A study investigated how young children use the word processor as a tool in their development as writers. Forty children, ages 4 through 7, from a university laboratory school in a small midwestern community, participated in the study. Videotapings and audiotapings during writing events served as the primary means of data collection. These were…

Offers a variety of practical writing ideas that can help first-grade teachers encourage writing across the curriculum. (FL)

Analyzes the written language learning of kindergarten children as a transaction among writers, teachers, and the writing process and concludes that children, when given the opportunity to take risks with written language, create with semantic intent. (DF)

Reviews a project in which first-grade children learned to write and became confident, fluent, and enthusiastic writers. Contains examples of their writing. (FL)

Discusses the characteristics of a nurturing and of a constraining classroom environment and the effects of each on children's learning to write. (HTH)

An assistant principal for elementary instruction implemented a 10-week practicum intervention designed to use teacher in-service sessions to encourage the provision of daily opportunities for journal writing to kindergartners and first graders. In-service sessions offered: (1) an overview of highlights of related research; (2) approaches to the…

A study contrasted two first grade writing programs to ascertain changes in the students' regard for writing in a manner that could be measured and compared. One writing program encouraged students to write expressively and find their way into print, while the other program used the more traditional or skill-sequenced approach through preparatory…

This article focuses on competencies needed for children's transitions from preschool special education programs to the primary grades, with a focus on literacy-rich classroom environments. The competencies concern: readiness to maximize academic achievement, social skills, and appropriate responsiveness to various instructional styles and new…

A project developed a program for improving writing readiness skills. The targeted population consisted of 37 kindergarten students in an upper middle class southwest Chicago (Illinois) suburb. The need for writing readiness skills was documented through writing observation checklists, anecdotal records, writing portfolios, and diagnostic tests.…

This Digest looks at recent research, and then asks and considers some important questions about choosing a handwriting program for young children, i.e.: (1) which alphabet is developmentally appropriate; (2) which alphabet is easier to use; (3) which alphabet is easier to read; (4) which alphabet is more easily integrated; (5) which alphabet is…

Presenting a longitudinal study of factors influencing the text-forming strategies children employ in early stages of writing development, this report focuses on the differences between children's oral and written texts and the development of writing ability. The first two chapters present cohesion results, with the first chapter providing…

A study examined (1) a nine-year-old girl's view of writing, (2) the factors contributing to the construction of that view, (3) her parents' and teacher's views, and (4) the relationship among these various views. Both samples of writing and an interview schedule were used to elicit writing views from each of the participants concerning their…

This book was written to help parents understand and enhance their children's development in mathematics and language. The first section sets forth basic learning goals in mathematics and language for preschool and kindergarten children and students in the first and second grades. The second section provides approximately 100 language and math…

Four elements are essential for efficient, effective, and rewarding teaching of beginning reading. The first is the use of children's key vocabulary. Children are asked, in a prescribed fashion, what their very best word is of the moment. The teacher prints it in a prescribed fashion and uses it to help children acquire one-to-one correspondence…

Examines teacher attitudes that inhibit experimentation and stifle the development of beginning writers. Illustrates the drawbacks of insisting on (1) using only one approach to learning to write, (2) keeping a quiet classroom, (3) fitting letters between the lines of ruled paper, (4) using primary pencils for all writing activities, and (5)…