UNIT
6 WRITING
STRUCTURE
6.0 Introduction
6.1 Learning Objectives
6.2 What does writing mean?
6.3 Beginning to write
6.3.1 Fine
motor skills
6.3.2 Practicing
letters, words and sentences
6.4 Elements of good handwriting
6.4.1 Legible
vs. good handwriting
6.4.2 Helping
children to develop a good handwriting
6.4.3 Handwriting
and personality
6.4.4 Handwriting
as an indicator of dyslexia and other disabilities
6.5 Characteristics of good writing
6.5.1 Grammatically
correct language
6.5.2 Keeps
the reader in mind, lucidity and brevity
6.5.3 Simple
vs. flowery language
6.6 Developing writing skills in lower
classes
6.7 Higher forms of writing
6.8 Let Us Sum Up
6.9 Model answers to Check Your Progress
6.10 Suggested Readings and References
6.11 Unit-End Exercises
6.0
INTRODUCTION
In
the previous units, we learnt about three language skills- listening, speaking
and reading and their mutual dependence. The ability to write is the last one
to develop in children and is also dependent on these three skills. While
learning to write, the two functions of language- ‘communication’ and
‘expression’ are very important. In this unit, we will talk about the
development of communicative ability and the development of expression in
children, and learning to write in the context of these two functions. Certain
techniques will also be suggested for teaching writing effectively. We should
like to point out that like all other skills, writing should also be seen in a
holistic perspective; while writing, you are also reading what you write and
you are also in a sense speaking and listening to yourself about what you
write.
Teaching
will be effective only if the experience is meaningful for children. This principle
has implications for teaching of letters and grammar in lower classes, as well
as for teaching different types of writing in higher classes. Several classroom
practices such as correction of mistakes, focus on handwriting, use of flowery
language, etc., will be discussed in this unit, keeping in mind the meaning and
process of writing.
6.1
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
On
reading this unit, you will:
•
Understand what writing means and what is
the nature of its relationship with listening, speaking and reading; you will
also be able to see all these skills in a holistic perspective;
•
Understand what we mean by ‘good writing’;
•
Learn about the teacher’s role in teaching
children writing;
•
Learn about various forms of writing; and
also
•
Learn about various activities that can be
used for developing writing skills.
6.2
WHAT DOES ‘WRITING’ MEAN?
Learning
to write is one of the toughest landmarks in language learning. One of the
reasons for this is that writing involves the use of multiple abilities at the
same time. For writing, one firstly needs to develop a good set of fine motor
skills which allow one to hold a pencil or a pen to make deliberate marks.
After this, one needs to learn to use symbols to represent speech and then
needs to acquire the skill of using language to communicate with others through
writing.
What is writing? According to what is given
in dictionaries, writing refers to the act of making symbols and marks on a
surface which can be understood by another person. Although this definition is straightforward,
it ignores the nuances involved in our everyday use of the term. For example,
this definition makes no reference to the important link between language and
writing and, say, a person drawing a picture. The picture is
also made on a surface and may often be understood by many other persons but we
don’t call it writing.
The
dictionary definition also ignores the important link between speech and
writing. The actions of speaking and writing originated at significantly
different times. It is not very clear when human language actually developed.
Perhaps the organs we need to speak evolved more than 1.5 million years ago. It
is a dark area and there are many hypotheses about it. Yet, it is estimated
that spoken language arose around 1 million (10 lakh) years ago, while written
language came into being around five thousand years ago. In all communities on
earth, spoken language originated substantially before written language. Even
today there are many communities which have only oral systems of communication.
Broadly, written language came into existence as communities became
increasingly larger over a period of time. The interactions among the members
of the community and those with members of other communities multiplied and it
became necessary to keep record of various transactions particularly those
involving land, revenue and trade. Systems of writing most probably owe their
origin to these developments.
