The Writing Center
Our children become aware of written symbols at a very early age. Young children usually start by noticing and questioning signs that they see in the community along with other forms of advertising on the television. Before you know it, they are actually able to read the name of their favorite cereal or toy!
Writing is actually a picture of sound, representing our spoken language. In the beginning, children see illustrations and letters in the same category. Both represent pictures of objects they see and the spoken language they hear. Each child is at his/her own special place in the process, which is why a learning center for language arts is so very important!
- Here is an opportunity to become familiar with our written symbol system, the alphabet.
- This is a place to discover one's own compositional abilities and to record these through dictation for some and actual writing for those who are ready.
- Here the child explores the world of written and spoken language at his/her own pace and place of readiness. Readiness is a condition of the child, not something that can be taught.