Early+Years+Writers

﻿Early Years Writers

Children’s writing provides a window into their thinking and problem solving. Being able to hear language, perceive differences in meaning and articulate language is crucially important for learning to write. At the beginning stages of writing, children begin with drawings or symbols to represent ideas/ messages.

Through engagement with Early Year’s learners, it was learnt that all the students go through predictable stages in learning to write. These stages are (Hill, 2006 p.283-286):


 * Beginning writing**
 * May use drawing to communicate a message
 * Large circle shapes or scribble like lines which may be from left to right
 * Early-emergent writing**
 * Exploring the use of symbols to represent words
 * Understanding of directionality and placement of picture and text on a page and probably understands the concept of written word as a separate entity
 * Emergent writing**
 * Creating letter like shapes
 * There may be spaces between the letters
 * May appear in lines from left to right
 * Early writing**
 * Creating/ inventing spelling words continues
 * Phrases and sentences are repeated as if they were practising or building confidence with what they already know
 * Difference between capital and lower case letters is apparent
 * Spacing between words becomes consistent
 * Transitional writing**
 * Repetitive sentences and phrases – quantity not quality becomes apparent
 * Plots in narrative writing may be episodic
 * Punctuation is well developed
 * Extended writing**
 * Punctuation
 * Writing resembles that of an adult
 * Different text types that are appropriate to different audiences are learnt

When Matilda, a grade prep, was asked to read a book then write about the text she asked if she could just draw a picture because she had not yet learnt how to write. This could encourage her to investigate and practice a variety of writing forms. Drawing also provide insights into the children’s knowledge of layout, book format and spatial awareness (Hill, 2006 p.288).
 * CHILD A**

The book had simple sentences of what a person could do with balls such as ‘I can throw a ball’ and ‘I can kick a ball’. Matilda drew a picture of a person holding a ball. This shows us that her ideas were represented through drawing which would make her an early emergent writer because she understands the idea that drawing can be a way to represent words.

Another example taken of a student’s writing ability was from Ben, a 7 year old, grade 2 student. When Ben was asked to draw and write about a text he had read, he drew four pictures; one of Tyson’s dog, one of a tall tree, one of a small tree and a lake. He wasn’t however as happy to write about the text and he only wrote one heading ‘Tyson’s dog’ by Ben.
 * CHILD B**

After reading over figures 13.10 and 13.11 in Hill (2011, pp. 290-291) Ben’s written language was a 3 as he was able to write a 2 word phrase. He was also able to copy writing. For text conventions, he was rated a 4 because there were spaces between words and lines. He was working towards a 5 for his spelling, punctuation and capitalisation, as it was all correct.

From this student, we see how reading influences writing. Writing and reading is a two-way process. Children tend to produce the structures and language features of the text they read (Hill, 2006 p.287).