‘Writing’
is a medium which can be used to express what has been spoken. Thus, writing does
not represent a new language, but simply a way of representing the same
language. Even so, there is a difference between these two mediums of
expression. Firstly, the written word is more permanent than the spoken
message. The spoken word lasts only as long as the sound of our speech lasts;
written material usually lasts as long as the material on which it is written
lasts. Thus, the spoken words are intangible, invisible, and temporary, while
the written words are tangible, visible and permanent. Secondly, while speaking
the listener is often in front of us. The content of our message consists of
words as well as the gestures we use while speaking, including the tonal
quality of our voices (technically called paralinguistic features). The context
in which the conversation is taking place is also clear to both the listener
and the speaker; so spoken sentences may look very different from their written
counterparts in writing. Thirdly, while speaking, we also can correct ourselves
right then and there and avoid a misunderstanding, but no such facility exists
for written language. In the words of the famous writer Premchand, “The tongue
does not get chopped on speaking, but the hands do get chopped on writing.”
Luckily, while writing, we also have more time at our disposal than we do while
speaking. Thus, we have the chance of improving our sentences and rewriting
them if we wish. Therefore, writing is relatively more complex and demanding
than speech.
Fourthly,
while spoken language is constantly changing, written language changes very
slowly since there are many social pressures to sustain its form. For example, Hindi
continues to use ? in its script when we can rarely find an individual who
pronounces this sound differently from ??; similar is the case of the utter ?
which does not sound different from ?. Similarly in English the words ‘bus’,
‘cup’, ‘but’ continue to be written with a ‘u’ as at some point of time they
were spoken using ‘u’; similar is the case for words like ‘shut’, ‘butter’,
‘crush’ and ‘drum’. This point is important in the context of children learning
to write. In the beginning, all efforts of the child at writing are informed by
the way words are spoken. If these spoken sounds do not correspond to the
accepted forms of writing, it increases the probability of the child making
‘mistakes’. Thus, these mistakes often represent steps in the process of
learning.
Check
Your Progress-1
1. Writing is a medium which
(a) Represents
a new language (b) Represents the
same language in a different form
(c) Teaches
writing (d) Teaches reading
2. What skills are required for a person
to be able to write?
3. What is the difference between spoken
and written language? Which of these is prone to more change?
4. Ask someone to read a passage. Then ask
them to write down what they understood of the passage. Analyse the
difficulties faced and mistakes made by the person while writing.
6.3.1 FINE MOTOR SKILLS
Before
a child can learn to write, it is necessary for him/her to develop fine motor
skills (the ability to grasp). In order to encourage the development of these
skills, children should be allowed to manipulate solid objects as they see fit.
Holding, turning, twisting and playing with objects develops grasping ability
in children. Another very important activity that provides children with
enjoyment in addition to developing motor skills, essential for writing, is
drawing. Therefore, children should be encouraged to draw. Children’s early
drawings often resemble meaningless scribbles which later evolve into
discernible shapes and figures. Apart from drawing, some other activities that
help develop the motor skills necessary for writing include games such as
pouring water into a container, stringing beads and flowers, making objects out
of clay or dough, etc. The home environment of the child provides him/her with
enough opportunity to engage in such activities. However, this is not always
the case. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to help children engage in
such activities wherever required.
6.3.2 PRACTICING LETTERS, WORDS, SENTENCES
It
is often believed that achievement of sentence writing is helped by practicing
writing letters and then words again and again. This is true to a certain
extent, but if children are made to engage in tedious repetition of letters and
words, they may be disenchanted with writing before they even begin to write.
Therefore, while individual letters and varnmalas are useful in introducing
children to writing, they might not be meaningful to children unless their relationship
with whole words or sentences is made clear.
In
teaching children to write, two things are of great importance – respecting
children’s abilities and creating meaningful contexts in which they can learn.
It is necessary to appreciate the fact that the child has an immense innate
capability to learn language. They learn their native languages naturally
through meaningful social experiences involving speaking and listening.
