Literacy

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Part of a series on
Reading
Learning to read Reading readiness Vocabulary development Vocabulary learning
Scientific theories and models Dual route theory Simple view of reading Science of reading Scarborough's Reading Rope The active view of reading model
Cognitive processes Comprehension Phonemic awareness Phonological awareness Subvocalization Word recognition
Reading instruction Analytic phonics Basal reader Concept-oriented Directed listening and thinking activity Guided reading Independent reading Literature circle Phonics Reciprocal teaching Structured word inquiry Sustained silent reading Synthetic phonics Whole language
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Literacy Critical literacy Close reading Distant reading Family literacy Functional illiteracy Great books Literary criticism Literature Children's
v t e

Literacy is the ability to read and write with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form.

Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was understood solely as alphabetical literacy (word and letter recognition); and the period after 1950, when literacy slowly began to be considered as a wider concept and process, including the social and cultural aspects of reading and writing^[1] and functional literacy.^[2][3]