Dr Sally Clendon's research on writing

Explain why you judge this to be the most important and catalytic issue of learning for this group of learners this year

Recently Sally presented to Sommerville teachers. From her research, here are some key points to support emergent writers .

 • Children explore and experiment with writing. In the process, they develop understandings about the functions and form of print. These understandings become increasingly sophisticated. Hanser (2006)

Writing Involves … 

• The student’s own ideas and attempts
• Cognitive engagement
• Independent attempts with a complete alphabet
• Needs to be in a real context and for real reasons
Clendon, Van Rensburg, & Mackwood (2015)

We should be teaching:

• Writing for Real Reasons 
• Signing In - in the morning
• Writing their name on work/drawings
• Personal Connections/ recounts
• Related to guided reading purposes 
• Letters / emails to parents/other family members
• Note to home/school
• Thanks you notes 
• Book report 
• Writing to/about favorites / their weekend
• Shopping lists
• Blogging

What Writing is Not ... 

• Copying – this is a fine motor task that does not facilitate the process of writing – Copying is about forming letters – 

Copying does NOT :
• Teach that print has meaning 

• Teach WHY people write 

• Teach what it means to be a writer 

• Teach a student how to think like a writer, Roy (2010) 

• Tracing – this is another fine motor task that does not facilitate the process of writing 

• Chunked messages – using a name stamp is a matching task, pressing a button to reveal a pre-stored message is a starting place not a product of writing. 

• Dictation – this removes the motor barrier but does not allow the student to independently engage with print. 

• Hand over Hand 

• Worksheets! Roy (2010)