Language is foundational for the construction of literacy development. Language influences how we think, come to understand our world, how we communicate, and how we see ourselves. Literate understandings are rooted in young children’s use of language, gestures, drawings, and social interactions such as dramatic play (Dyson 1986).

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     The use of language is inseparable throughout young children’s very first constructions of written messages. Literate experiences for young children are a synthesis of language, gestures, and drawings.  This is         illustrated, for example, as a young child sketches a squiggly symbol in

                                                tandem with making grand arm motions                                                         and utterances  of onomatopoeias, such as,                                                     “…and vroom, vroom, around it goes.”

                                                   

 

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     I examined young writers and the important role that language plays in their literate development, and is demonstrated in the video I created to summarize the first chapter in

Horn and Giacobbe’s text, Talking, Drawing,

Writing: Lessons for our youngest writers.

Please click on the image to view the video:

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Standard I:  Foundational Knowledge     

Standard II: Curriculum and Instruction

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