Similarly, they grasp the rules of writing mostly through meaningful experiences
involving written material. In teaching, we often act under the assumption that
children need to be told everything and that they would not understand unless
they are told. This, however, is not true. It is necessary to get rid of this
mindset and to start respecting the capabilities of children. Children have a
unique ability to write before coming to school. It is normal for children to
create figures and symbols in sand, on the floor or on paper and to make up
stories about them. For them, these drawings are not meaningless, but rather
they represent a unique script through which they express what they wish to
say. Children should be given the opportunity to make full use of their
abilities. Their learning process does not involve joining pieces of knowledge
together to get the complete picture, but in fact it involves the opposite. The
whole picture is formed first, and then the specifics become clear in different
ways. Unless a meaningful whole is supplied, the small specifics, such as
individual letters of the varnmala or alphabet, will not make sense and will be
boring. This will eventually lead to developing an attitude that would be
averse to even attempting to write.
Check
Your Progress-2
1. How does the process of learning take
place?
(a) by putting individual pieces together to
get the complete picture
(b) forming whole picture first and then
perceiving the specifics
(c) memorising
(d) drawing pictures
2. What do the symbols and pictures drawn
by children before going to school tell us about them?
3. What do we mean by ‘fine motor skills’?
How can they be developed in children?
4. What is the problem with starting the
teaching of writing through repeatedly writing the alphabet (varnmala)?
6.4
ELEMENTS OF GOOD HANDWRITING
We often tend to emphasise
the quality of children’s handwriting right from the time the child has started to learn how to write. While
the legibility of the child’s writing is important, the meaningfulness of what
she has written is even more important. The child may be able to
imitate the written word beautifully, but the important question is, does (S)he
understand what has been written?
6.4.1 LEGIBLE VS. GOOD HANDWRITING
In
early classes, teachers often focus on ‘good’ handwriting and ‘well formed’
letters. However, it is more important that the child’s written material be
meaningful. The true test of the beauty of writing is the extent to which it
makes sense. The reason good handwriting is appreciated is that it is easier to
read. The beauty of a person’s handwriting is no indication of his grasp over
language. If a person’s handwriting is beautiful, it does not indicate that
their language ability is correspondingly better. Similarly, if someone has a
bad handwriting, their language ability need not be equally bad. Teachers need
to appreciate the fact that in spite of uniformity of input and teachers
insisting on writing only in ONE particular way, all children eventually evolve
their own distinct handwriting. Hence the emphasis should be on the message
rather than on the shape of letters and words. However, a teacher should make
every possible effort to encourage a child to write in a legible handwriting.
6.4.2 HELPING CHILDREN DEVELOP A GOOD HANDWRITING
Children
can be helped to develop good handwriting by developing some of the basics
essential for writing, such as fine motor skills, visual perception, trunk
control, pencil grasp and stability of shoulder through various exercises. The
teacher can also develop different, entertaining approaches while teaching
writing of specific letters. For example, children may be shown how the letter
S resembles a snake, or the letter Q resembles a balloon. Similarly the letter
? in Hindi can be compared with a pot-bellied person. Similarly, through games,
children can be made to improve some imperfect aspects of their writing such as
spacing between words, letter size, alignment, etc. For example, to correct the
problem of letter size, the teacher can draw circles of a specific size and ask
the child to fill them with certain letters. Children should essentially be
introduced to small texts that having meaning for the child. One could then
build exercises based on this text but focusing on letters and words. For
example, children could be asked to separate letters that involve a vertical
line from those that do not.
6.4.3 HANDWRITING AND PERSONALITY
Some
teachers believe that bad handwriting leads to defects in personality.
Therefore, they often put children to the boring task of writing letters neatly
over and over again. Teachers need to understand that such activities intended
for improving handwriting are difficult, tedious and completely unproductive.
Improving handwriting does not bring about improvement in personality, since
handwriting does not influence personality. Efforts to improve handwriting are
likely to result in making children disinterested in writing. The focus should
be on activities which make writing meaningful and therefore an interesting
activity.
