Concepts of print are a group of basic elements or rules about how print and/or books are constructed and or "work". A students understanding of concepts of print is a great predictor of future success as a reader. If a student doesn't understand "Concepts of print" they are probably "Off the chain" and may use your books as weapons.
Concepts of print include:
At this link you will find a printable PDF assessment which measures a students "Concept of print".
concepts_of_print_assessment_pdf.pdf
Citation:
Clay, M.M. (2002/2005). An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (2nd edition, revised 2nd edition). Portsmouth, NH: Heineman.
Here is a great link to multiple activities to help emergent readers become familiar with and practice with concepts of print.
https://www.education.com/slideshow/book-print-concepts/
Citation:
Education.com,. (2016-2017). Building Block 10: Book and Print Concepts. Retrieved from:
https://www.education.com/slideshow/book-print-concepts/
For further elucidation, check out this You Tube video where a veteran Kindergarten Teacher briefly explains "Concepts of print".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k5tv4Yi54k
A great authentic performance task that I did when I was in school and I see students doing it today is when you have students construct their own books (Could be very simple or complex depending on grade level) and discuss terms like, front, cover, back, pages, chapters, author, spine, illustrator, glossary, index, contents...Students could model their books off of a book in the room to work on the right-to-left and up-down concepts of writing. Finally, for "Proof of Knowledge of Concepts of Print" students can present their books either to the whole class or in groups.
Suggested Activity
Hand your child/student a book, upside down. See if they turn it right-side up. Hand them a book with the back cover facing them, see if they open it from the back or turn it over and open it from the from cover.
Have them read the title to you. Did they read from left to right? If they read from right to left, they may be Arabic and could be deported at a moments notice (it's a joke, har, har.)
Have them tell you who the "Author" is. Have them tell you who the "Illustrator" is if there is one.
Have them start reading at page 1, or chapter 1. Discuss concepts of pages, chapters, table of contents.
When they read did they read from left to right and top to bottom? If so give em a big check mark.
Tell students, "Congratulations!!!", they have "Concepts of print awareness", and have them read ONE chapter of "Gone With The Wind" per day until they are done, then begin again.
Concepts of print include:
- Reading from left to right
- Reading from top to bottom
- The fact that letters and words convey meaning
- Print is what we read
- Pictures in a book correspond to print
- Basic book construction. Books have a front, cover, back, author, et cetera.
At this link you will find a printable PDF assessment which measures a students "Concept of print".
concepts_of_print_assessment_pdf.pdf
Citation:
Clay, M.M. (2002/2005). An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (2nd edition, revised 2nd edition). Portsmouth, NH: Heineman.
Here is a great link to multiple activities to help emergent readers become familiar with and practice with concepts of print.
https://www.education.com/slideshow/book-print-concepts/
Citation:
Education.com,. (2016-2017). Building Block 10: Book and Print Concepts. Retrieved from:
https://www.education.com/slideshow/book-print-concepts/
For further elucidation, check out this You Tube video where a veteran Kindergarten Teacher briefly explains "Concepts of print".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k5tv4Yi54k
A great authentic performance task that I did when I was in school and I see students doing it today is when you have students construct their own books (Could be very simple or complex depending on grade level) and discuss terms like, front, cover, back, pages, chapters, author, spine, illustrator, glossary, index, contents...Students could model their books off of a book in the room to work on the right-to-left and up-down concepts of writing. Finally, for "Proof of Knowledge of Concepts of Print" students can present their books either to the whole class or in groups.
Suggested Activity
Hand your child/student a book, upside down. See if they turn it right-side up. Hand them a book with the back cover facing them, see if they open it from the back or turn it over and open it from the from cover.
Have them read the title to you. Did they read from left to right? If they read from right to left, they may be Arabic and could be deported at a moments notice (it's a joke, har, har.)
Have them tell you who the "Author" is. Have them tell you who the "Illustrator" is if there is one.
Have them start reading at page 1, or chapter 1. Discuss concepts of pages, chapters, table of contents.
When they read did they read from left to right and top to bottom? If so give em a big check mark.
Tell students, "Congratulations!!!", they have "Concepts of print awareness", and have them read ONE chapter of "Gone With The Wind" per day until they are done, then begin again.