Writing+development

The transition from spoken to written language can be difficult, as spoken language is context based, and uses tone, gestures and emphasis on certain words. When writing, more detail needs to be given than in everyday spoken language to 'set the scene' or context, gestures need to be described and the way in which certain things are said need to be clearly explained in order for the same message to be produced (Hill, 2006). ** Early development of writing ** // THE SIGN PRINCIPLE // Develops around the age of three, when children begin to recognise that certain symbols or letters are representing something. E.g. the big K for Kmart makes a connection to toys.
 * __DEVELOPMENT OF WRITING __**
 * Transition from spoken to written language **

// THE FLEXIBILITY PRINCIPLE // The child now learns that some letters are okay to use and some aren't, and will experiment with symbols that look similar to letters. E.g. A a @ ^ They can also recognize that the same letter can be written in a number of ways. E.g. A a a

// THE LINEAR PRINCIPLE // Children recognize that the English format of writing goes from left to right, in straight lines across the page. The next step is to understand that the writing then drops down a line and returns to the left, so that the writing will again continue across to the right.

// SPACES BETWEEN WORDS // It can be difficult for children to grasp the concept of leaving a small space between words to show where one word ends, and the next word begins. This can be explained in terms of positive and negative space, where the positive space is filled by a word, the negative space is left empty. Many children find it hard to leave a negative space, so the sometimes run their words together or fill the space with punctuation.

Most children go through progressive stages in learning to write. There are several features that can be observed in the development of childrens writing, although it is not well defined or necessarily in order (Hill, 2006).
 * Stages in children's writing **



// BEGINNING WRITING // The child may begin showing signs of communication through drawing, which can be read out in words. Writing can begin in large circular motions or lines that resemble scribble moving from left to right. Sometimes random letters or numbers are identifiable. // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">EARLY-EMERGENT WRITING // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">Children begin to use letters or symbols to represent words. In this stage, children can recognise that letters and drawings are separate forms of communication, but gradually incorporate letters in combinations of letters and drawings.

// <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">EMERGENT WRITING // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">The development of shapes become more recognisable as letters, and the letters may be formed in combinations to represent words or phrases. Sequences of letters can become frequent, such as the child learning to spell their own name. The format is improved, moving in lines from left to right, and some spaces between words become apparent.

// <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">EARLY WRITING // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">The spelling of words is created or invented based on the sounds the letters make. Spacing between words is more consistent, and capital letters are becoming more regularly used. Phrases are often repeated because the child is familiar and comfortable with writing the same sentence over and over. e.g. "I like....." Children are now aware that there are different forms of writing, such as narratives and reports.

// <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">TRANSITIONAL WRITING // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">The writing becomes longer and more detailed. The children may have some problems finding a satisfactory ending so the plots in their narratives. The punctuation is well developed. // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">EXTENDED WRITING // <span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #18f2ad; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">Punctuation and writing can resemble that of an adult, and spelling is accurate most of the time. Children understand that the different writing styles such as reports are targeted at particular audiences, and can write accordingly.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: #30c094; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">** How reading and writing support each other ** Dahl & Fernan (1998, as cited in Hill, 2006) claim that writing supports reading by encouraging the children to transfer the strategies they use to write, such as using visual, contextual, and auditory information to spell and correctly use words, into how they read and comprehend unfamiliar words and phrases. Dahl & Fernan (1998) also believed that reading supports writing because children can reproduce the structure, spelling, punctuation, phrasing, illustrations, and develop the complexity of the plots and characters in their own writing.