Theorists

Question 1

Kroll - 4 stages of writing development

Answer 1

1. Preparation stage (up to 6) - children are developing fine motor skills practicing holding a pen and getting to grips with basic spelling principles
2. Consolidation stages (7-8)- writing as they speak usually short declaratives using conjunctions ‘and’ & ‘but’ and sentences are often incomplete.
3. Differentiation stages (9-10)- begin to differentiate between speech and writing and different styles are understood. Still a no. of errors and writing guides often provided. Reflects child’s thoughts and feelings.
4. Integration stage (mid-teens)- developing a personal style and can alter their writing according to audience and purpose.

Question 2

Kathy Barclay - 7 stages of child’s writing

Answer 2

1. Scribbling: random marks on a page
2. Mock Handwriting: using scribbles that often appears with a drawing
3. Mock Letters: shapes that resemble conventional alphabet letters
4. Conventional letters: string of letters across page (usually begins with child’s first name)
5. Invented Spelling: clustered letters to make words
6. Approximated/Phonetic: child begins to associate sounds with spellings
7. Conventional: Child’s approximate spelling becomes more and more conventional.

Question 3

Richard Gentry 1978

Answer 3

1. Pre-communicative (non-alphabetic)- imitate writing by scribbling. Presents some decipherable letters but no sound-symbol connections
2. Semi-phonetic (partial alphabetic)- some letter to sound connection. Directionality sometimes understood. Letters may be used to represent whole words.
3. Phonetic (full alphabetic)- understanding of phoneme-grapheme relation. Spelling based on sound of letters.
4. Transitional- combine phonetic and visual memory in order to spell. Silent letters or common combinations may start to be recognized and used.
5. Conventional (correct spelling)- demonstrate knowledge of spelling systems using mostly correct spellings with a large sight vocabulary.

Question 4

Rothery - 4 categories of writing

Answer 4

1. Observation/comment- writer makes an observation following with an exclamative comment or mixing this with the original observation.
2. Recount- chronological sequence of events. Orientation- event- reorientation.
3. Report- a factual and objective description of events or things often not chronological.
4. Narrative- story where scene is set for events to occur and be resolved at the end. Orientation- complication- resolution- coda (often mixing due to complexity)

Question 5

Britton

Answer 5

1. Expressive- Allows child to express thoughts and feelings. In first person and enables child to explore own identity through writing. Linked to Piaget’s notion that children are egocentric until around 7 years old.
2. Poetic- ‘literary’ allows child to be creative and includes imagery and phonologically pleasing features like alliteration rhyme and rhythm.
3. Transactional- ‘worldly’, seen when child can separate their own identity from the writing so is detached from its content e.g. using passive voice. Takes impersonal tone and is very far removed from expressive writing.

Question 6

Ferrerio and Teberosky

Answer 6

• Many children expect people’ names to be proportional to their size or age rather than length of their actual name
• writing is innate and does not follow a prescribed model
• children start learning with environmental print - what is around them