This tasks develops students’ capacity to reflect on literacy theory and practice, and to feel prepared to design and develop meaningful and inclusive learning opportunities for young children. The purpose of this assessment is to deepen the students’

Purpose

This tasks develops students’ capacity to reflect on literacy theory and practice, and to feel prepared to design and develop meaningful and inclusive learning opportunities for young children. The purpose of this assessment is to deepen the students’ understanding of emergent reading in early childhood and to enable students to critically analyse how foundational literacies can be supported through culturally responsive, inclusive, and evidence-based pedagogy. By developing and presenting a picture book with written rationale, students will dmeonstarte both theoretical understanding and professional practice skills in fostering early literacy. Drawing on theories, research and unit resources, students will demonstrate their ability to:

• Critically apply theories of emergent literacy (ULO 1)
• Design a culturally responsive, multimodal text that reflects inclusive practice (ULO 2)
• Model effective pedagogical strategies for literacy learning through oral presentation (ULO 4)

Description

Using unit resources, students will design and produce a short original picture book suitable for children in an early childhood setting that support emergent literacy learning.

The picture book should include:

• Multimodal features to support meaning-making
• Inclusive and culturally responsive considerations that reflect diverse families, languages and contexts
• Demonstration of alignment with theories of emergent reading
• Consideration of being developmentally appropriate in length, language, narrative, and design
• Students must record themselves reading the book aloud, modelling effective teaching strategies to support children’s engagement and literacy development.
• Supported by unit resources and self-sourced peer-reviewed literature, student’s well develop a 1000-word critically reflective rationale that:
• Explains the theories of emergent literacy underpinning their picture book design
• Justifies the multimodal features and cultural responsiveness of the picture book
• Critically reflects on the chosen pedagogical approaches presented in the read-aloud
• Makes clear and relevant links to the Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0)

Assessment Requirements

This assessment is designed to develop students’ understanding of emergent literacy in early childhood and their capacity to design inclusive, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate learning resources. Key requirements include:

1. Designing an Original Picture Book:
   • Create a short, original picture book suitable for children in an early childhood setting.
   • Incorporate multimodal features (text, images, layout) to support meaning-making.
   • Ensure inclusivity and cultural responsiveness, reflecting diverse families, languages, and contexts.
   • Align the book with emergent literacy theories and developmentally appropriate practices.
2. Oral Read-Aloud:
   • Record yourself reading the picture book aloud.
   • Model effective pedagogical strategies to engage children and support literacy development.
3. Critically Reflective Rationale (1000 words):
   • Explain the theories of emergent literacy underpinning the design.
   • Justify the use of multimodal and culturally responsive features.
   • Reflect critically on the pedagogical strategies demonstrated in the read-aloud.
   • Make explicit connections to the Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0).

Learning Objectives Covered:

• Apply theories of emergent literacy (ULO 1)
• Design culturally responsive and multimodal texts (ULO 2)
• Model effective literacy pedagogies (ULO 4)

Assessment Approach 

1. Step 1 – Understanding the Task:
   • Mentor guided the student to identify key assessment requirements: picture book creation, read-aloud recording, and critical reflective rationale.
2. Step 2 – Research and Theory Integration:
   • Student reviewed unit resources, peer-reviewed literature, and emergent literacy theories.
   • Mentor suggested linking research findings to practical design decisions in the picture book.
3. Step 3 – Designing the Picture Book:
   • Student created a short story with multimodal features (illustrations, simple text, interactive elements).
   • Mentor provided feedback on cultural responsiveness, inclusivity, and developmental appropriateness.
4. Step 4 – Oral Read-Aloud Planning:
   • Mentor guided the student in modelling pedagogical strategies, such as expressive reading, questioning, and prompting engagement.
5. Step 5 – Writing the Reflective Rationale:
   • Student drafted a 1000-word rationale explaining:
     • The theoretical basis of the book
     • Justification for multimodal and culturally responsive features
     • Reflection on the pedagogical approaches used in the read-aloud
     • Links to the Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0)
   • Mentor reviewed and suggested refinements for clarity, critical analysis, and theory-practice alignment.

Outcome Achieved

• The student produced a well-structured, culturally inclusive, and developmentally appropriate picture book.
• Demonstrated effective oral presentation skills to model literacy strategies for children.
• Completed a critically reflective rationale linking design decisions and pedagogical approaches to emergent literacy theories and the Early Years Learning Framework.
• Learning objectives achieved:
  • Critical application of emergent literacy theories (ULO 1)
  • Designing inclusive and multimodal literacy resources (ULO 2)
  • Modelling effective pedagogical strategies in literacy learning (ULO 4)