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2700 BCE
The Alphabet
Our alphabet originated in Egypt with twenty-two hieroglyphs with symbols that denote syllables and vowels that children learn today in elementary English-language arts classes. Over the years, the alphabet evolved into twenty-six letters, and how we write the letters have transformed (Carbben, 2011). -
Period: 2700 BCE to
Literacy Education
A brief summary of the theorists, developments, and laws that contributed to the evolution of literacy education. -
Friedrich Froebel
Friedrich Froebel opened his first infant school called the Child Nurture and Activity Institute, which he later renamed the school The Kindergarten, which means "children's garden." Froebel believed that young children are seeds that grow by learning through play when tended by their gardener or teacher who provides guidance and a planned environment. Under this theory, children used objects they can touch to learn about letters and words, allowing them to succeed in literacy (Curtis, 2022). -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that provides federal aid to Title I schools with underrepresented children for educational resources in areas such as reading and math to improve their skills in these areas. This law enhances literacy skills for young children by providing grants for new textbooks in classrooms and books for libraries of low-poverty-level schools (Klein, 2015). -
Lev Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky developed the zone of proximal development theory, the area between what a learner can do with help from their teachers and what a learner should be capable of doing without any interference from educators. He further believed that teachers should provide scaffolding to children, which is support and assistance that is developmentally appropriate to each child's needs, such as reading aloud interactive books or creating small reading groups (McLeod, 2019). -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
President George W. Bush signed The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which held public elementary schools accountable for the academic advancement of all students like English-language learners (ELL), minority students, and children from low-socioeconomic status families. States were mandated to test students in reading and other subject areas beginning in the third grade to determine their progression in literacy (Klein, 2015). -
The Electronic Reader
Amazon Kindle is one of the most popular portable electronic readers, or e-readers, that started in 2007. The creation of the e-reader is beneficial for young children in kindergarten to third grade since they can read books in the classroom, on the go, or before bedtime while also offering various stories that meet their specific reading level and other developmental needs (Hosch, 2009).