LAC 28:CXXXVI.103. Definitions

Alphabet Awarenessknowledge of letters of the alphabet coupled with the understanding that the alphabet represents the sounds of spoken language and the correspondence of spoken sounds to written language. Approaches to Learningbehaviors and attitudes that indicate how children approach tasks and activities to learn and include characteristics such as initiative and curiosity; attention, engagement and persistence; and problem solving, which help strengthen and facilitate learning across other school readiness domains. Attention, Engagement, and Persistencethe capacity to pay attention and engage in learning activities for short periods of time so that children can complete short-term, concrete tasks and activities, which then progresses so that children can concentrate for longer periods of time, persist in activities of interest, and set goals. Emergent Writingyoung children’s first attempts at the writing process. Expressive Communicationthe ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings through words, gestures, signs, and/or symbols. Fine Motor Developmentskill development involving the smaller muscles of the hand. Gross Motor Developmentskill development involving the large muscles in the arms, legs and torso. Initiative and Curiositypersonal experiences with and the openness and curiosity about new discoveries that begin with interest in the world around them and the initiative to gain new knowledge by taste, touch, smell, sight, sound, and physical actions, then develops into interaction with unfamiliar objects and materials, seeking new ways for using items in the environment, and learning new information in a variety of ways in order to add to a growing knowledge of the world. Phonological Awarenessthe awareness of and ability to work with sounds in spoken language. Print Conceptsthe understanding of the nature and uses of print. Problem Solvingnoticing how actions affect objects and cause things to happen, to find solutions, and to apply similar strategies again in the future, including the skills of explaining how problems are solved, observation, reasoning, and prediction. Receptive CommunicationThe ability to understand words and language.