Children's Writing

Children's Writing

1. KROLL'S STAGES OF WRITING DEVELOPMENT

   • 1. Preparatory Stage (up to 6 years): Basic to fine motor skills develop and some principles of the spelling system acquired
     • 2. Consolidation Stage (approx. 7-8 years): Begin to use writing to express what they can already say in speech. Writing closely reflects patterns of spoken language
       • 3. Differentiation Stage (9-10 years): Awareness of writing as separate from speech, and realizing that it has its own patterns and organisation. Written work becomes fuller and more diverse as they encounter the need to produce different kinds of writing for different audiences and purposes
         • 4. Integration Stage (14+): Writers have such a good command of language that they can vary their stylistic choices and develop a personal 'voice'. This continues to develop throughout adult life

2. ATTITUDES AND THEORIES ABOUT LEARNING TO WRITE

   • THE CREATIVE MODEL
     • Argues that a child should be allowed to experiment creatively with language without strict correction
     • Trial and error
     • Strengths: Freedom, experiment, less frightened to make mistakes, greater encouragement to write
     • Limitations: Mistakes may go uncorrected & this could become embedded in a student's work. May not prepare students for the 'real world' of assessment.
   • THE RULE-BASED MODEL
     • When a child understands the conventions of writing- such as spelling, punctuation and grammar rules- progress will be more rapid
       • They will quickly be able to produce a text that is understandable and appropriate for audience and purpose
     • Strengths: Accuracy from an early age, all students taught similar skill set, clearer understanding of what needs to be done (genre conventions etc).
   • THE CURRENT EDUCATION SYSTEM
     • The National Curriculum expects children to reach certain levels of attainment at particular ages and stages of school
       • 6-7 Years: Expected amongst other things to be able to "proofread to check for errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar"
         • Key Stage 3 (14 Years): Taught to "write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information [...]"
     • Academic success = high degree of technical accuracy necessary
   • JOHN ABBOTT (1999)
     • Metaphor of 'battery hens or free range chickens'
       • Free range chickens (the more independent and creative learners) might be the ones who thrive

3. JEAN ROTHERY: EVALUATING CHILDREN'S WRITING

   • 1. Observation/Comment: Pre-school/ Reception
     • 2. Recount: Chronological sequence of events. Set pattern- Orientation, event, reorientation. Basic story structure
       • 3. Report: More academic than the previous, and descriptive. Doesn't have to be chronological
         • 4. Narrative: Fiction. Could be mixed- 1st and 3rd Person. Orientation, complication, resolution, coda

4. BRITTON'S MODEL

   • 3 Key types of writing
     • Expressive writing: Develops first- expression of self. 1st Person. Ties in with Piaget's notion of children being egocentric until they are about 7yrs
   • Poetic writing: Literary. Encouraged from a young age. Allows children to be creative and think about the craft of writing
   • Transactional writing: Able to separate their own identity from the writing and the writer becomes detached from the content. Impersonal tone

5. HANDWRITING

   • Print: writing each individual letter out separately
   • Cursive script: letters in words are joined up
   • Casual Cursive script: a mid-point between cursive and print handwriting- some letters are joined up, some are not