The journey to becoming a confident reader starts well before children can sound out their first word. Print awareness, the foundation of literacy development, lays the groundwork for a lifetime of exploration through written language. The stronger a child’s grasp of concepts of print, the smoother their transition into reading fluency and comprehension.

What is Print Awareness?

Print awareness is all about understanding the world of written language and how it works. This includes recognizing that print carries meaning, just like spoken words do. Children with solid print awareness know that squiggles on a page can be letters, words, and sentences that tell stories, give instructions, or share information. 

Print awareness is an umbrella term that can be broken down into three different areas.

Concepts of Books

Cultivating print awareness in young children goes beyond introducing them to books. It’s about fostering a foundational understanding of how written language functions. This includes the functional aspects of book handling – holding the book upright, recognizing the front cover as the starting point, and progressing through the pages from left to right sequentially. Turning the page becomes deliberate, moving the reader forward in the narrative.

As their print awareness matures, children begin to grasp the significance of the book’s title, recognizing it as a clue to the story’s content. They establish a connection between the illustrations and the written text, understanding how they work together to convey the narrative. The concept of authorship and illustration is introduced, allowing children to understand the distinct roles of the writer and the artist in creating the book.

Concepts of Print

Understanding concepts of print encompasses a range of skills, from recognizing letters and words to understanding punctuation, signs, and symbols. Students learn directionality by following the text from left to right and top to bottom. They begin to grasp the concept of a letter and a word by pointing to each one individually, and they can follow along with the text by pointing at words.

A significant shift occurs when students realize that print represents speech written down. They become fluent in identifying letters by name and associating sounds with letters. As their skills progress, they copy letters and words, write their names, hear and record sounds in words, and write high-frequency words.

Student Attitudes Towards Reading & Writing

We have a great responsibility to help shape student attitudes toward reading and writing. How they feel toward reading and writing directly correlates to their literacy growth. As children are exposed to reading and writing, we must make the experiences meaningful and enjoyable.

During this time, assessments can be conducted to see if the student enjoys being read to, if they choose to look at books when they have a bit of free choice time if they want to share books with their classmates, and if they show interest in writing. These assessments can be conducted formally or informally.

Observing children daily and taking anecdotal notes as they respond to your literacy block is the best way to determine their level of understanding regarding books and print. Sometimes, you need the information at your fingertips as you plan for mini-lessons during the week. I created these for a quick informal assessment so that you can have a snapshot of where your students are regarding print awareness.

You can grab these freebies by clicking here or on the pictures above. 

Print Awareness in Action

We know that our read-alouds can bring attention to concepts of books and print. But how do we begin? I like to start the school year with ten days of lessons that specifically focus on print awareness. The first five days focus on concepts of books, and the last five days focus on concepts of print.

One of the greatest advantages of this approach is its flexibility. The lessons and activities do not require specific books; they can be adapted to any book you choose to start the school year with. 

This is especially beneficial for children who may not have had much exposure to books before. The activities are designed to be inclusive and engaging, ensuring that all students feel confident and excited about learning to read.

In just 10 days, students can gain a strong foundation in print awareness, setting the stage for successful literacy development. 

I’m offering my print awareness lesson plans to help you get started. These plans are designed to be easy to implement and highly effective, ensuring your students develop the essential skills they need for reading success. 

Grab your free lesson plans today and take the first step towards creating a vibrant, literate classroom community!