6.4.4
HANDWRITING AS AN INDICATOR OF DYSLEXIA AND OTHER DISABILITIES
Dyslexia
refers to reading disorders. There is a sense in which every person is
dyslexic. All of us make mistakes in reading. But a small percentage of
children may suffer from serious reading disorders. Children who have serious
problems in writing in spite of adequate input may be dyslexic. They may see
the picture as a whole, and may not see their constituent parts. They have
trouble processing two dimensional stimuli. This introduces problems in
writing. The handwriting of a person with dyslexia is generally illegible as
the letters are of irregular shapes and size and .there are inconsistencies in
writing the same letters or words. He/ she may also experience difficulties in
copying down written material. An additional factor is the physical position
adopted by the child in writing.
Dyslexia
shares several of its characteristics with other conditions associated with
poor writing skills, such as dyspraxia (poor motor skills and planning),
deficits in visual-perceptual skills etc. However, even if these symptoms are
observed, one cannot conclude the presence of a disorder. Therefore, in order
to ascertain if a child has a condition because of which he/she needs special
help, it is necessary to seek the help of experts, such as occupational therapists.
Check
Your Progress-3
1. A person who has dyslexia
(a) always
sees the complete picture (b) cannot see pictures
(c) sees
the pieces making up the picture (d) cannot draw pictures
2. Analyse the impact of the position of
the hand and the grip on the pencil, on writing.
3. Think of ways for making letter writing
interesting by introducing letters in different ways. Try to come up with
writing exercises which target problems of handwriting.
4. Imagine that you have a child in your
class who writes words in an irregular manner and has illegible handwriting.
What would you do? Explain.
6.5
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD WRITING
Our
written language is expected to conform to certain rules of spelling and
grammar. While speaking, we have the opportunity to clarify our meaning if the
listener misunderstands us. In written communication, no such opportunity
exists. However, this difference in standards for judging spoken and written
language poses some problems for the child learning to write, since spoken
language forms the basis for learning to write. If certain features of written
language which do not pertain to spoken language for example spelling,
punctuation etc., are emphasised right from the beginning, children may feel
discouraged from writing. It is therefore important that children are allowed
to write as they wish in the early stages of writing. Focus on accuracy should
follow later.
Writing
is the most difficult of the four language skills. It requires a command over
vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure. When children graduate to writing
short paragraphs, it also involves establishing links among different
sentences. All these help in creating meaning. Meaning is an integral part of
language but in writing one has to pay extra attention to meaning because there
is no space for clarification if anything not communicated clearly. The act of
writing may even be described as the act of making meaning and giving coherence
to disorganised ideas. Writing aims at meaningful expression and communication.
Often, these objectives get overshadowed in the classroom with an emphasis on
‘correct’ writing.
6.5.1 GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT LANGUAGE
In
evaluating children’s writing, teachers tend to look for spelling and grammar
mistakes. They need to understand that it is natural for children to make such
mistakes while speaking and writing. None of us speaks perfectly or writes
perfectly right from the beginning. There is a higher probability of making
mistakes in complex sentences.
Considering
the fact that there is often no one to one correspondence between the sounds of
a language and their representation in writing, it is natural for different children
to write differently. Again, language shows high levels of societal and
regional variations. The same word is spoken differently in the different
social environments of children. For example, if the Hindi word ‘shak’ is
pronounced as ‘sak’ in a community, children will naturally use the letter ‘sa’
instead of ‘sha’ while writing such words. They may write ‘sak’ instead of
‘shak’ and ‘santi’ instead of ‘shanti’. Instead of considering this a blunder,
we should think of it as a part and parcel of the learning process.
We
may give similar examples for grammar. Many communities do not make gender
distinctions in verbs while speaking Hindi. If we keep emphasising such
mistakes in front of children and their parents, they will both be discouraged.
It is often observed in such cases that children even drop-out of school.
To
teach correct spelling and grammar to children, they should be given
increasingly interesting and challenging writing material to read and should be
encouraged to write in various contexts. Good spelling and grammar are not
meaningful ends in themselves. Rather, the meaningful end involves effective,
interesting as well as satisfactory communication.
