Examines the writing of a four-year-old child in response to literature. Discusses the child's uses for writing and the concepts and principles of early writing. Demonstrates the child's engagement with children's books. (RS)

A pen pal project between second graders and teacher-education students fostered a love of writing in the younger students and increased their self-esteem and writing skills. The university students gained valuable knowledge about the development of language arts in young students--knowledge they would find helpful when they started teaching. (TD)

Presents brief essays by teachers of English in Australian primary and secondary schools in a bid to convey images of accomplished teaching. Introduction by Brenton Doecke, includes "Negotiating the Curriculum" (Lynne Collidge); "Year 7 Autobiographies" (Chris Melican); "Taking Ownership" (Cheryl Lawson);…

Presents a case study of one first-grade student's literacy behavior while corresponding through email during a 13-month period. Presents guidelines for teachers for developing an email pen-pal project. Suggests email is a powerful new medium for writing. (NH)

Presents six brief (about one page) narratives by primary and secondary teachers arising from STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) workshops and interpretive discussions. Notes that each narrative describes a moment of "good" English/literacy teaching. (SG)

In craft training, children are taught preschool skills as they create art projects with an adult. By creating toys, pictures, and other projects from readily available materials, children become involved in cooking, coloring, cutting, drawing, gluing, and beginning writing. The first rule of craft training is to let the child do the work of…

A descriptive study determined the extent to which the language experience approach (LEA) is used in the kindergarten and first grades of six northwest Bergen County, New Jersey, school districts. Anonymous surveys were mailed to all kindergarten and first-grade teachers in these districts. Forty-five (63%) of the surveys were returned. Results…

Designed to contribute toward providing opportunities for young children to enlist their own powerful intelligence in the construction of their understanding of reading and writing, this book is a collection of six studies presented at the International Reading Association's Eleventh World Congress. An introductory chapter, "Discovering…

Three interrelated strategies of print instruction can be used to connect kindergarten students to writing and literature: (1) connecting the child to previous experiences; (2) connecting verbal and written language; and (3) connecting children to literature, print, and writing. Children can link their past experiences to print by labeling…

Intended for primary teachers, this resource guide provides explanations of the theory underlying successful writing workshops, plus practical help for putting the ideas to work. With the guide, teachers can see how to implement writing workshop; how to recognize and teach target skills such as organization and revision; and how to enhance writing…

Two series of case studies were carried out following a multiple baseline design across individuals. The first series of eight studies included 4- to 5-year-old Dutch kindergarten children, and the second series examined 5- to 6-year-old kindergarten children. Each child wrote approximately 16 stories in the natural classroom environment over a…

Journal writing provides daily opportunities for students to express themselves, practice using the features of print they controlled, and extend their knowledge of print. By publishing the journals, two additional benefits are gained: the creation of more readable text for emergent readers; and the motivation to write more. "Life…

Children in the emergent writing stage write in pre-conventional or emergent forms (scribbling, drawing, non-phonetic letterings, and phonetic spelling) before they write conventionally. A special education teacher in a kindergarten inclusion setting in the Bronx, New York, noticing that her students did not particularly like to write, decided and…

Literacy development begins in the very early stages of childhood, even though the activities of young children may not seem related to reading and writing. In 1966, New Zealand researcher Marie Clay introduced the term "emergent literacy" to describe the behaviors seen in young children when they use books and writing materials to…

When writer's workshop is introduced to the kindergarten classroom, students often do not have the basic skills they need to participate in the process. Teachers should not let that prevent them from introducing writing instruction to their young students. This book shows teachers that all the skills they need to teach their young writers can be…