Observation Task 4: Development of Early Writing Skills

Table 4: Development of Early Writing Skills

Developmental Writing Stage Supporting Links to the ADEC Comments
Activities Curriculum
Link sound with hands on
and develop fine motor Include more
Using play
skills. creativity in
dough to
this activity
formate the
letters

Link sound with iPad

games in helping to write Include more
Using iPad to
the right format. useful games
write the
that assess the
letters
child and help
to explore his
prior
knowledge.

Link sounds to letters,

naming and sounding the The teacher
Using small
letters of the alphabet. should draw a
whiteboards
line in the
and
Use a pencil (whiteboard white board
whiteboard
marker) and hold it so the child
markers to
effectively to form can follow
practice letter
recognizable letters, most and know the
formation
of which are correctly direction
formed.
 Suggestions for the further development of early writing skills
• Say the letters in their name aloud as you point to them.
• Get them to ‘read’ their early writing to you.
• Write the story they tell you under their drawing.
• Write a letter together to someone you love.
• Let them see you writing – talk about what you are writing about (a grocery list or writing a
check).
• Look together for writing everywhere – street names, shop names, writing on cars and trucks.

Reflection
Keep in mind children do not learn to walk or talk at the exact same age; it is a developmental
process, just as it is with writing stages. As your child moves through these stages your
encouragement is very important to your child. Scribbling looks like random assortment of
marks on a child's paper. Sometimes the marks are large, circular, and random, and resemble
drawing. Although the marks do not resemble print, they are significant because the young writer
uses them to show ideas. Letter-like Symbols
Letter-like forms emerge, sometimes randomly placed, and are interspersed with numbers. The
children can tell about their own drawings or writings. In this stage, spacing is rarely present.
Strings of Letters
In the strings-of-letters phase, students write some legible letters that tell us they know more
about writing. Students are developing awareness of the sound-to-symbol relationship, although
they are not matching most sounds. Students usually write in capital letters and have not yet
begun spacing. Beginning Sounds Emerge
At this stage, students begin to see the differences between a letter and a word, but they may not
use spacing between words. Their message makes sense and matches the picture, especially
when they choose the topic. Consonants Represent Words
Students begin to leave spaces between their words and may often mix upper- and lowercase
letters in their writing. They begin using punctuation and usually write sentences that tell ideas.
Initial, Middle, and Final Sounds Students in this phase may spell correctly some sight words,
siblings' names, and environmental print, but other words are spelled the way they sound.
Children easily hear sounds in words, and their writing is very readable. Transitional Phases.
This writing is readable and approaches conventional spelling. The students' writing is
interspersed with words that are in standard form and have standard letter patterns. Standard
Spelling Students in this phase can spell most words correctly and are developing an
understanding of root words, compound words, and contractions. This understanding helps
students spell similar words. Help students stay on the right track by providing opportunities for
frequent self-checks and plenty of other formative assessments to that they can monitor their own
progress. Make it easy for students to be aware of how well they are doing, and you will make it
easy for them to stay engaged in a learning activity.
Create activities and assignments that are challenging but attainable. Students should have to
work and think to succeed, but the potential for success should always be clearly evident.