ABSTRACT
Teaching writing is a balancing act; real time and space need to be created for developing children’s knowledge about language as well as their ability to use and apply this knowledge creatively and effectively. The balance between process and product also needs to be considered and the relevance and purpose of writing constantly highlighted, so that young learners experience the meaning potential of writing and perceive themselves as writers. Six-year-old Shona, in observing her teacher’s somewhat glum demeanour one afternoon, wrote the following post-it note and stuck it on the register.
