Explores the transition of several children from spoken language to beginning writing. (HTH)

Argues the importance of dictated stories, with the teacher or other adult as scribe, in children's development as writers. Examines one child's literary influences and her literacy development. (MG)

Analyzed 80 nursery school and kindergarten children's use of referential and phonetic strategies in reading and writing. Results indicated that there was a shift with age from the use of referential to phonetic strategies. (RJC)

Discusses the Language Experience Approach and process writing, two methods which approach reading and writing as active processes, stressing communication and meaning. Asserts that these methods are compatible and shows how they can be combined and incorporated into kindergarten and primary level classes. (MM)

Suggests three ways to foster writing skills in preschool and primary school children: encourage language development; set up a writing center; and teach children to have fun with words. Offers instructions for writing projects, including making picture dictionaries, talking with pictures, writing outdoors, composing silly sentences, keeping…

Shows 16 kindergarten children's literacy development as indicated by the use of 6 specific story elements (classic story version, connected events, fantasy experiences, goal-directed experiences, personal experiences, and social interactions) in the children's original stories. Finds support for the belief that learning to read and learning to…

Describes a project in a kindergarten classroom in which a professor, graduate assistant, the classroom teacher, and parents served as writing role models during the daily journal writing time. After 7 to 10 days of the project, children labeled their drawings, wrote about a variety of topics, copied adults' writing, experimented with print, and…

Considers the use of sociodramatic play to help preschool children with their literacy development. Describes and assesses the Scrapbook Project at a university laboratory preschool. In this project, children dictate stories to their teacher, choose props to illustrate their stories, and act out their stories. (BB)

Describes objectives, resources, procedures, and teaching strategies for leading children to use magazines to produce a slide-tape show about animals. Highly structured formats for notetaking, synthesizing, and creating a final presentation are used to enable young children to do research and produce written reports without word-for-word copying.…

What do Slinky toys, sign language, clipboards, golf pencils, and a house icon have in common? They all are a part of the author's writing and reading program, which teaches children how to write, and then read what they have written. This book includes: effective strategies that address multiple learning styles; a ready-to-use form for ongoing…

A study examines teacher's and children's interactions with the use of the writing journal in a pre-k classroom (ages 3 to 4). Eight pre-school children and three teachers in a university lab school were observed twice a week for 1-hour sessions over a 6-month period. The use of the writing journal was a part of the total learning environment…

Based on a two-day presentation workshop on early reading and writing approaches, the 12 essays in this book discuss the development of literacy, natural approaches in developing literacy, and supporting literacy development. Essays in the book are: (1) "Theories of Natural Language" (Carolyn N. Hedley); (2) "Oral Language…

A study was designed to identify and codify behavioral trends in the composing process of early writers' narrative attempts in literate environment instructional settings. The study also examined regressive patterns within behavioral responses to determine how development in one area of the writing task influenced the development in other areas.…

This paper analyses elementary school Chinese language textbooks for teaching reading and writing in primary grades in the People's Republic of China. The paper begins by examining the characteristics of the Chinese written language, particularly how the reforms of written Chinese in China since the 1950s have affected instructional materials.…

This book combines a holistic approach to language learning with a developmental point of view, including teaching strategies appropriate for each age and stage of development. The book looks at children's literature and how it is used as the thrust for the development of oral language, reading, and early writing. The book includes: discussion of…