The Early Development of Writing...
Before children attend school they understand that there is a difference in the spoken language compared to the written language (Hill, 2012). In the spoken language much of what is said relies on gestures, facial expressions and tones of voice. In the written language meanings of what is being said needs to be clear and obvious for the reader to understand. Before attending school, children usually pass the four stages below:
The sign principle:
In the sign principle children begin to understand that symbols have meaning. An example of this is when children understand that golden arches represent McDonalds, therefore a hamburger and fries (Hill, 2012). The flexibility principle: In this stage, children understand that there are letters used in writing and some symbols that are not. An example of this is children realising that symbols such as “%$@#” are not used in words. Also present in this stage, children understand that there are different fonts, and ways of writing letters. |
The linear principle:
This is the point that children understand that we write from left to write, in straight lines across a page (Hill, 2012). Before children understand this phase, they generally write all over the page in a non-sequential way. Spaces between words: Children understand here where words begin and end. They know that spaces represent this break in words, and they know where spaces should be placed. |