Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.
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Reading 101

Writing

A child's writing development parallels their development as a reader. Print awareness develops in young children as a result of being read to by adults and having other literacy experiences.

Watch Lynn Reichle and her second grade students go on a writing adventure called Writers' Workshop.

Part of print awareness is the realization that writing is created with instruments such as pens, pencils, crayons and markers. Children began to imitate the writing that they see in the environment.

At first glance, the efforts of a young child may look like meaningless scribble, but a closer look at these early attempts at writing will reveal something more. Children who have not yet entered school engage in scribbling as an attempt to create writing that has meaning.

Our Looking at Writing interactive tool features writing samples from real kids pre-K to grade 3. You'll find advice about instruction, guidance on assessment, classroom strategies, video, and more.

New educational apps for mobile phones and tablets can supplement what your child is learning at home or in school. See our slideshow: Top 9 Writing Apps >

Related articles

This practice guide provides four recommendations for improving elementary students' writing. Each recommendation includes implementation steps and solutions for common roadblocks. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared toward teachers, literacy coaches, and other educators who want to improve the writing of their elementary students.

Almost every interaction in a child's world is preparing them to become a reader and writer. This article outlines the stages of writing development, and tips for adults to help along the way.

An introduction to 6 + 1 Trait® Writing, customized rubrics, student self-assessment, and peer editing.

Learn from an expert why some kids with learning disabilities struggle with writing and how some instructional approaches can help.

Eli, a young boy, tells us what it is like to have dysgraphia. Regina Richards, a well-known expert on dysgraphia (and Eli's mom), explains how to help children who struggle with the challenges Eli describes. Practical techniques discussed include POWER: Prepare, Organize, Write, Edit, Revise.

Find answers to frequently asked questions about writing instruction.

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AdLit.org: Resources for parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers.

AdLit.org: All about Adolescent Literacy