What are the key components of early literacy development?

The key components of early literacy development encompass various foundational skills necessary for children to become proficient readers and writers. The correct choice identifies phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension as essential elements.

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words, which is crucial for developing reading skills. Phonics involves understanding the relationship between letters and sounds, allowing children to decode written language. Vocabulary development provides children with the words they need to express themselves and understand texts, while reading fluency ensures that they can read smoothly and expressively, contributing to better comprehension of texts. Lastly, reading comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, as it enables children to understand, interpret, and engage with what they read.

In contrast, the other options focus on skills that, while important in other contexts, do not directly address the core aspects of early literacy development. For example, grammar and punctuation are more relevant to writing mechanics rather than the foundational skills of reading. Listening skills and handwriting—though part of communication—are not as central to the early stages of literacy as the specific components listed in the correct answer.