Anne's Precis-Yetta Goodman's "The Development of Initial Literacy"

In her article entitled, “The Development of Initial Literacy,” Yetta Goodman argues that children acquire the tools necessary for reading and writing early in life. Prior to entering the classroom, children become familiar with books and their native language. Children are first exposed to literacy at home. Exposure on behalf of a literate society enables children to soak up literacy, even before the realm of education. Young people acquire literacy through comprehending how to relay information. A person’s acquisition of literacy is said to have three integral aspects. When one interacts with other members of a society, one’s interactions influence how one will read and write. Encouragement regarding young people’s reading, writing and talking about texts enables children’s progression. Awareness of the content of particular texts; indeed, meaning and pronunciation must occur. Parents are credited with primarily assisting children with literacy acquisition.
Initially, children ask that their parents read to them. Children inquire for their parents to engage in reading with them by using the word “say.” Parents aid in child literacy through simplistic means such as, playing games where children must identify letters on billboard signs. There are three criterions for documented words. Encompassing relational or semiotic principals, functional principals and linguistic principals, one identifies this criterion for documented words. Relational principals deal with the meaning conveyed in regards to a verbal or documented discourse. Linguistic criterion deals with organization; for instance, using shapes, sizes of letters, and numbers. By using this linguistic criterion, children are able to relay information and conceptualize the alphabet. Regardless of instruction on how to incorporate spelling, children attempt to spell. Punctuation is another aspect of written discourse that children utilize. Children restrain and or adjust their sentence structure when they read orally. Yetta Goodman feels that since children come from different backgrounds, they should be grouped with children that are on similar competency levels. Goodman contends that more time should be allotted to each aspect of obtaining concepts, in regards to a child’s ability to read and write.
Coming to terms with Yetta Goodman’s written discourse, one will conceive that child language acquisition depends on parents. Parents seemingly determine how one will do concerning instructional learning. A parent that does not actively play a role in a child’s reading and writing, prior to a child’s entrance into the gates of pre-kindergarten, inhibits child literacy acquisition. Furthermore, a reader identifies the parent in Goodman’s writing to not solely be a biological figure but, it could be a guardian, or simply someone who has fulfilled higher education requirements than the one they are trying to teach. Growing up, my mother obtained her Bachelor’s Degree. While spending ample amounts of time reading, my mother also wrote papers. Not only did my mom devote all this time to college, she encouraged me. Furthermore, she implemented tools for me to utilize so that I could be a good student. Literacy is significant among children at an early age, because it determines how they will do later in life.