Abstract
Recent education reform has narrowed its focus on early childhood curriculums and increased awareness toward the preparedness of students entering schooling for the first time. Research in the field of literacy has been clear in its recommendations that all children necessitate early literacy education, as reading achievement is proven to be directly related to academic success, the need to ensure that all students begin schooling with the proper foundational abilities is more important than ever. Multiple theorists have studied and recommended hierarchies of early literacy competencies, central of those being: phonological awareness, concepts of print, vocabulary acquisition, and comprehension strategies. The researcher sought to examine the importance of early literacy education, its function in early childhood classrooms and clarify the term emergent reader. Primary and limited secondary sources were used to provide a framework for the literature review and inform the creation of the handbook of best practices. Activities and lessons that contribute to knowledge and ability to hear, manipulate and delete sounds are suggested for the improvement of phonological awareness. Understanding print in our world, its function, message, and form are essential to prepare emergent readers for active engagement with print. Vocabulary gaps among students of varying socio-economic levels present difficulty for teachers to bridge gaps of deficiencies. Along with direct instruction of vocabulary words from independent and oral book readings, educators must encourage social interactions between peer groups and adults in order to promote effective vocabulary acquisition. Filling students’ experiential reservoirs and schema aid in vocabulary retention and contribute to comprehension. Higher-level literacy activities that allow students to connect with text and practice comprehension should be directly taught and practiced. Oral book readings that are above decoding level provide sophisticated language and story arc for newly decoding readers to employ said practices. Providing these foundational experiences and environments will go far to improve the preparedness of all students to engage in formalized reading instruction.