Which activity would best help students in the emergent literacy stage understand the directionality of print?

The activity that involves displaying a poster-sized illustrated story and tracking the words while reading aloud is particularly effective for helping students in the emergent literacy stage understand the directionality of print. This stage of literacy development is crucial as children begin to learn how to recognize print, understand that it conveys meaning, and that it is read from left to right (in languages such as English).

By displaying a story in a visual format, students can see the text in relation to the illustrations, which reinforces their understanding of how printed words convey narratives. Tracking the words while reading aloud helps to translate the concept of print directionality from a passive observation into an active engagement, allowing students to visualize and hear how words flow in written language. This multisensory approach supports their cognitive development in recognizing the structure of written content.

In contrast, activities such as silent reading, using flashcards, or writing letters may not directly focus on demonstrating the left-to-right orientation of text or the concept of print in a way that is easily grasped by emergent readers. These methods may support different aspects of literacy but do not specifically address the foundational understanding of how print operates in reading contexts.