1. Meaningful Writing Experiences in the Preschool Setting 9th Annual Utah Child Care Professional Development Institute Conference Shirlene C. Law shirlene.law@usu.edu Utah State University Uintah Basin October 15, 2011

2. Is teaching writing developmentally appropriate in preschool? O What NAEYC says: O Writing, drawing and cutting with precision can be difficult O Preschoolers make progress through opportunities for open ended activities that develop fine motor skills, such as drawing and painting, clay and blocks. O Preschoolers should have access to many types of materials and objects to help them develop their fine motor skills Daily writing activities such as a sign in sheets help build children’s understanding of the written word. Exposure to the many purposes of writing help build their understanding of the written word. Engaging children in early writing also helps them learn about print and the letters and words they will eventually read and spell. In preschool, children’s proper written formation of letters should not be a priority.

3. Focus 1: Fine Motor Development! O Cepholocaudal trend O Proximal distal trend O It’s a natural progression O Getting ready to write takes LOTS of fine motor practice!

4. Fine Motor Activities O Beading O Lacing O Squeezing O Tweezers O Tearing O Cutting O Hammering O Gluing O Fingerpainting O Painting O Drawing O Clay O Building O Manipulatives O Self-help skills O Pouring O Puzzles O Cutting Focus 1: Fine Motor Development

5. Common Problems: Lefty or Righty? O Hand preference seems to be an inborn trait. O Children usually favor one hand over the other O Usually by age 3 or 4 hand preference is evident O About 10% of children are left handed O Some children continue to struggle with establishing hand preference Focus 1: Fine Motor Development

6. Lefty or Righty? Ways to Assess Task Holding Spoon Holding Puppet Cutting with Scissors Hammering or Lacing Throwing Left or Right Hand Prefer ence Focus 1: Fine Motor Development

7. Pencil Grip Focus 1: Fine Motor Development

8. Focus 2: Print Rich Environment O “Teachers create a print-rich environment in which lots of print not only is present but is also used in ways to show prints’ purpose” (DAP, 3d Edition)

9. Where do children gain a significant amount of familiarity with print before entering preschool? O Environmental Print is the print of everyday life: The symbols, signs, numbers, and colors found in McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Exxon, Pizza Hut, 7-Up, and on websites, for instance. They offer excellent entry points for young children to begin to learn to read, write, and do math. O In the environment! Focus 2: Print Rich Environment

10. When children learn to pay attention to the signs in their world, they become ready to pay attention to the messages in the classroom Focus 2: Print Rich Environment

11. Focus 3: Learning About Print O Engaging children in early writing also helps them learn about print and the letters and words they will eventually read and spell.

12. Preschool children create a large quantity of writing Scribbles Mock writing Letter forms They just come with different levels of experience Focus 3: Learning About Print

13. The preschool teacher plays an important part in this journey from scribbles to words In the beginning, we often see no difference between the representations for pictures and the representations for words. Focus 3: Learning About Print Drawing IS the message!

14. Drawing as Writing O Artwork can provide children with a way to record events and make sense of their experiences. This is particularly significant for children who are taking part in new cultural experiences. "Their paintings, drawings, collages, songs, stories, and constructions reveal what they see and understand about the world around them" (Kieff & Casbergue, 2000, p. 172) Focus 3: Learning About Print

15. Maria Montessori O …writing precedes reading…we do not need to teach writing. The child who draws, will write.” Focus 3: Learning About Print

16. As children become more aware of the uses of words in the world around them, they begin to make variations in their writing to represent words. (Writing in Preschool) Focus 3: Learning About Print Mock Words

17. With experience, children learn that there are a limited set of letters. Mock letters disappear and recognizable letter forms appear. (Writing in Preschool) Focus 3: Learning About Print Alphabetic Awareness

18. O Children need several years of experience with alphabet puzzles, books and words in the environment before mock letters disappear. Focus 3: Learning About Print What teachers do: “Teachers draw attention to letters and their sounds and use various strategies to help children grasp the alphabetic principle and relate print to spoken language.” (DAP, 3d Edition)

19. Focus 3: Learning About Print O “Is It?” Game? O Is it a letter? Is it a picture? Is it a word?

20. Writing in Dramatic Play O “Once children realize that there is a limited set of letters, mock words disappear, except in dramatic play where there may be a need to create a lot of letters in a little time” (Writing in Preschool) Focus 3: Learning About Print

21. Maria Montessori -language O …the child’s explosion into writing is closely connected with his special sensitivity for language… By the age of five and a half or six this sensitivity has ceased to exist; so it is clear that writing can be learned with joy and enthusiasm only before that age.”

22. The Writing Center O “In preschool, children’s proper written formation should not be a priority” O (DAP, 3d Edition) Focus 4: I Can Write! O Worksheets are not necessary!

23. The Writing Center O “Teachers plan activities that give children motivation to engage in writing” O (DAP, 3d Edition) Focus 4: I Can Write!

24. Manuscript writing: O 1. made of simple strokes O 2. does not require the sustained muscle control of cursive writing O 3. made of vertical lines (l), horizontal lines (-), diagonal lines (/), and circles (0), and the all important (.) O You must model correct handwriting! *Basic Letter Forms Handout *ABC Writing Page