A study investigated how a teaching approach that emphasized literature would affect children's writings and help them to apply elements of form and content. Six first grade classes in a rural Newfoundland school district participated in the study; the students performed similarly on overall readiness. The class randomly selected as the experimental group (the "literature group") was judged to be representative of the whole group; the other five classes, using basal readers, formed the control group. Hypotheses predicted that the literature group would (1) produce writings superior to those of the basal reading classes, and (2) develop a sensitivity to good form and content. Subjects, 18 first graders, wrote and read selections of poetry, fairy tales and fantasy in a pretest/posttest scenario. Findings were categorized under six major headings: form, content, vocabulary, sentence structure, writer reaction and originality. Findings suggest that the literature approach helped to broaden children's experiences beyond their own egocentric world, influencing the length, fluency, and literary quality of their writing. The class demonstrated a high standard of writing and performance in both its language development and use of literary techniques. In contrast, the basal class's writings revealed simple sentences, relatively undeveloped stylistic features, and a lack of vocabulary depth. Findings suggested that literature be used extensively with all children on a regular basis to further their language development, flow of ideas, and production of alternate writing forms. (Literature references are appended, as are two samples of children's writings.) (JD)