There are three main element of print and book awareness.

Function of print, conventions of print, and book conventions are all important first elements to a childs first introduction to literature. They are also the foundation of reading that follow basic print awareness, meaning the child understands how to treat a book, where to begin reading on a page, and what is the difference between a letter verses a word (Honig, Diamond, and Gutlohn, 2013). The first element, function of print, is the understanding that words are symbols for the spoken language. It collectively means something and can be used in many ways, such as expressing thought. Having an understanding of function of print enables the child to make the jump from the spoken language to the written language (Honig, et al. 2013). The second element, conventions of print, means the child understands the basic order of text. He or she knows words are made of letters and words are separated by spaces. They also understand sentences are made up of words beginning with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark. Convention of print also covers the understanding of the order in which to read the text; where to start, how to read from left to right, and how to return back to the beginning of the next line (Honig, et al. 2013). Without a firm knowledge of the conventions of print, making sense of text would be impossible. For example, even if a text in Hebrew was translated as it is seen on the page into English, could you read it? (Hebrew is written from right to left). So for a child, understanding how to follow print on a page is not inherent. These basic skills must be taught. The last element, book convention, is the understanding of all the parts of a book; a front and back cover, and spine. It also includes the knowledge of the title and where it may be found and the illustrator. It is also important for the child to understand pages of a book and how they are used. For example, one reads the left page before the right and the front before the back. Again, what is inherent to a long time reader was initially taught. All strong readers must have a firm grasp on book convention before reading can be learned (Honig et al. 2013). Most children learn print awareness in preschool through literacy-based interactions with adults. Assessments should be made three times throughout the kindergarten year for these skills: in the fall, winter and spring. Lesson during this year of learning should focus on the three element of print and book awareness. Children needing addition time and support should be recognized at this time and given increased time and instruction (Honig et al. 2013).

Honig, Diamond, and Gutlohn (2013). Teaching Reading Sourcebook (2nd Edition Updated) Arena Press: CA.