User:Aplustints/Writing in childhood

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Julissa's Work

I will add this to the section of "Learning from adults".

The Role of Parents and Caregivers in Children's Writing Development

The role of parents and caregivers in supporting children's early writing development is critical, as their involvement in literacy practices shapes how children understand and develop writing skills. Research emphasizes the value of these interactions. Neuman and Roskos point out that literacy-enriched play settings or homes where caregivers read and engage in writing-related activities help children understand the functions of writing. These environments help children grasp an understanding of how writing works in the world around them, such as using labels or writing messages. Additionally, Rand and Morrow argue that play experiences contribute significantly to early literacy by allowing children to engage in pretend writing and storytelling, which in turn helps them understand the structures and functions of narrative writing.

Galda, Pellegrini and Cox emphasize the importance of everyday adult interactions in promoting children's emergent literacy. Their longitudinal study found that when parents read aloud and discuss stories with children, they expose them to vocabulary, storytelling techniques, and organizational strategies needed for writing. Through activities like retelling stories, children learn to put events in order which is an important skill for understanding and writing narratives. According to Brown, this ability to understand and create clear stories is closely linked to the language experiences children have with adults, especially when they retell or organize events from daily life. In this context, parents serve as guides to help children develop the organizational skills needed to write well.

Alber-Morgan discusses how feedback from adults plays a huge role in children’s writing development. By providing positive reinforcement and constructive suggestions, caregivers help children refine their skills, improving both their confidence and their writing abilities. These types of feedback, along with a caring and nurturing home environment, allow children to develop their writing in meaningful and supportive ways. By engaging in activities like reading, storytelling, and providing feedback, parents and caregivers create a literacy-rich environment that supports early writing development. Through these interactions, children not only learn the how of writing but also develop a deep understanding of its purpose and structure, laying the foundation for future academic and creative writing.

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Play and Early Writing Development

Young children don’t just learn to write through lessons; they also pick up essential skills through playing. Drawing, pretending, and storytelling are engaging activities that can play an important role in developing writing skills. When children engage in pretend play, they start creating their own stories, organizing events, and even picking up new words to express their ideas. These activities help them understand how stories work and how to communicate their thoughts, which will help when they start writing more formally as they grow.

The study by Neuman and Roskos found that literacy-enriched play areas had a positive impact on preschoolers. Children who spent time in these spaces were much better at understanding how writing works in the real world. Activities like drawing pictures or pretending to write letters give children a chance to see how communication can be visual. Basically, they’re learning the building blocks for writing before they even realize it. These play experiences serve as a foundation for more formal writing tasks later in life.

Parents and caregivers also have a big impact. Reading together, talking about stories, and even offering feedback on what kids write at home all help them improve their writing skills. Research by Alber-Morgan, Hessler, and Konrad shows that when adults guide kids through daily activities like writing letters or telling stories, it boosts their writing ability. These home-based interactions set children up for success in school, helping them transition smoothly into more formal writing tasks later on.

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Andrew's work

In the "Other kinds of learning in childhood" section I will add a new paragraph

Learning from Teachers

Teachers play a crucial role in enhancing children’s writing development, primarly during the elementary years when congitive skills transform into well structured writing. Research underscores the value of evidence-based practices in fostering these skills. Troia (2014) explains that strategies such as explicit instruction in writing processes (e.g., planning, drafting, and revising) and combining writing with reading activities as help. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Education (2012) emphasizes the importance of creating opportunities for collaborative writing, providing timely peer and instructor review, and incorporating technology to support writing instructions

These evidence based practices both improve the writing abilities of students and their contribution to their broader literacy development. For instance, teachings of the development from scribbling to letters helps children make connections between written and spoken language, while collaborative activities improve the flow of ideas and foster critical thinking. By implementing these evidence-based practices, teachers help children develop the skills and confidence necessary to become proficient writers and learners.

Copied from Writing in childhood

The emergent stage (6-8 years)

The initial stage of writing in childhood is marked by early literacy skills like drawing and scribbling, which become more recognizable as writing as children enhance their fine motor abilities. The development of fine motor abilities are essential to forming letters from scribbles which are heavily caused by practices such as the tracing and drawing of letters and symbols It is widely regarded as the most crucial phase in developing children's writing skills because it gives them a fundamental understanding of writing and reading texts. This step lays the foundation for grasping the connection between written and spoken language. Research has shown that during this age range, children experiment with different ways to convey meaning, thus realizing that writing is a symbol of language. During this stage, children begin to grasp the notion that writing represents language, and they test various ways of creating marks on paper to convey meaning. Executive functions development such as memory and self control also plays a key role during this stage. These functions allow children to plan and draft their writing tasks Evidence based practices include combining writing with reading activities to allow children to practice writing for other purposes such as storytelling and writing practical documents. Teachers can intergrate these practices of modeling letters, reading from writing into children's early writing experiences to influence an understanding of writing structure

The developing stage (7-9 years)

This stage, also referred to as the transitional stage, is characterized by an increasing level of control over writing, including a more sophisticated understanding of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Children at this stage begin to write more complex sentences and paragraphs, and they are able to communicate their ideas more effectively. At this stage, teachings play an important role in the children's skill development. Research has shown that support from teachers such as writing activities are strongly correlated with improved writing outcomes. They may also experiment with different writing styles and genres as they continue to refine their skills.