6.5.2 KEEP THE READER IN MIND
Everything
we write is meant to be read – even if by no one else, at least by ourselves.
The way we write changes according to who we believe is going to read what we
have written. The style of writing, grammar and choice of words are influenced
by who we feel is going to read what we have written. Keeping this in mind, it
is possible to undertake many activities in class which aim at sensitising
children towards the reader. Questions encouraging children to think about the
reader before they start writing can be designed. In this way, children can be
encouraged to write keeping in mind the reader as well as for different types
of readers. For example, you may write very different kinds of letters about
your studies and examination to your parents on the one hand and your friends
on the other.
Lucidity
and brevity
Lucidity
and brevity are desired characteristics of writing, since they communicate the
meaning the writer wants to convey with minimum confusion and effort on the
part of the reader. For clear and concise writing, children need experience not
only as writers but also as readers. Reading will acquaint them with different
methods employed by writers to convey their ideas to their readers.
Concise
and clear writing requires planning in advance of what we want to write the
ideas we want to communicate, the relationship between the ideas, the order in
which we want to present them and the point of view we want to present. The
child also needs to be given time to review and make changes in what (s)he has
written. It has now been shown that if children are given time to read and edit
what they have written, they improve their writing ability substantially. The
red marks teachers are used to putting on the written output of children
frustrates them considerably.
6.5.3
SIMPLE VS. FLOWERY LANGUAGE
It
is a common belief that good writing is one which uses flowery language, with
elaborate words and sentence structures. Although sometimes such writing can
give the impression of being particularly inspired and profound, it misses its
purpose if it ends up confusing the readers instead of informing them. Writing
which conveys the message clearly to its readers is good writing. Therefore,
children should be encouraged to use such language in writing that their
meaning becomes clear.
The
important thing is the ability to express oneself, not the impression one makes
on others as a result of what one writes. This does not mean that only simple
writing is good writing. As children’s vocabulary grows through reading and
other language-related experiences, they may begin to use some uncommon words.
As long as these words are appropriate to the context in which they are used,
they should be encouraged. A wide range of vocabulary that allows one greater
choice and freedom to express oneself is a good thing. However, priority should
still be given to effective communication. Children should be taught to respect
their readers and suit themselves to their needs. They should be given examples
of simple, lucid writing. Honest simple writing is better than flowery pretentious
writing any day. Compare (a) and (b):
(a)
Most humbly with due respect I wish to inform you that if your good self is
pleased to grant me two days’ leave, I’d be most grateful and obliged to your
honourable office.
(b) Kindly grant me two days’ leave.
We hope you’d agree
that (b) is far better than (a).
Check
your Progress-4
1. What is the objective of writing?
(a) To
use flowery language (b) To use grammatically correct language
(c) To
write correctly. (d) Meaningful expression as well as communication.
2. What are the characteristics of good
writing?
3. Which is more important – meaningful
writing or correct writing? Give reasons for your answer.
4. While learning to write, why do
children make mistakes involving spelling and grammar?
5. Think of an activity in which a child’s
favourite book is being used to develop good writing ability.
6.
What’s the role of revising and
redrafting a piece of writing in improving writing skills?
6.6
DEVELOPING WRITING SKILLS IN LOWER CLASSES
The
development of writing in lower classes will build on the foundations provided
by the other language skills- listening, speaking and reading. Also, children
will learn to write effectively when the act of writing is meaningful, when it
is relevant to children’s context and when it is enjoyable for them. In order
to optimise conditions for them to learn to write, certain activities may be
undertaken in groups or individually. The activities given below are merely
suggestions, and represent a very small portion of feasible activities.
•
Picture composition: This involves
presenting children with a picture (of objects, single events, multiple events
etc), and asking them to write about it. This writing can include a wide
variety of compositions. They may be asked to write a story, to describe the
picture, to write a dialogue between the characters, to fill in a missing gap
in the picture and write about it, etc. When a series of pictures depicting a
story is provided, they can be asked to write the story.
