`This book is a useful addition to any staff library. What makes it different to many other similar books is that it shows teachers that speaking, listening and reading create the foundations for writing. Tested in schools, staff said: "It is a very useful framework for action-research based upon secure theory. When deciding classroom strategies, it is easy to find what you are looking for and the chapter summaries are very helpful. Some of the staff development and training suggestions are very practical and we are trying them out. We found the emphasis upon class novels and the class discussion that follows, very important, especially when linked to the excellent examples of children′s writing." This book may appear to some as theoretical and ′academic′, but this is why it will be valuable. It does what the title says because it shows how children learn to write. It starts at the beginning and saves diving into the latest trend. Perhaps its best recommendation is that every school that was asked to look at it said, `It′s good and we have ordered a copy′ - John Lilly, independent education consultant `The chapter on the Taxonomy of Writing Purposes will be useful for planning and those on extending and enhancing writing will definitely be helpful in many day-to-day situations′ - Nicholas Bielby, Times Educational Supplement This book outlines the processes which are involved when children learn to write. The author shows how certain strategies can improve children′s progress in writing. Dealing with the age range three to 13, the book addresses issues to do with: - the gender gap - children with English as an additional language - left-handedness Dorothy Latham includes ideas for sound and easy ongoing assessment of writing. The book is written in line with the requirements of the English National Curriculum and The National Literacy Strategy Framework for England, but is not limited to them. Topics also covered include: - brain development and structures - the acquisition of speech - language and thinking - working memory - secretarial skills - stages in compositional development - writing purposes and cross-curricular applications - strategies for improving self-generated writing - using reading to improve writing - using speech and drama to improve writing and - ten ways to improve children′s writing. This book is for serving teachers in schools wishing to study the subject in further depth, and as a source book for students. Useful for school-based staff INSET, it provides simple activities for teachers to do and discuss.

Writing allows people to convey information to others who are remote in time and space, vastly increasing the range over which people can cooperate and the amount they can learn. Mastering the writing system of one's language is crucial for success in a modern society. This book examines how children learn to write words. It provides a theoretical framework that integrates findings from a wide range of age groups - from children who are producing their first scribbles to experienced spellers who are writing complex words. To set the stage for these discussions, early chapters of the book consider the nature of writing systems and the nature of learning itself. The following chapters review various aspects of orthographic development, including the learning of symbol shapes and punctuation. Each chapter reviews research with learners of a variety of languages and writing systems, revealing underlying similarities. Discussions of how orthography is and should be taught are incorporated into each chapter, making the book of interest to educators as well as to psychologists, cognitive scientists, and linguists. This book is unique in the range of topics and languages that it covers and the degree to which it integrates linguistic insights about the nature of writing systems with discussions of how people learn to use these systems. It is written in a scholarly yet accessible manner, making it suited for a wide audience.

Developmental Perspectives on Writing LILIANA TOLCHINSKY University of Barcelona, Spain The advent of the sixties is considered a crucial moment for the discovery of writing as an object worthy of intellectual inquiry (Havelock, 1986). A number of books, which came out in that decade, set the stage for this turn-to-writing. One of them was the Preface to Plato by Eric Havelock. This book, published in 1963, was to become a milestone in the discovery of literacy as a field of research (Bockheimer, 1998). Havelock (1986) referred to three more works that came out at the same time, and Bockheimer suggested adding other publications; for example La pensee sau vage by Levi Strauss (1962); The consequences of literacy by Jack Goody and Ian Watt (1963) and La geste et la parole by Laroi -Gourham (1964/65). The authors of these books were anthropologists, philosophers and sociologists who coincided in highlighting the significance of writing for human development and, more specifically, for language development. They maintained that many insti tutions, ideas, beliefs, opinions and convictions of the Western world were a by product of an 'alphabetized mind'. Writing was for them one of the pillars of subjec tivity, responsible for the rise of consciousness, for our conception of words and for our notion of true and false. Amazingly linguists, psycho linguists, psychologists and educators did not participate in the turn-to-writing. The firstl, did not give any atten- 1 There were some exceptions to this generalization.

