What term refers to all knowledge, skills, and experience that precede conventional literacy?

The term that refers to all the knowledge, skills, and experience that precede conventional literacy is "prereading." This concept encompasses the early experiences that children go through before they can read and write in the conventional sense. These experiences include exposure to spoken language, vocabulary development, listening comprehension, and an understanding of how books work (such as holding a book and turning pages).

Prereading skills are important because they lay the foundation for the development of literacy. They help children make connections between what they already know and what they will learn when they start formal reading instruction. This background knowledge supports their ability to decode words and understand text more effectively.

In contrast, the other terms focus on different stages or aspects of literacy development. Prewriting refers to the skills and processes involved in writing before the actual writing occurs. Postreading involves comprehension and analysis of text after reading is complete. Phonetic awareness is a specific skill set related to recognizing and manipulating sounds in words, which is part of the broader skill set involved in reading but does not encompass the entirety of knowledge and experiences preceding literacy.