Research demonstrates that children acquire language through active imitation at a very early age. Evidence suggests that children have a notion of writing prior to entry into school. The use of composition models serves to assist the child in the development of writing skills through imitation. (JN)

The use of student peers in editing the writing of fellow students has become a popular tool for teachers. Students learn from the feedback given them by other students and develop a discriminatory eye when rereading their own papers. Samples of tasks are given to aid the teacher. (JN)

A case study of a six-year-old reveals that unfounded assumptions about language growth and development may debilitate rather than facilitate the process of language literacy. Recommendations are made for open-entry language activities where constraints are allowed to evolve in a risk free language environment. (JN)

Among the various methods used by a classroom teacher to encourage writing in her first grade class are letter writing, writing a book, writing notes to each other, and keeping journals. The desire to communicate is the primary motivating factor in the development of both oral and written language. (JN)

Children learn language by using it in the habitual and repetitive actions of daily life. The question "How do children extend their spoken language competence to writing?" is explored through examples of stories dictated by seven-year-olds. (JN)