What does the transitional stage typically involve in literacy development?

The transitional stage in literacy development primarily involves understanding letter-sound relationships. During this phase, learners begin to connect letters with their corresponding sounds, which is crucial for developing phonemic awareness. This understanding serves as a bridge between early literacy skills, such as recognizing letters and their shapes, and more advanced literacy skills, like decoding words during reading.

As children progress through this stage, they start to apply their knowledge of sounds to spell words phonetically. This foundational skill is essential for further reading and writing development, as it enables learners to tackle more complex texts and improve their overall literacy proficiency. In contrast, the other choices reflect earlier or more developed stages: random-letter writing and letter-like forms occur before this transitional stage, while advanced reading comprehension is characteristic of a later stage in literacy development, when learners have fully mastered decoding and can engage with texts at a deeper level.