A Look at Literacy: The Literacy Layer Cake

Last year, as a volunteer without a background in literacy tutoring, I felt overwhelmed about which skills to focus on with my students. I sought a deeper understanding of the progression of literacy skills. I had been reading about phonemic awareness, concept of word, dipthongs, rhyming games, etc. but was still foggy about how all these terms related to each other, and more importantly, to my students.

This Literacy Layer Cake is from the CalState TEACH credential program presents the spectrum of literacy development as a cake, with the early foundational skills learned in kindergarten at the bottom, and the more advanced comprehension skills at the very top. For each layer, the given skills progress from left to right; basic to advanced. This diagram clearly demonstrates how students build up skills that support the next set of skills to become fluent readers. Learning to read does not happens in a perfect, straight trajectory - there is plenty of crossover between "layers" - but I find this diagram a quick, go-to resource when I think about which skill set to focus on with my students. I hope you find it useful as well.

Does this diagram help further your understanding of the components of literacy development? Please share resources and/or best practices with fellow Literacy Volunteers in the comments section below or email our Literacy Program Coordinator to share your story on our blog.