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Handout 1.1 What Is Literacy

Literacy is defined as the ability to effectively communicate through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and other modes of expression. It allows people to understand and engage with the world around them. The definition of literacy has expanded in recent decades to include digital skills as technologies have evolved. It is important for parents to ensure their children develop strong literacy skills to help them navigate the vast amount of information available online and curate an appropriate digital presence. There are many everyday activities parents can engage in at home to support their child's literacy development, such as discussing texts, playing word games, sharing how literacy is used in daily life, and utilizing community resources like libraries.

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Shagufta Moghal
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159 views

Handout 1.1 What Is Literacy

Literacy is defined as the ability to effectively communicate through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and other modes of expression. It allows people to understand and engage with the world around them. The definition of literacy has expanded in recent decades to include digital skills as technologies have evolved. It is important for parents to ensure their children develop strong literacy skills to help them navigate the vast amount of information available online and curate an appropriate digital presence. There are many everyday activities parents can engage in at home to support their child's literacy development, such as discussing texts, playing word games, sharing how literacy is used in daily life, and utilizing community resources like libraries.

Uploaded by

Shagufta Moghal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Literacy?

Literacy is the ability to read, view, write, design, speak and listen in a way that allows you to
communicate effectively. The power of literacy lies not just in the ability to read and write,
but rather in a person’s capacity to apply these skills to effectively connect, interpret and
discern the intricacies of the world in which they live.
The changes that the English language has undergone over the course of history are
staggering. The past decade alone has seen students’ literacy repertoire extend beyond the
traditional pillars of reading, comprehension, grammar and writing, to include digital and
interactive applications. With today’s learners faced with a myriad of traditional and digital
literacies, how can we as parents ensure that our children develop the skills to effectively
navigate and decipher the constant information stream that surrounds them?
Why is it so important?
Today, many children are being classed as ‘digital natives’ – just as comfortable online as
they are offline. The internet enables endless educational possibilities, with constantly
evolving information streams, however, the vastness of the internet can be a hindrance to
those children who cannot effectively sift through and interpret the material presented. Strong
literacy skills are a key tool used when children discern and interpret information, enabling
them to utilise the internet to its full potential and making sure that the inevitable ‘digital
footprint’ that children will leave, is one that is safe, appropriate, and reflective of their true
self.
Ways to support your child’s literacy development
Studies have shown that children’s motivation and achievement improve when their parents
are involved in their education. There are many everyday things you can do to encourage
literacy learning. These include:
• Sharing your knowledge and explaining how you use literacy in your everyday life
• Encouraging your child to read and view a variety of texts such as newspapers, novels,
comics, magazines, websites, email and timetables
• Encouraging your child to write and design for a variety of purposes using different
mediums
• Discussing how texts look different depending on the purpose and audience — for example,
text messaging uses different spelling from school projects
• Talking about things that you have read or viewed that were amusing, interesting or useful
• Discussing favourite authors, producers, directors or illustrators and what you like about
them
• Discussing new and unusual words or phrases and exploring these through print and
electronic dictionaries
• Playing games that develop knowledge and enjoyment of words
• Making use of community resources for information, local and school libraries

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