Topic: Reading and Writing and Young Children

10-second review: Reading and writing need to develop together with young children. “Durkin (1963) found that early readers tend to be early scribblers.” Writing develops naturally.

Title: “Children’s Language and World: Initial Encounters with Print.” JC Harste, et al. p. 105-131. In Reader Meets Author/Bridging the Gap. Ed. JA Langer and MT Smith-Burke. IRA. 1982.

Summary: “Data collected and presented in this paper suggest that preschool children have discovered much about print prior to formal language instruction.”

“Our role as teachers is best thought of as assisting children to discover the predictability of written language in a variety of real world, whole language contexts.”

Comment: OK, this article is theoretical, but it points up the need to develop reading and writing at the same time in the early grades. A reminder? RayS.