Learning+to+write

__**Learning to write**__
Stages of writing: “Writing is a way of communicating through a process of constructing messages and representing ideas, feelings and information in print, (Cloonan….2000, pp 1). Spoken and written language are very different in that when people speak the meanings of words are often implicit due to reliance on gestures and body language however in written language the meanings are explicit and must involve description and explanation. There have been six stages developed to describe children’s stages in writing.

Stage 1 is beginning writing where children aim to deliver a message across through scribble-like writing often in forms of circles and lines.



Beginning writing - [| www.ascd.org/.../books/worsham2001_fig1.2.gif] Stage 2 is early-emergent writing. Generally texts are personal and their writing now has spaces and is left to right on the page however complete words have not yet been formed.

In stage 3, emergent writing, children create clear and more defined letters and “letters begin to represent sounds in words such as ‘llk’ for like and ‘ppl’ for people,” (Hill, 2006, pp 284).

Emergent writing - [| www.edcommunity.apple.com/.../554/dictation2.jpg] Early writing is stage 4 and children begin to understand genre and different text types. They also now undertsnd the difference between upper and lower case letters.

Stage 5, Transitional writing, is where children begin to significantly increase their volume of writing and punctuation is now important. Extending writing is the final stage where writers become fluent and their text is similar to that of an adults. Children learn to use different text types for different audiences and purposes. “They use conventional punctuation and an extended vocabulary of high frequency words and high interest words when writing,” (Cloonan…. 2000, pp 46).

Processes of writing: The writer’s role can be either authorial or secretarial. Authorial role deals with organising ideas and the communication of the text to a known audience. It involves planning, composing and revising. Secretarial role concerns the surface aspects of a piece of writing incorporating the recording and publishing of text. Aspects of the writing process are planning, composing, recording, revising and publishing and are “overlapping and influence each other,” (Cloonan…..2000, pp 4). Planing involves developing ideas for the text (which commonly involve personal experiences with child writers), with the targeted audience in mind. Composing is where the actual writing begins and words and sentences are chosen in order to convey the texts message. The recording stage is where children develop the fundamental skills of writing through development and understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation. Revising is reading and re-reading of a text to ensure it flows correctly and is free of spelling and grammar mistakes, otherwise known as proofreading. Writers make improvements and adjustments to enhance the text. The final stage is publishing where the piece of writing is completed. Publishing involves “creating books, displaying writing on display boards, placing the work in newsletters, showing parents and reading it to other classes,” (Hill, 2006, pp 294).