A readable discussion of the key ideas of child development and theory, including how children acquire language, the meaning of intelligence and creativity, as well as how best to teach children to read and write.

With passion, clarity, and rich examples, Reclaiming Writing is dedicated to reawakening the journeys that writers take as they make sense of, think about, and speak back to their worlds in this era of high-stakes testing and mandated curricula. Classrooms and out-of-school settings are described and analyzed in exciting and groundbreaking narratives that provide insights into the many possibilities for writing that support writers’ searches for voice, identity, and agency. Offering pedagogical strategies and the knowledge base in which they are grounded, the book looks at writing within various areas of the curriculum and across modes of writing from traditional text-based forums to digital formats. Thematically based sections present the pillars of the volume’s critical transactive theory: learning, teaching, curriculum, language, and sociocultural contexts. Each chapter is complemented by an extension that offers application possibilities for teachers in various settings. Reclaiming Writing emphasizes literacy as a vehicle for exploring, interrogating, challenging, finding self, talking back to power, creating a space in the world, reflecting upon the past, and thinking forward to a more joyful and democratic future.

This book brings together a collection of essays on the teaching of writing. It is a companion to Prue Goodwin’s The Literate Classroom and The Articulate Classroom and aims to: augment our existing knowledge about the teaching and learning of writing stimulate thought and provoke discussion about writing offer a blend of theory and practice give ‘food for thought’ and ideas for teaching writing to primary age children. The topic of writing is one which is under the spotlight with increasing regularity as politicians and policy makers move on from reading as an ‘issue’. This has already happened in England where the National Literacy Strategy is urging more emphasis on the teaching of writing to remedy weaknesses in this area.

Ask great writers what the key to writing well is and they will tell you revision. Author Ruth Culham, both a successful writer and writing teacher, understands the challenges elementary teachers face when teaching writing and revision and now shares her knowledge in Teach Writing Well: How to Assess Writing, Invigorate Instruction, and Rethink Revision. Divided into two parts, Culham's book provides ways to teach that are both accessible to the teacher and student. You will find techniques to assess writing that are practical, and results driven. Inside you'll discover: Culham's "traits of writing" and how to use them to read and assess student work Ways to guide revision decisions using these traits as common language How to address challenges students may face within the different modes of writing (narrative, expository, and persuasive) Strategic lessons to teach the writer that scaffold students towards making their own craft decisions A chapter on mentor texts which can be used to model traits and key qualities for your students Teach Writing Well pulls best practices together and shows writing with fresh eyes.

Presents a collection of essays discussing the theories and models of writing research.

Praise for the first edition:"The key advantage to this book is the way in which it is easy to read and the amount of information it provides with regard to the role of play in supporting young children's learning." Karen Phethean, University of Winchester"This book is excellent. It is an invaluable resource for both qualified and trainee early years practitioners. Tina Bruce has a real talent with how she expresses ideas. The concepts are presented in an accessible way. The material is suitable across a range of levels of study." Caroline McGrath, Programme Manger for Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies, City of Bristol College in partnership with the University of Plymouth"I would always recommend books by Tina Bruce to my students as she is highly accessible, combining theory and practice closely together. They are attractively laid out and are therefore popular with students." Maureen Brookson, University of East AngliaProfessor Tina Bruce CBE, an acknowledged expert on play, clearly presents the key ideas and demonstrates the best practices for cultivating play in an Early Years setting. The book covers historical perspectives, how we can observe and study play, and the role of play in learning, developing abstract ideas, helping children to relate to one another. She shows that play helps children to achieve the highest form of learning in early childhood.This new edition of Learning Through Play will provide students and practitioners with an invaluable guide to the core values behind play, the importance of play for children from 0 to 5 years old, and practical schemas for getting the best out of play in an Early Years or Educational setting.It will be an ideal text for those studying play at levels 3 and 4, Foundation Degrees, Undergraduate Early Childhood Studies and Primary Education courses, Post-graduate study and for those working in an Early Years setting.