For emergent writers, what’s important to keep in mind?
No matter the language(s), emergent writers benefit from both play-based learning and direct instruction in foundational skills.
• Play-based, social-emotional learning helps children develop their fine- and gross-motor skills, imagination and oral storytelling, all of which are essential for writing development.
• Explicit instruction helps unlock the written code and writing process for young children. Importantly, when it comes to emergent writers, lower-level processes (i.e. spelling and handwriting) are just as important as higher-level processes (i.e. planning, drafting, and revision).
We can really see the complexity of learning to write during planning and revising. Here’s a glimpse!
Zooming out, what’s the big picture idea of what researchers say about children’s writing development?
“Research into the cognitive processes of expert writers has clearly demonstrated that effective and skilled writing is neither a natural consequence of language development nor an organic unfolding of natural developmental processes.
Writing is a complicated activity that is dependent on a rich assortment of cognitive processes and on the social context of the writer.
In order to communicate skillfully, writers must balance a variety of considerations when they compose, including grammar, spelling, form, and organization, as well as the needs of their audience and their reasons for writing for that audience.”
So, what’s the takeaway? Writing instruction in the early years should prioritize oracy, handwriting and spelling; together, they help set a strong foundation for children’s writing development over time.
