who enjoy listening to stories but struggle to recognize rhymes, syllables, or the first sounds in words. They also don't seem to notice print or understand that words are made of letters.
Which foundational literacy skills appear underdeveloped in these students?
How might gaps in phonological awareness and print awareness be impacting their reading readiness?
What kinds of activities could build stronger sound recognition and print concepts in playful, developmentally appropriate ways?
How might you support students from multilingual homes in strengthening both oral language and early literacy foundations?

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Connected Literacy
by Yolande Robinson, M.Ed.  ·  Learn & Lead Educational Center