Emergent Writing
Like emergent reading, early emergent writing is approximating the purposes and forms of writing. This emergent writing occurs spontaneously wherever writing is encouraged, modeled, and incorporated into play. The child’s first task as a writer is to discover that scribbling can represent something, and thereafter, to differentiate drawing from writing and representation from communication. Writing is necessary to communicate the complete message.
The evolution of emergent writing is in order as follows: random marks, representational drawing, drawing and distinct from writing, mock linear or letter like, symbol salad, and partial phonetic. There are dramatic changes as children develop across the emergent stage that can be characterized as early, middle, and late emergent behaviors.
In the early stage, children learn to hold a pencil, marker, or crayon and to make marks on paper (or windows, walls, or floors). These marks are best described as scribbles that lack directionality and may not serve as a communication function. They soon evolve into representational drawing and then to print that is distinct from drawing.
In the middle stage, children come to learn of the writing system, which is the top-to-bottom linear arrangement. They experiment with letter like forms that resemble the separate circles and lines of manuscript writing or the connected loops of cursive. Alphabet and numbers are learned and they begin to show up in letter strings or symbol salad.
By the late stage, children are beginning to use letters to represent speech sounds in a systematic way.
Reference: Bear, D. R., Johnston, F., Invernizzi, M., & Templeton, S. (2012). Words their way: word study for phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction. (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
The evolution of emergent writing is in order as follows: random marks, representational drawing, drawing and distinct from writing, mock linear or letter like, symbol salad, and partial phonetic. There are dramatic changes as children develop across the emergent stage that can be characterized as early, middle, and late emergent behaviors.
In the early stage, children learn to hold a pencil, marker, or crayon and to make marks on paper (or windows, walls, or floors). These marks are best described as scribbles that lack directionality and may not serve as a communication function. They soon evolve into representational drawing and then to print that is distinct from drawing.
In the middle stage, children come to learn of the writing system, which is the top-to-bottom linear arrangement. They experiment with letter like forms that resemble the separate circles and lines of manuscript writing or the connected loops of cursive. Alphabet and numbers are learned and they begin to show up in letter strings or symbol salad.
By the late stage, children are beginning to use letters to represent speech sounds in a systematic way.
Reference: Bear, D. R., Johnston, F., Invernizzi, M., & Templeton, S. (2012). Words their way: word study for phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction. (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson.