Learning
to
write
well
is
a
process
that
begins
early
in
a
child’s
life.
Although
the
first
scribbles
and
pictures
may
seem
far
from
what
we
adults
think
of
as
formal
written
language,
they
are
in
fact
your
child’s
first
prose.
Following
is
a
breakdown
of
how
most
children
develop
as
writers
and
some
of
the
ways
teachers
foster
their
skills
in
the
classroom.
Bear
in
mind
that
each
child
develops
at
a
different
rate.
The
descriptions
for
the
grades
indicated
do
not
necessarily
apply
to
every
child.
Emergent
writers
(preschool
to
grade
1)
During
the
early
elementary
years,
the
goal
is
to
encourage
children
to
believe
in
themselves
as
writers
and
to
help
them
understand
that
writing
is
an
important
way
of
communicating.
For
this
reason,
every
attempt
by
a
child
at
writing
is
applauded.
Beginning
writers
will
use
marks,
scribbles,
drawings
and
symbols
to
represent
ideas
and
information.
As
children
become
more
skilled
writers,
they
will
begin
to
label
their
drawings
with
letters
or
words.
A
lot
of
time
is
devoted
to
experimentation
with
print
in
the
primary
grades-children
are
encouraged
to
write
about
their
ideas,
to
mimic
the
writing
of
their
favorite
authors
and
to
try
their
hand
at
different
types
of
writing
(i.e.
thank
you
notes,
letters
to
friends,
fairy
tales,
poetry).
Beginning
writers
(grades
2-3)
During
these
years,
most
children
can
string
together
words
in
sentence
format
and
will
repeat
familiar
words
and
names
throughout
their
writing.
They
will
use
simple,
repetitive
vocabulary
and
sentences
in
their
writing
and
may
mimic
sentences
they
have
seen
in
other
text.
Children
will
begin
to
write
on
topics
of
their
own
choice
(although
they
may
also
imitate
story
ideas
they
have
heard
in
books
and
other
places).
Children
will
also
be
encouraged
to
keep
journals,
to
write
to
each
other
and
to
family
and
to
write
their
own
books.
Invented
spelling
is
still
a
part
of
children’s
writing
at
this
point,
but
they
will
be
encouraged
to
pay
more
attention
to
punctuation,
structure
and
grammar.
Independent
writers
(grades
3-5)
As
children
become
more
independent
in
their
writing,
they
will
come
up
with
a
theme
or
main
idea
that
they
can
write
about
with
detail.
Their
sentences
will
alternate
between
very
simplistic
("The
dog
ran")
and
somewhat
more
detailed
("The
brown
dog
caught
the
ball").
The
independent
writer
will
begin
to
use
descriptive
words
and
may
show
signs
of
a
personal
style
or
way
of
writing
that
is
unique.
At
this
level,
children
should
be
confident
in
their
ability
to
write
for
a
variety
of
purposes-for
personal
reflection,
to
communicate
ideas
about
specific
topics,
to
request
more
information,
to
entertain
and
express
their
own
ideas.
Experienced
writers
(grade
5
and
up)
As
they
move
out
of
the
elementary
years,
children
will
have
begun
to
make
connections
between
their
own
ideas
and
similar
or
related
ideas.
They
will
use
detailed
writing
in
more
varied
ways
such
as
to
express
a
point
of
view
or
to
describe
a
character.
At
this
point,
children’s
language
and
sentences
will
be
more
sophisticated.
They
will
each
have
a
writing
style
that
is
uniquely
their
own
and
will
understand
what
type
of
writing
to
use
for
different
situations
(formal,
business-like
correspondence,
informal
notes
to
friends,
writing
for
class
assignments).
Raising
a
world
class
writer
If
you
want
your
children
to
view
writing
as
important,
make
sure
they
see
you
write.
Talk
with
them
about
what
you
are
doing
as
you
write
out
a
phone
message,
cards
to
friends,
or
checks
to
pay
bills.
Write
with
your
children.
Have
them
see
you
make
mistakes
and
revise
your
writing.
Through
this,
they
will
see
that
writing
takes
time
and
patience
(even
for
adults)
and
that
rewriting
is
sometimes
necessary.