One of the key aspects of the developing stage is the increased focus on writing for different purposes and audiences. Children at this stage are encouraged to write in a variety of contexts, such as writing personal narratives, which helps them to develop a deeper understanding of the conventions of different genres and to become more adept at tailoring their writing to different audiences. In addition, uncovering diverse writing practices across cultural worlds allow students to explore new views on writing which allows them to adapt to writing for varied purposes. For instance, involving storytelling from international cultures can improve the creativity of students and their understanding of narrative structure

END OF ANDREWS WORK

Kyara Sigheti's Work (Not complete need to cite sources)

I am currently primarily focusing on the multimodal section of my writing primarily focusing on images in writing and how that helps children understand the concepts better. The bottom of my page is a little iffy right now especially with the contribution to Contemporary efforts to advance child writing I might write less for that.

Multimodal writing

Multimodal writing refers to the integration of various modes of communication, such as visual, images, textual, and symbolic elements, which support children's writing development. Research highlights the significant role of illustrations and other graphics in gaining early literacy and writing skills. For young children drawing serves as a semiotic resource. It is a way to make meaning and communicate ideas, as well as navigate through text both within and outside of formal educational settings.

The role of drawing in early writing development

Childs Picture Book

Studies often demonstrate that drawing plays a pivotal role in children's early stages of writing development. Research on Children’s Text Development indicates that five-year-olds often communicate more effectively through drawing rather than writing, as the former allows them to express ideas that may be beyond their written vocabulary. Drawing serves as an essential middle ground for developing classroom literacy in the early years, as seen in Vygotsky's theory, which posits a temporal and maturational link between drawing and writing. As children progress through school and age, however, classroom opportunities for drawing diminish, with traditional writing formats often prioritizing linear, and landscape paper given to students developing into narrow college ruled paper.

Drawing is especially beneficial during the brainstorming stage of writing, enabling children to generate ideas through drawings and engage with writing as a communicative process. Studies suggest drawing to be like a shift into writing. This symbiotic relationship between drawing and writing allows children to interchange pictures and words, forming a creative outlet and a deeper connection to their work. A student from Jones’s S. K. study "Notch," shared how he used drawing and writing to organize his thoughts while playing the video game Minecraft. He explained:

"I make the drawings and then I show, and then I put arrows and then say what it is and what kind of block it is...and then since I have these good ideas in my head, eventually I’ll make them in the computer."

Notch's example highlights how drawing can serve as a preparation for writing, helping children to structure and develop their ideas.

Graphics in text and literacy development

Studies also indicate that graphics have been relevant to children's texts since at least the 15th century, with their prevalence increasing each decade since the 1970s. Studies have shown that graphics not only motivate learning but also improve memory and understanding of written material. Young children (ages 6–11) often rely more heavily on pictures than text to infer meaning and make connections to stories. This is because they tend to focus on graphic elements explicitly referenced in accompanying text, while older children gradually shift their attention to the written content.

Researchers of teaching English also identified eight concepts essential for understanding graphics in text: action, intentionality, permanence, relevance, representation, partiality, extension, and importance. However, children vary in their understanding and interpretation of these graphic concepts, influenced by factors such as developmental stage and educational context.

Symbolic understanding and visual literacy

De Loache and Marzolf's research highlights the unique symbolic properties of pictures. Contrary to models, pictures do not require dual representation, making them more easily accessible and valuable tools for digesting textual information. Children's ability to comprehend the symbolic function of images can significantly impact their learning as well as their cognitive development.

Children's Drawings

Moreover, Penn's 8 month study on classroom drawing elaborates on how children act as "symbol-weavers," using drawing as a way to construct and communicate critical, creative, and constructive ideas. Drawing fosters a performative transition into writing, where children adopt techniques such as clapping syllables and arm spelling to develop their written expression.

END OF KYARA'S WORK

Zulema Villanueva's Work

This will be an entirely new section that I will be contributing to "Writing in Childhood".

Bilingualism's Impact on Early Childhood Writing

When young bilingual children are exposed to writing in their second language it is often seen that children will use their first language pre-knowledge and apply it to their second language writing skills. This could be seen when Spanish-speaking children begin to apply their Spanish-speaking sounds of words to the spelling and writing of English vowels. It is also found specifically for Spanish-speaking children, strong reading skills in Spanish accounted for better writing in English. Bilingual children also strongly develop audience awareness when they first start writing in their second language because of prior experience from translating for their parents. This helps them understand what type of audience they are writing to and they often switch to writing in the language they know their audience better understands, to accommodate them better.Although bilingual children have some advantages when it comes to writing in their second language, still they are often faced with disadvantages as some children are behind in reading levels and lack extra support.*