The focus of this course is the literacy development of the birth- 8-year-old child. The course covers the developmental process of literacy acquisition, including oral and writing language development and the use of appropriate methods, models, and strategies for encouraging literacy growth. Early literacy concepts of phonemic awareness, word identification, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, cultural and linguistic diversity, and language differences and delays are examined. The role of parents, community, and assessment tools will be explored.