Set
up
a
weekly
calendar
with
space
for
all
family
members
to
write
daily
reminders
about
activities
and
events.
Instead
of
buying
birthday,
thank-you
and
other
cards,
have
your
children
create
their
own
and
write
special
messages.
Ask
for
your
children’s
help
when
making
a
grocery
list.
Talk
with
them
about
a
few
items
you
want
and
have
them
make
their
own
list
of
items
they
will
be
responsible
for
remembering
during
your
outing
(remember,
this
list
might
be
pictures,
symbols
or
squiggles
with
beginning
writers).
Discuss
what
they
have
written
and
make
a
point
of
referring
to
their
list
throughout
the
shopping
trip.
Encourage
your
children
to
keep
a
journal
or
scrapbook
of
mementos
and
photos
along
with
their
own
writing
about
what
happened
and
why
it
was
important
or
fun.
Provide
your
children
with
alphabet
tiles
or
magnetic
letters
for
the
fridge.
Young
children
will
likely
use
these
to
recite
letters,
to
make
simple
words,
and
even
to
sort
them
by
color
or
shape.
Older
children
may
enjoy
a
set
of
magnetic
words
(sold
in
toy
stores
and
bookstores)
to
create
sentences
and
stories.
If
you
have
access
to
a
computer,
have
your
children
use
e-mail
to
write
letters
to
friends
and
family.
Make
a
game
of
finding
the
letters
of
your
child’s
name
on
signs,
food
containers,
books
and
magazines.
This
is
a
great
supermarket
or
travel
game.
With
older
children,
try
a
word
scavenger
hunt.
Have
them
record
the
letters
or
words
that
are
on
their
clipboard
or
notebook.
Books
for
children
Word
Wizard
by
Cathryn
Falwell
Anna
is
delighted
to
realize
how
the
letters
in
her
alphabet
cereal
can
be
rearranged
into
several
different
words.
Aunt
Isabel
Tells
a
Good
One
by
Kate
Duke
What
makes
a
really
good
story?
Aunt
Isabel
and
her
niece
Penelope
know
there
are
many
ingredients:
a
heroine,
a
hero,
an
exciting
time
and
place,
a
little
romance
.
.
.
and
maybe
a
scary
villain
or
two.
If
You
Were
a
Writer
by
Joan
Lowery
Nixon
Melia
wants
to
be
a
writer
just
like
her
mother.
With
a
few
helpful
suggestions
and
lots
of
encouragement,
she
is
soon
on
her
way.
From
Pictures
to
Words:
A
Book
About
Making
a
Book
by
Janet
Stevens
Author
Stevens
writes-and
draws-herself
into
this
innovative
explanation
of
how
authors
and
artists
create
picture
books.
What
Do
Authors
Do?
by
Eileen
Christelow
A
lively
text
and
colorful
cartoon
illustrations
follow
two
creative
people-and
a
talkative
dog
and
cat-step-by-step
through
the
writing
process.
Books
for
parents
Meet
the
Authors
and
Illustrators:
60
Creators
of
Favorite
Children’s
Books
Talk
about
Their
Work,
Vol.
1
by
Deborah
Kovacs
and
James
Preller
60
creators
of
favorite
children’s
books
talk
about
their
work.
A
Caldecott
Celebration:
Six
Artists
and
Their
Paths
to
the
Caldecott
Medal
by
Leonard
S.
Marcus
Profiles
six
Caldecott
award
winning
books
and
their
authors.
Giving
your
child
the
tools
of
writing
Following
are
some
readily
available,
inexpensive
(even
free!)
and
portable
items
to
have
available
for
writing
exploration.
-
A
variety
of
pads
of
paper
(doodle
pads,
paper
with
printed
lines,
colored
paper),
scrap
paper,
used
greeting
cards,
mail
order
forms,
small
notebooks
or
journals).
-
Clipboards
with
paper
attached
(these
are
great
to
have
in
the
car
for
writing
while
in
transit).
-
Washable
markers,
crayons,
pencils,
and
pens
selected
based
on
your
child’s
age
and
ability.
