ABSTRACT
Some children come to school already knowing that, but many come to school not having had experiences with letters and sounds and need lots of support with writing words. Beginning on the first day of school and each day thereafter, teachers and students, together, compose messages and “share the pen” as they put words on paper. They may write text and/or label a mural in the classroom, title a bulletin board, write letters or thank-you notes, or list guidelines about how they will work in their room. Through this direct instruction, and by participating in the act of writing according to the conventions of the language, children become more and more familiar with how letters and sounds work. In turn, their teachers show them how to take the information they are learning about writing words during those sessions, and use it as they work in their Drawing & Writing Books.
