Discusses observations of children's efforts to move from spoken language to written language and the acquisition of cohesion in first and second grade students. (HTH)

Describes several types of "paragraph frames" to help teach beginning writing in the content areas. Notes that these frames, employing a modified cloze procedure, help bridge the gap between narrative and expository reading and writing. Provides several student writing samples. (MM)

Describes a process writing approach which encourages students to write about true events, rather than about their favorite television shows. (MM)

Examines the writing of a four-year-old child in response to literature. Discusses the child's uses for writing and the concepts and principles of early writing. Demonstrates the child's engagement with children's books. (RS)

A pen pal project between second graders and teacher-education students fostered a love of writing in the younger students and increased their self-esteem and writing skills. The university students gained valuable knowledge about the development of language arts in young students--knowledge they would find helpful when they started teaching. (TD)

Presents brief essays by teachers of English in Australian primary and secondary schools in a bid to convey images of accomplished teaching. Introduction by Brenton Doecke, includes "Negotiating the Curriculum" (Lynne Collidge); "Year 7 Autobiographies" (Chris Melican); "Taking Ownership" (Cheryl Lawson);…

Presents a case study of one first-grade student's literacy behavior while corresponding through email during a 13-month period. Presents guidelines for teachers for developing an email pen-pal project. Suggests email is a powerful new medium for writing. (NH)

Presents six brief (about one page) narratives by primary and secondary teachers arising from STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) workshops and interpretive discussions. Notes that each narrative describes a moment of "good" English/literacy teaching. (SG)

Parents are the child's first and most important teacher. This booklet begins with a story about the parent of a first grade reader. The parent in the story models methods which a real life parent could employ to help a child learn to read such as finding words that begin with the first letter of a child's name, or taking turns with the child…

This study examined how the use of Knowledge Forum (KF)[R], a networked, Internet-based learning environment, was related to the literacy development of 4-year-old children in a laboratory school affiliated with the University of Toronto. Over the course of the year, children participated in a longitudinal photo journal project. With adult…

This article explores some of the challenges that young children face when they begin formalised literacy learning in the classroom, in particular learning to write. The challenges are discussed in terms of the transitions children are faced with when moving from family and community literacy practices to more explicit and formal school learning…

In craft training, children are taught preschool skills as they create art projects with an adult. By creating toys, pictures, and other projects from readily available materials, children become involved in cooking, coloring, cutting, drawing, gluing, and beginning writing. The first rule of craft training is to let the child do the work of…

A descriptive study determined the extent to which the language experience approach (LEA) is used in the kindergarten and first grades of six northwest Bergen County, New Jersey, school districts. Anonymous surveys were mailed to all kindergarten and first-grade teachers in these districts. Forty-five (63%) of the surveys were returned. Results…

Designed to contribute toward providing opportunities for young children to enlist their own powerful intelligence in the construction of their understanding of reading and writing, this book is a collection of six studies presented at the International Reading Association's Eleventh World Congress. An introductory chapter, "Discovering…

Three interrelated strategies of print instruction can be used to connect kindergarten students to writing and literature: (1) connecting the child to previous experiences; (2) connecting verbal and written language; and (3) connecting children to literature, print, and writing. Children can link their past experiences to print by labeling…