•
Developing stories from given outlines:
Children can be given rough outline of a story in the form of a series of words
and phrases, and then asked to build a story using these words and phrases.
•
Independent writing: Children can be asked
to write about something that they evidently show great interest in or
something that they talk about a lot. This will not only help to develop
writing skills, but may point the teacher towards more techniques for
facilitating learning.
•
Continuing the story: Children can be told
the beginning of a story, and can be asked to write what they think happened
next.
•
Dictation: Teacher can speak aloud some
words and ask the children to write them to see if they are able to link the
spoken sounds to their written forms.
•
Last-letter-first: Children can be
distributed in groups and can be asked to write down words one by one, such
that the first letter of the word they write is the last letter of the word
that came before. Through this activity, the teacher can identify the problem areas
without pointing them out directly to the child.
•
The teacher can let children talk about a
topic of their interest and write down what they have said. This will clarify
the communicative purpose of writing and will clarify the link between speech
and writing.
•
Rhyming words: Children can be asked to come
up with words which rhyme with the given word, or are similar in sound of the
given word.
While
teaching children to write, the teacher must allow children to express their
own views. The common practice of forcing children to rote learn a small set of
model essays is very dangerous. It destroys children’s motivation to write on
their own. Children will write freely if are given space to express their ideas
and thoughts in writing freely.
Check
Your Progress-5
1. What should be done while teaching
children to write?
(a) children should be asked to memorise and
write about specific topics.
(b) children should be asked to write the
varnmala.
(c) children should be given the opportunity
to write down their thoughts.
(d) children should be asked to write the
same letter over and over again.
2. How do rhyming words help in teaching
children to write? Explain.
3. Try out in class the activities
suggested here for teaching writing in primary classes.
4.
Think of other activities
involving stories which can be conducted to teach children writing.
6.7
HIGHER FORMS OF WRITING
Higher
forms of writing like paragraph writing, letter writing, essay writing, story
writing and poetry writing etc., are taught in schools for the development of
‘expression’, creativity and ‘communicative ability’.
Paragraph
writing helps children learn how to think and write focusing on one theme. It
is a good exercise for encouraging young children to express themselves
coherently and also forms the basis for essay writing. It is advisable to ask
children to write about things that they find relevant to their lives. These
paragraphs can vary in length according to the age, writing ability and
understanding of children.
Essay
writing: An essay refers to a composition which ties up many ideas on a theme
or topic in a coherent and sequential manner. Essays are basically of two
types: reflective and emotional. An essay has different parts- an introduction,
followed by the main body, followed by the conclusion. What these divisions
suggest is that an essay must reflect an easy flow of thought. These thoughts
must be relevant to the theme, and must flow in a logical manner. The writer
must develop the topic with clarity and consistency. Unlike paragraphs, essays
involve a deeper and more elaborate expression on the theme.
Worrying
about the quality of the essays, teachers sometimes dictate essays to children,
which children are supposed to memorise and write when asked. Such practices
completely defeat the purpose of developing the ability to express oneself on a
topic effectively. Importance must be given to children’s own thoughts and
experiences in essays and they should be allowed to express these in writing.
Letter
writing: Traditionally, letters have been written to convey messages to people
living at a distance. Unlike essays, letters have a very specific communicative
purpose. Therefore, they do not require the elaboration of points as required
in essays. On the other hand, they do require a certain skill in writing to
communicate. The style of writing will vary according to the writer’s
relationship with the recipient. The writer needs to understand how the
recipient will react to the content of their message.
