Child Language Acquisition Writing

- Preparatory stage (up to 6): Children developing fine motor skills, practising holding a pen/pencil. Starting to understand basic spelling principles

- Consolidation stage (7-8): Writing as they speak, using short declariative sentences. Using mainly the conjunctions 'but' and 'and'. Often incomplete sentences. 

- Differentiation stage (9-10): Beginning to differentiate between speech and writing. Different styles of writing understood. There may still be errors, and writing guides may be provided. Writing may reflet thoughts and feelings. 

- Integration stage (mid-teens): Developing own personal style. Able to alter writing according to audience and purpose . 

Rule Based Approach:

- Children need to understand the conventions of writing (e.g. grammatical rules, spelling.) in order to be able to develop theirwriting that is more understandable and appropriate. 

- National Curriculm follows this approach

Creative Based Approach: 

- Children should be able to experiment with language without strict correction. Child less likely to afraid of making mistakes in their writing. 

- John Abbot: the children who have the most freedom and independence might be the children that thrive

- Three key types of writing 

1. Expressive = children develop first. It will take the first person and allow children to explore own identity and preferences. 

2. Poetic = Allows children to be creativewhilst also encouraging them to think about the craft of writing by including imagery. 

3. Transactional = Writer is able to separate own identity from the writing. Writing takes an impersonal tone, and far removed from expressive writing 

1. Pre-communicative stage = random letters and symbols appear with no sound to letter connection

2. Semi-phonetictage = letters used to represent whole words. Writing formed from left to right, with some letter to sound connection

3. Phonteic stage = Spelling based on the sound of words

4. Transitional stage = Spelling combines phonetic and visual approaches. Silent letters sometimes acknowledged. 

5. Conventional stage = Difficult spellings learnt, words with altherative spellings learnt. 

- Places emphasis on accuracy and rules

- By the end of KS1, a child should be able to proof read for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation

- By the end of KS3, studnets hould be taught to write accurately, effectively and with fluency. 

- In order to achieve academic success, high degree of technical accuracy is needed at all ages