What concept helps students see that letters can be arranged to convey meanings, even when they don't form actual words?

The concept of emergent literacy is key in helping students understand how letters can be arranged to convey meaning, even if the arrangements do not form actual words. Emergent literacy encompasses the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that precede and develop into reading and writing. It promotes awareness of the relationship between spoken language and written text, allowing students to grasp the idea that letters and symbols can be used creatively and expressively to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

This understanding paves the way for children to experiment with letter combinations and encourages them to engage in storytelling or pretend writing before they have fully grasped conventional spelling or written forms. It fosters a playful yet meaningful interaction with letters and words, reinforcing the notion that written language is more than the technical assembly of words; it is a medium for expression and communication.

In contrast, the other concepts either focus on specific aspects of language phonetics—like substituting or adding phonemes—or relate to the understanding that letters correspond to sounds in the alphabetic principle, which does not directly address the arrangement of letters for meaning beyond standard word formation.