What is literacy?

As a kindergarten teacher, literacy to me means being able to read and write. We start at the most basic level and move forward. Children start out being able to read basic words and simple text and move on to being able to read novels, blogs, web pages, newspapers, etc. Writing goes along the same lines. First children learn to write their names, their friend's names, simple sight words, simple sentences, pages of writing, research papers, etc. Literacy is combining what you know about letter/sound relationship and then being able to apply it in written form.