Literacy Foundations of Writing

(Griffin, 2012)

1. Emergent Literacy
Emergent writers begin spelling using estimates of their letter name knowledge.  They begin to use foundational skills like print concepts, letter knowledge, and purposes for writing.  Older children develop all aspects of language in what they write; phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.


2. Composing meaningfully
Scaffolded writing provides an entry into writing for different genres; narrative, expository, expressive, fantasy, etc. 


Scaffolded Writing

• Begin with a morning message that is written together as a group
• Move to "Play Plans"
• Plan what you want to say and then start by drawing pictures
• Move to making some letters on lines
• Then the lines fade away
• Move to writing in different domains and for special events
• Move from working with the teacher to independent writing
• Move to conventional spelling of words

Writing Process

• Social context of writing
• Publishing, audience, and purpose for writing
• Writer's knowledge
• about the topic, genre, and what writing about
• Self Regulation
• Planning, text production, evaluating own work (editing)

Common Instruction frameworks of writing

• Dialogue journals
• Writers' Workshop
• Teacher takes dictation

3. Producing written words
The ease of spelling depends on the position of the letter in the word that is being spelled and the position of the sound in the letter name.  The more that you practice and writing the greater the mastery over written words.

Factors that make spell easier

• Overall language proficiency in phonemic awareness and vocabulary.
• Sound associations to transfer from decoding to spelling
• Lessons discussion to enhance memory
• Environment labeling
• The person who take dictation
• Interest in history and structures of words

Teaching spelling and learning tips

• Analyze loved and problem words
• Learn lists
• Learn techniques for lists
• Rehearse
• Self Test
• Rehearse only wrongs
• Test all again
• Break
• Look at again and test on all, rehearse again
• Check in different order
• Deal with primary motive
• Use "spelling dialect" to solve spelling problems

4. Finishing with audience aware revisions
This is the self regulation part of writing and where evaluating and editing your work will take place. 


ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES:


Reading Rockets is a great online resource that has scaffolded writing activities based upong grade level.  http://www.readingrockets.org/looking_at_writing/


Pre-K
Alphabet matching builds knowledge over letter recognition
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/alphabet_matching/


Kindergarten
Concept of word teaches them to recognize words and how they look in print.  This will help them learn new words.
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/concept_of_word/


1st Grade
Story maps help the student organize their thoughts about the main components of a story structure.
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/story_maps/


2nd Grade
Word maps help students organize and analyze words, along with promoting vocabulary.
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/story_maps/


3rd Grade
Paragraph Hamburger helps student organize the structure of a paragraph.
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paragraph_hamburger/

References

Griffin, P. (2012).  Language Acts [Powerpoint Presentation]. Retrieved from lecture notes.