Stages Of Writing Development And Ages

Literacy Development. Well, there's a teacher phrase if I've ever heard one! What does this mean really? In simple terms, these are the stages that kids typically pass through in regards to their reading and spelling skills. As you can clearly see, that was too long for a title. 😉

I'm excited to explore literacy development in the next few weeks with you! You'll find all the titles and links listed below as they are published. I will also have printable checklists** for each stage, so be sure to look for those!

5 Stages of Literacy Development - This Reading Mama

5 Stages of Literacy Development

When it comes to teaching kids, I'm a firm believer in being a student of your student(s). Through observing them as they read and write, we can determine the things they know, don't know, or "use, but confuse" {a phrase I learned from Dr. Francine Johnston of Words Their Way}.

Why is it important to know this information? There are two main reasons I'd like to highlight:

It guides our instruction. We don't waste our time teaching something the child has clearly mastered or start working on a concept that's way over their head.
To make learning meaningful to the child. We want to zone in on what the child needs to know right now. This means that what we're teaching him is a little out of his reach by himself, but attainable if we step in a do a little guiding. This is also known as the zone of proximal development (or ZPD) from Vygotsky.

Our Best Teaching Quote - This Reading Mama

While I will list approximate grade levels or ages for each stage of development, please note that your child/student may not necessarily be in the stage listed for his age.

You may even find that your child/student fits the reading signs of one stage and the spelling signs of the stage (or two) below it. It is natural, especially at first, for kids to be able to read a lot more words than they can spell correctly. As children get older, we want to help them bridge that gap.

The main thing to keep in mind is that all children are different. Some progress faster (or slower) than others and that's okay. If you teach in the classroom, chances are you'll have students who fit more than one stage of development within the same grade level. And if you teach at home, be careful you don't compare your children to one another, as they will progress at different rates!

Literacy Development Links:

In each link, you'll find a printable checklist** of reading and spelling behaviors.

Stage 1: Emergent Readers and Spellers
Stage 2: Alphabetic Readers and Spellers
Stage 3: Word Pattern Readers and Spellers
Stage 4: Intermediate Readers and Spellers- coming soon
Stage 5: Advanced Readers and Spellers- coming soon

**DISCLAIMER: Please note that these checklists are not the end-all-be-all for our child(ren) and students. They are not designed to put our readers/spellers into a rigid box. They are simply a tool to help us, as observers, become more aware of what our child/student understands about reading and spelling so we can better guide our teaching.

I also want to add that if your child has a learning difference that affects his literacy skills, such as dyslexia, use the checklists with a big dose of wisdom. For example, an older reader who has dyslexia may still struggle with some of the skills on the emergent reader list, like rhyming or syllables. Again, we don't to box in kids. We just want to become more aware of what they know or don't know.

5 Stages of Literacy Development for Kids - This Reading Mama