Children's Information Report Writing Across the First-Grade Year

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors present findings from a subset of data from a larger study to consider spelling development, as well as the development of one particular genre, the information report. The teacher's role in supporting the development of spelling and genre knowledge in early writing is also considered. The authors begin with a review of related literature with specific attention to what is known about how young children develop genre knowledge, spelling, and to a lesser degree, other concepts. The authors then describe a study of first-grade students' information report writing across the year from August to May, with a particular focus on their control of genre knowledge and spelling. The chapter ends with implications for teachers and how they might support young authors across these dimensions.