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Learning to
write well is a process that begins early in a child’s life. Although the
first scribbles and pictures may seem far from what we adults think of as formal
written language, they are in fact your child’s first prose. Following is a
breakdown of how most children develop as writers and some of the ways teachers
foster their skills in the classroom. Bear in mind that each child develops at a
different rate. The descriptions for the grades indicated do not necessarily
apply to every child.
Emergent
writers (preschool to grade 1)
During the
early elementary years, the goal is to encourage children to believe in
themselves as writers and to help them understand that writing is an important
way of communicating. For this reason, every attempt by a child at writing is
applauded. Beginning writers will use marks, scribbles, drawings and symbols to
represent ideas and information. As children become more skilled writers, they
will begin to label their drawings with letters or words. A lot of time is
devoted to experimentation with print in the primary grades-children are
encouraged to write about their ideas, to mimic the writing of their favorite
authors and to try their hand at different types of writing (i.e. thank you
notes, letters to friends, fairy tales, poetry).
Beginning
writers (grades 2-3)
During these
years, most children can string together words in sentence format and will
repeat familiar words and names throughout their writing. They will
use simple, repetitive vocabulary and sentences in their writing and may mimic
sentences they have seen in other text. Children will begin to write on topics
of their own choice (although they may also imitate story ideas they have heard
in books and other places). Children will also be encouraged to keep journals,
to write to each other and to family and to write their own books. Invented
spelling is still a part of children’s writing at this point, but they will be
encouraged to pay more attention to punctuation, structure and grammar.
Independent
writers (grades 3-5)
As children
become more independent in their writing, they will come up with a theme or main
idea that they can write about with detail. Their sentences will alternate
between very simplistic ("The dog ran") and somewhat more detailed
("The brown dog caught the ball"). The independent writer will begin
to use descriptive words and may show signs of a personal style or way of
writing that is unique. At this level, children should be confident in their
ability to write for a variety of purposes-for personal reflection, to
communicate ideas about specific topics, to request more information, to
entertain and express their own ideas.
Experienced
writers (grade 5 and up)
As they move
out of the elementary years, children will have begun to make connections
between their own ideas and similar or related ideas. They will use detailed
writing in more varied ways such as to express a point of view or to describe a
character. At this point, children’s language and sentences will be more
sophisticated. They will each have a writing style that is uniquely their own
and will understand what type of writing to use for different situations
(formal, business-like correspondence, informal notes to friends, writing for
class assignments).
Raising a
world-class writer
If you
want your children to view writing as important, make sure they see you
write. Talk with them about what you are doing as you write out a phone
message, cards to friends, or checks to pay bills.
Write
with your children. Have them see you make mistakes and revise your writing.
Through this, they will see that writing takes time and patience (even for
adults) and that rewriting is sometimes necessary.
Set up a
weekly calendar with space for all family members to write daily reminders
about activities and events.
Instead
of buying birthday, thank-you and other cards, have your children create
their own and write special messages.
Ask for
your children’s help when making a grocery list. Talk with them about a
few items you want and have them make their own list of items they will be
responsible for remembering during your outing (remember, this list might be
pictures, symbols or squiggles with beginning writers). Discuss what they
have written and make a point of referring to their list throughout the
shopping trip.
Encourage
your children to keep a journal or scrapbook of mementos and photos along
with their own writing about what happened and why it was important or fun.
Provide
your children with alphabet tiles or magnetic letters for the fridge. Young
children will likely use these to recite letters, to make simple words, and
even to sort them by color or shape. Older children may enjoy a set of
magnetic words (sold in toy stores and bookstores) to create sentences and
stories.
If you
have access to a computer, have your children use e-mail to write letters to
friends and family.
Make a
game of finding the letters of your child’s name on signs, food
containers, books and magazines. This is a great supermarket or travel game.
With older children, try a word scavenger hunt. Have them record the letters
or words that are on their clipboard or notebook.
Reading
resources
Books for
children
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Word
Wizard by Cathryn Falwell
Anna is delighted to realize how the letters in her alphabet cereal can be
rearranged into several different words.
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Aunt
Isabel Tells a Good One by Kate Duke
What makes a really good story? Aunt Isabel and her niece Penelope know there
are many ingredients: a heroine, a hero, an exciting time and place, a little
romance . . . and maybe a scary villain or two.
-
If You
Were a Writer by Joan Lowery Nixon
Melia wants to be a writer just like her mother. With a few helpful suggestions
and lots of encouragement, she is soon on her way.
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From
Pictures to Words: A Book About Making a Book by Janet Stevens
Author Stevens writes-and draws-herself into this innovative explanation of how
authors and artists create picture books.
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What Do
Authors Do? by Eileen Christelow
A lively text and colorful cartoon illustrations follow two creative people-and
a talkative dog and cat-step-by-step through the writing process.
Books for
parents:
-
Meet the
Authors and Illustrators: 60 Creators of Favorite Children’s Books Talk about
Their Work, Vol. 1 by Deborah Kovacs and James Preller
60 creators of favorite children’s books talk about their work.
-
A
Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal
by Leonard S. Marcus Profiles six Caldecott award winning books and their
authors.
Giving
your child the tools of writing
Following are
some readily available, inexpensive (even free!) and portable items to have
available for writing exploration.
-
A
variety of pads of paper (doodle pads, paper with printed lines, colored
paper), scrap paper, used greeting cards, mail order forms, small
notebooks or journals).
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Clipboards
with paper attached (these are great to have in the car for writing while
in transit).
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Washable
markers, crayons, pencils, and pens selected based on your child’s age
and ability.
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For
permission to reprint this article, please contact the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service at (518)
464-3960.
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