Niemi (1990) stated that the instructional practice used to teach children to read evokes little attention on the events that take place after the development of fluent speech, before there is any true sign of literacy.
Niemi discussed the concept of phonological and linguistic awareness as prerequisites to reading. Phonological awareness was defined as the ability of the child to identify the first and last phoneme of the word, to fragment the word into syllables or phonemes, and to delete or reverse phonemes. Linguistic awareness was defined as the ability of the child to shift attention from the meaning of the word to its form. The ability to do this makes it possible for the child to find rhyming words.
According to Niemi, questions that are of interest to educators are whether phonological and linguistic awareness plays a significant role in the development of reading and, if so, can the children be trained during the preschool years.
Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp (2000) discussed the position of the IRA and NAEYC on the importance of teaching children to read and write. They presented a view called the readiness view that relates to the development of reading that occurs at specific time in early childhood.
It is during this time when the teaching of reading should begin. The readiness view assumes that the childÆs physical and neurological maturation alone can help them to prepare for instruction in reading and writing. A failure to supply children with literacy experiences before school age can have a negative impact on the overall development of their reading and writing skills.
Neuman et al. also commented on the early stages children go through in their acquisition of reading and writing skills. First, they stated that children begin to read words, process letter-sound relationships and develop knowledge of the alphabetic system, from their primary experiences and interactions with adults.
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