Children Still Mark Making

[Guest]

I have a group of children who are still not forming any letters when they write. The majority of my children are now forming letters and beginning to write in sentences. However i have a group who can tell me wht they want to write but then ust make marks. They have letter cards to use to remind them what the letters look like however wew still just get a page of scribble and they are unable to tell me waht they have 'written'. Do you think i should write for them and they copy or trace? Any ideas would be very welcome!!!

Lola

[Guest]

Hi,

 

I'm an NQT in my first year teaching Reception and have had lots of support from my foundation stage advisor. I also went on a course recently on 'Supporting Writing Development in the Reception Class. We were given a scale for children's writing and it sounds like your children are at Phase 2: Random mark making at an experimental level. The children have a developing awareness of their ability to mark make. Practitioners should encourage: scribble, talk to the child about their scribbles, provide a range of mark making tools and provide a large variety of mark making opportunities. We need to support the child in moving through each stage and celebrate what teh child can already do. The next phase (3) is Representational mark making where the begin to represent their world and use language to clarify their representations. The practitioner should encourage the child to draw/paint/collage/ use malleable materials and encourage speeking and listening. We were encouraged not to write what the children have said underneath as this can make children feel that they are not writers and their marks are not valued. Emergent writing is part of the child's developmental process and cannot be achieved simply by providing them with opportunities to copy.

A copies piece tells us little about a child's ability and also the child will have little idea of how words are constucted, no application of phonic knowledge.

 

Hope this has helped a little. Your children are emergent writers but when they are ready they will move through to the next stage. Keep providing lots of mark making opportunites etc.

 

Rachel.

[Marion]

Personally I feel copying and tracing only reinforces bad habits and makes teaching correct letter formation more difficult. Lots of opportunities for activities to develop hand writing movement (circles and vertical line patterns ) and encourage emergent writing.

[Guest]

Couldn't agree more Marion

 

Jo

[tuffspot]

I call our writing books "have a go books" and the children know it's all about just having a go.

 

I too have a group of children at a similar stage- I let them have a go and then we talk about what they have "written"- lots of praise and well dones for having a go. Then we write another sentence together that has been formulated between us. I get the child to sound out the sentence and write what he/she can. Here is an example from today

 

rfwp

 

which says "rainbow fish was pretty" . With support the children can find the letters they need and develop correct formation as they become more confident with word building and saying sounds and finding the sounds they need they begin to work more independently. VERY FEW children learn to write without lots of support and guidance- my job is to give it to them. I'm happy to leave them to experiment with equipment and materials that will help co ordination and control but actual writing comes from being taught formally.