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Developmentally appropriate writing experiences and the skills children attain as young writers can greatly impact children's literacy development. Children generally progress through a series of small steps as they develop the fine motor skills to produce letter and word formations. Additionally, children acquire knowledge regarding the writing process and its steps. Early writing development is seen as a continuum of writing progression, as young children work through the steps toward conventional writing. Many researchers, such as Marie Clay (1975) and Teale and Sulzby (1986), agree that there are various stages, or steps, to early literacy writing development. These include, among others,
> Understanding that print has meaning
> Writing through a series of representations
* Drawing
* Scribbling
* Creating letter-like forms
* Stringing letters together to form words
* Reproducing common words, e.g., friend, play
* Using invented spelling to form words
* Following conventional spelling to form words
It is the responsibility of early childhood educators to be purposeful in planning for the development of young writers. According to Copple and Bredekamp (2009), being "an excellent teacher means being intentional" (33). Catie's continuum (see "Continuum of Catie's Early Writing Development," p. 74) illustrates the tiny but important steps of her early writing development. While it focuses on one child's writing journey, it also demonstrates the general progression all children follow to master conventional writing.
Copple and Bredekamp (2009) emphasize the importance of the early years as children develop early literacy skills. Learning to read and write depends on the support of caring adults who daily model literacy in authentic ways and provide materials to encourage experimentation and exploration. Clay (2000) agrees that reading develops long before formal entry into school. As children begin to observe and participate in authentic literacy events, they learn about concepts of print: (1) print differs from pictures (writing differs from drawing); (2) printed words tell a story; (3) print is read from top to bottom, left to right, and front to back; (4) print is comprised of letters that together form words; and (5) there is a relationship between written words and oral speech (Clay 2000). Authentic literacy activities can include writing personal messages or letters and using words to describe significant events in one's life or experiences.