EMERGENT Readers & Spellers Checklists - Emergent Stage Reading and Spelling Behavior Checklist

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Putri

EMERGENT Readers & Spellers Checklists provide printable behavior checklists for children in the emergent stage of reading and spelling. The pack supports observation and teaching guidance by listing beginning, middle, and ending behaviors across reading and spelling. It includes options for recording yes/no responses, comments, and tracking developmental indicators such as letter recognition, environmental print awareness, print tracking, book language, and evolving spelling tied to letter sounds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Reading Behaviors

Beginning Emergent Behaviors

Middle Emergent Behaviors

Ending Emergent Behaviors

Spelling Behaviors

Beginning Emergent Behaviors

Middle Emergent Behaviors

Ending Emergent Behaviors

Extra Observations & Comments

EMERGENT Readers & Spellers Checklists ©[www.thisreadingmama.com](www.thisreadingmama.com) Included in this download are behavior checklists for the emergent stage of reading (pg. 2) and spelling (pg. 3) . Print front and back (long-ways) to create a single page for your child or student. As I mentioned in my Literacy Development article, this checklist is simply one of many tools we can use to help us, as observers, become more aware of what our child/student understands about reading and spelling so we can better guide our teaching. Children in the emergent stage are mainly Pre-K through late Kindergarten, although older and younger children may certainly exhibit some of these behaviors. Read more about it! (click on links below) The Emergent Stage 5 Stages of Literacy Development Terms of Use: This free printable pack was created for you to use at home with your child/students or with multiple children in your classroom/tutoring setting. Please do not sell, host, reproduce, giveaway, or store on any other site (including a blog, Facebook, 4Shared, Dropbox, etc.) . Thank you! EMERGENT Reading Behaviors Child’s Name: Date(s) Observed: Beginning Emergent Behaviors Yes No Comments | “pretend reads” familiar stories | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | can sing the ABC’s, but cannot always single out particular letters | | | | | recognizes the first letter of name | | | | | recognizes environmental print, like logos or store names | | | | Middle Emergent Behaviors | may “read” some words that are important to him, like his name | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | knows some letter names (uppercase often come first) | | | | | may know some consonant sounds | | | | | has some favorite books memorized and can “read” them | | | | | is highly aware of environmental print (points and “reads” it often) | | | | | is curious about words and may often ask, “What’s that word?” | | | | Ending Emergent Behaviors | tracks the print a little as you read simple books | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | understands more “book language” such as title, cover, etc. | | | | | knows most letter names (may still confuse ones like b, d, p, or q) | | | | | knows most consonant sounds | | | | | adds a few more words to his sight vocabulary, like the names of family members or other important words to him | | | | | reads his name and realizes that other words also start with the same letter as his name | | | | | recognizes rhyming words in books and through word play | | | | | creates a word that rhymes when asked, “What rhymes with ?” | | | | | counts syllables in words | | | | ©[www.thisreadingmama.com](www.thisreadingmama.com) EMERGENT Spelling Behaviors Beginning Emergent Behaviors Child’s Name: Date(s) Observed: Yes No Comments | “spells” haphazardly with marks (such as scribbles) on the paper | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | drawings and writings are indistinguishable | | | | | “writing” has no directionality (not left to right) | | | | Middle Emergent Behaviors | symbols that resemble letters or numbers may be used | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | real letters and numbers may be used, but are not related to the sounds in words / example: house may be spelled A3xT. | | | | | may prefer writing uppercase letters over lowercase letters | | | | | begins to “write” words from left to write | | | | | drawings and writings become more distinguishable | | | | | “words” run together (no space in between words) | | | | Ending Emergent Behaviors | spellings of words are more related to their letter sounds
example: writes just the beginning or ending letter sound in words | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | still may prefer to write with uppercase over lowercase letters | | | | | often confuses letters that sound similar (such as f and v) when“spelling” words | | | | | often confuses letter

FAQs

Who is the checklist intended for?

The checklist targets children mainly in the emergent stage of reading, roughly from Pre-K through late Kindergarten, though younger and older children may show these behaviors too.

How should observations be recorded?

Use the provided sections to fill in Yes/No selections and add comments, including the child’s name and the date(s) observed.

What types of skills are covered in the reading checklist?

It covers behaviors across beginning, middle, and ending stages, such as pretend reading, letter and name recognition, environmental print awareness, book language understanding, print tracking, and recognizing rhyming words.

What types of skills are covered in the spelling checklist?

It tracks spelling development from early marks and indistinguishable writing to using symbols resembling letters, using real letters/numbers, and progressing toward spellings that relate more to letter sounds, with notes on common letter confusions and spacing.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Putri