Stages of Literacy Development

Front

What is the Emergent Stage of literacy development?

Back

Ages birth to 5

explore books

play with sounds

begin scribbling or pretending to read/write

learning that print carries meaning.

Front

What are key features of the Beginning Stage?

Back

Kindergarten–1st grade

begin decoding simple words

recognize high-frequency words

write using phonetic spelling (simple cvc etc.)

understand concepts of print like directionality and spacing

Front

What defines the Transitional Stage of literacy?

Back

1st–3rd grade

Readers recognize patterns like CVCe or CVVC

write complete sentences and short paragraphs

begin reading silently

Fluency and comprehension begin to develop

Front

What is the main focus of the Intermediate Stage?

Back

3rd–5th grade

read longer texts fluently and analyze ideas

Writing becomes more organized

better paragraph structure and more academic vocabulary

Front

What are characteristics of the Skillful/Proficient Stage?

Back

middle school and beyond

are fluent, independent, and capable of deep comprehension/analysis

Front

How does writing evolve across the literacy stages?

Back

Emergent: scribbles and letter-like forms →
Beginning: phonetic spelling and simple sentences →
Transitional: paragraphs and pattern-based spelling →
Intermediate: structured essays →
Skillful: polished, genre-specific writing.

Front

How does reading fluency develop through the stages?

Back

Starts with recognizing letters/sounds (Emergent), moves to decoding aloud (Beginning), then to smoother, silent reading (Transitional), with full fluency and comprehension by Intermediate/Skillful.