Notes that names are the first words most children write and that learning to write their name can be highly motivating for preschoolers. Addresses: why preschool children should be encouraged to write their names; organizing and facilitating the sign-in process at school; how children develop their ability to write their names; and the benefits…

Traces the development of a project that consisted of first graders developing a book. (DF)

The expressive reading journal aims to break through student passivity by asking students to write extensively and expressively about what they read, each time they read, and to make discoveries and take possession of what they read. This type of journal in the academic course depends for its usefulness on the nature of expressive language, the…

Recounts observations of a second grader's writing processes and concludes that students' enjoyment of writing should be cultivated. (DF)

Describes how the writing of a favorite author helped a child accomplish what she wanted in her own writing. Discusses the classroom environment that encouraged the child's writing. (HTH)

Discusses the trials, tribulations, successes, and failures involved in designing, setting up, and operating microcomputer programs for grading essays written by students in college English courses. (RBW)

An account of how the author's son began writing as a play activity, issuing tickets to neighbors, attempting to read and interpret signs, and participating in making shopping and duty lists in the household. Includes observational recommendations. (CRH)

Views the writing act as an act of exploration rather than the reporting of what was discovered and emphasizes six elements that achieve the surprise in writing, including expectation, ease, and acceptance. (DF)

Explores four drafts of a child's story about the disappearance of television, showing how the later draft suggests the writer's interest in questions about the nature of reality, and how the student grew as writer. (HTH)

Examines the early writing of a young child over the course of several months to illustrate the struggle with the writing process. Draws parallels between the child's writing progress and that of the author as she learned to be comfortable as a writer and suggests implications for the teaching of writing. (HTH)

Describes one third grader's development as a writer as she participated in classroom writing workshops (peer and teacher feedback) and, in particular, her development as a reviser of her writing. (HTH)

Examines invented spelling as a stage of progress in children's writing growth. Suggests that children generally understand consonant sounds first. As a consequence, they start invented spelling often omitting all or most vowels. Gradually, as children make the transition to conventional spelling, vowels are added. Proposes ways to facilitate…

First implemented in 1980, the Ganado Language Arts Development (GLAD) Project is a kindergarten through grade 3 writing program that has published 31 volumes of student writing. Three primary goals guide the project: (1) to develop the foundation for literacy in each of its students, (2) to expand and enrich the pedagogical competencies of each…

Illustrates how school writing environments that encourage talk between peers can help children learn about writing and the writing process. Describes recurring patterns of language behavior at a kindergarten writing table and shows how children's natural conversations are often reminiscent of adult-child interaction in the home. (HTH)

Reviews a project in which first-grade children learned to write and became confident, fluent, and enthusiastic writers. Contains examples of their writing. (FL)