Story
writing: Story writing helps children develop the ability to think and to
write. It is an activity that can be undertaken at any age. It should be
introduced when children are beginning to write, so that their imagination aids
their writing skills and also for older children. In the case of the latter,
the aims of this exercise remain roughly the same. However, promotion of
thinking skills and imaginative faculties is emphasised over learning of
language. As children grow, they are expected to regard issues from different
perspectives, engage in problem solving and appreciate the aesthetic qualities
of writing. These skills develop through an affinity with different forms of
literature. By the time they get to senior classes, children have been exposed
to different forms of literature such as poems, stories, plays etc., and these
further help in the development of thinking and story writing skills. In turn,
story writing helps generate interest in literature and language.
Besides
story writing, children can be asked to write alternative endings to stories,
to take the story forward from a point of significance, to write a story from
the point of view of a specific character, etc.
Poetry
writing: Children in smaller classes usually know only those poems which
include rhyming words. Younger children enjoy rhyme and rhyming words help in
generating interest and in giving children an impression of words, because of
which they can read easily. Rhyming words can also generate interest in writing
and develop the skill of writing on the basis of sound. Therefore, small poem
making activities may be taken up with young children. Children can be asked to
make up poems either individually or in groups, with their peers. This can be
an enjoyable activity.
Poetry
writing becomes more complex in higher classes, because their understanding of
what poems involve is richer and deeper. Poem writing activities can also be
associated with developing aesthetic appreciation of this form of writing among
children.
Check
Your Progress-6
1. What are the kinds of poems known to
children in smaller classes?
(a) poems
making use of difficult words (b) reflective poems
(c) poems
making use of rhyming words (d) small poems
2. How is letter writing different from
essay writing?
3. Write one paragraph and one essay on
‘The curiosity of children’.
4. In schools, teachers often write the
essays and letters and children are expected to memorise them and write them
when required. Is this the right thing to do? Give reasons for your answer.
6.8
LET US SUM UP
Writing
is a language skill. Writing involves making marks on some surface to be read
and understood by someone. While teaching children to write, it is important to
ensure that they have developed some pre-writing abilities. These include
development of fine motor skills, postural and physical development, and
ability to use spoken language to express oneself clearly. The child’s
readiness to write, as evident through their attempts to use writing material
and to communicate.
It
is essential to remember that writing must be meaningful especially for a child
who is beginning to write. Children make mistakes while beginning to write
because of the difference between spoken and written language. Since writing is
a skill that develops with the development of other language skills like
reading, speaking and listening, these should be promoted in such a way that
they complement each other.
Handwriting
cannot provide us with information about the child’s personality and ‘bad’
handwriting by itself does not suggest something undesirable. Children can be
helped to improve their handwriting using various techniques. Importance should
be given to certain desirable qualities in writing such as lucidity and
brevity, as well as simplicity. Since written language is different from spoken
language, children can be helped to develop their writing skills through
greater exposure to written material. Such measures can be used to encourage
both spelling and grammatical correctness in language.
Writing
skill develops as the child grows older. With increasing age, children should
be introduced to higher forms of writing such as essay, letter, poetry, etc.
Each of these requires very similar yet distinct abilities which the teacher
should be aware of.
6.9
SUGGESTED READINGS AND REFERENCES
Trask,
R.L. (1995). Language: the Basics. London: Routledge
Kroll,
Barbara (2003). Exploring the Dynamics of Second Language Writing. London:
Cambridge University Press.
Yule,
George (1985). The Study of Language. London: Cambridge University Press.
6.10
UNITS-END EXERCISES
1. Why
is it necessary to acquire fine motor skills to write?
2. “The
child has a unique ability to write before coming to school.” Observe a 4-5
year old child around you and give examples of this statement.
3. Spoken
language changes rapidly while written language changes slowly. Explain with
examples.
4. What
is the importance of simplicity, lucidity and brevity in writing? Explain.
5. Analyse
the differences in written and spoken language.
6. What
writing difficulties are experienced by children with dyslexia?
7. What
role do ‘story writing’ and ‘poetry writing’ play in learning language?
ACTIVITY
Think
about activities that can be used to develop fine motor skills in children.
Think
about the activities which can make a child more communicative in the
classroom. How can different types of materials be used to achieve this end?
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