The ability to read and write does not develop naturally. Teaching reading and writing to emergent readers and writers needs careful planning and systematic instruction. In a joint position and statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and International Reading Association (IRA), it stated that “learning to read and write is a complex, multifaceted process that requires a wide variety of instructional approaches” (1998, p. 206). Children need regular meaningful and active experiences with print so they can understand from an early reading and writing are valuable life- tools. Young children’s knowledge of print as a tool for making meaning and as a way of communication …show more content…
Presley’s study also reveals that exemplary teachers use guided reading lessons where it typically incorporate mini lessons on phonics and phoneme awareness, the use of new and familiar text, the introduction and use of new and familiar vocabulary. These teachers show their pupils how to use a range of reading cues (graphophonic, picture, syntactic and semantic cues) in the context of ongoing reading and writing activity and explicit methods are used for the development of comprehension. The teaching of the mechanics of writing, such as punctuation, occurs in the context of real writing and teachers increasingly emphasize the process of writing such as planning and revising as pupils move from kindergarten to grade 2. The most effective teachers consciously integrate the teaching of skills with authentic literacy experiences, makes use of extensive scaffolding and intervene with assistance, organizes classrooms as whole group, small group and one-to-one …show more content…
The major concepts of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development begin with the principles of assimilation and accommodation. Piaget and Inhelder (1969) noted that the filtering or modification of the input is called assimilation; the modification of internal schemes to fit reality is called accommodation. Once assimilation has been achieved by a child, the child’s experiences are constructed through a process of accommodation. In this process, the child adjusts internalized concepts to reorganize thinking to match the changed information. Once assimilation and accommodation have been balanced, the child achieves equilibrium, or a steady state, of understanding. In addition, Piaget maintained that the natural growth and development of cognition and language occurs in four major stages, including sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. During the sensorimotor stage, Piaget argued that children cannot comprehend representations of objects and do not understand symbolic function. Instead, assimilation and accommodation occur as a result of children’s responses to environmental sensory stimuli. Intelligence develops before language, and language development is social and forms from imitation and play. The preoperational stage occurs between ages 2 and 8. During this