Early Writing Development
As my children write everyday, I am constantly observing and recording their
movement through the following stages. It's important to date and keep
samples to truly give you an overview of the children's progress.
Though most children in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten are approximately
the same age, their writing levels usually have a wide range. Some children
may be scribbling, but can tell you what their pictures are about. With daily
writing experiences young children will move through various writing stages,
at various rates. Our task is to help the young child grasp the relationship
between text and illustration. The teacher can help children progress in
their writing development by modeling writing everyday and providing children
with varied writing activities. Analyzing each child’s writing level will
also help the teacher in providing meaningful experiences that develop young
writers.
Stage 1
Drawing/Picture Writing
In the drawing and picture writing stage, children begin to express their
thoughts and feelings, the pictures are usually unrecognizable.
Stage 2
Scribbling
At this stage, the child begins to draw somewhat recognizable shapes and may
tell about the picture. The child may try to imitate writing, as well.
Stage 3
Random Letters
The child begins to print his or her own name and may put strings of letter
with his/her picture. They may attempt to read the message, but it is
probably still unrecognizable
Stage 4
Semi-phonetic(Early Spelling)
The child begins to use some letters to match sounds, often using a beginning
letter to represent the whole word. They may begin to use left to right
progression, but letter reversals are still common.
Stage 5
Phonetic
At this stage, children begin to write words with beginning and ending
sounds. They also begin to spell some high frequency words correctly. Vowels
may be inserted into words, but usually aren’t the right ones.
Stage 6
Transitional Spelling
At this stage, children are writing words the way they sound. They are
beginning to leave spaces between words and spell many high frequency words
correctly. They use punctuation marks, sometimes correctly. They begin to
write one or more sentences.
Stage 7
Conventional Spelling
At this level children spell most words correctly, though phonetic based
spelling still comes into play when they must spell longer words. They begin
to use punctuation marks correctly and use capital and lower case letters in
the correct places.
Sources:
Early Literacy Assessment McGraw Hill Publishing, 1997
Kid Writing Eileen G. Feidus and Isabel Cardonick, Wright Group Pub., 1999
Invitations Reggie Routman, Heinemann Pub. 1995
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Reminders:
*Wear tennis shoes on P.E. day.
*Always send money in an envelope or ziploc, labeled with the amount and
purpose for the money.
*The cafeteria does not accept checks.
*Pay by the week when possible ($6.50)
*Be sure to sign your child's conduct grade daily.
*Practice tucking in shirts, tying shoes and working belts at home. Self
help skills are very important.
Feel free to e-mail me if you ever have a question or a comment.
