A teacher notices that a kindergarten student does not understand that printed text is read from left to right. This indicates which stage of literacy development?

The emergence of literacy skills in young children is critical to their overall development as readers and writers. The Emergent Literacy Stage is characterized by a child's initial understanding of the forms and functions of written language. At this stage, children often do not fully grasp that text is read from left to right and may display varying degrees of letter and word recognition.

The indication that a kindergarten student does not comprehend the left-to-right direction of reading signifies that they have not yet developed the fundamental concepts of print. This is a key aspect of emergent literacy, where children begin to develop an awareness of the relationships between spoken and written language.

During the Emergent Literacy Stage, children engage in various literacy-related activities that lay the groundwork for future reading skills. This includes recognizing that written language represents spoken language and that it conveys meaning. At this point, students are just beginning to explore how text works, which positions them firmly within the emergent stage of literacy development.