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From:  Stefan Woehrmann Date:  Tue Apr 25, 2000  8:54 pm Subject:  Re: Writing skills develop after reading skills

Hi Lorraine, Valerie and Listmembers, especially the teachers have a great chance to have a close look at the development of reading and writing skills. I will pay some attention on it. My first grade pupils just start to write their first short sentences in written German. When I ask them to write the same sentence in SW they look at me and sign : " very difficult" They are able to read and translate the SW sentences on the other hand without any problem! So I asked them lately just to write the one or other sign at the plackboard. I guess that the exercises with the written Roman letters (which are much more intense than SW - writing so far ) have made them more secure with writing letters. Iīm interested if anybody dares (??!!) to practice writing just the other way round. If we had started to write most of the time SW -symbols - what would be the effect on them - ? Hopefully we will find now more time to practice SW writing with pencil or chalk. I myself wouldnīt be able to do that and feel happy to use the SW 4.3 program. That could be the answer to it. Without too much practice - there is no way to use it as a "quite normal" tool. The children in the seventh grade feel much better to write anything in German words. They are able to read SW well and love it. They havenīt got any practice in writing with hand. So reading is a lot easier. My little son almost 2 years old is able to understand (hear) lots of words and can follow already pretty much while we are talking to him. Nevertheless he isnīt able to express himself on the same level! May be that we can compare that? Receptive first - expressiv afterwards ? All the best Stefan ;-) >From: Valerie Sutton >Reply-To: SignWriting List >To: SignWriting List >Subject: Re: Writing skills develop after reading skills >Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 06:17:48 -0700 > >At 3:12 PM -0400 4/21/00, Lorraine Crespin wrote: >>As to what is happening with students here in Albuquerque. Let me first >>say >>that they all are better readers of SW than writers. some of the students >>are >>better than others at writing SW and others are quite adept in using the >>SW >>program on the computers. I seek them out when I , myself get "stuck". It >>seems to me that learning to read and write SW go hand in hand, one >>supports >>the other. But as is typical in literacy development, children will read >>in a >>language first with the writing (grammar, spelling, syntax, >>etc..)following >>as they are able to grasp and comprehend the language. For example, I can >>read Spanish, but writing it is another matter. I have learned the skills >>necessary to decode what I read, much the same way that our students have >>learned the SW basics to read it. Since it is their language, they also >>understand it. Their writing of SW varies among students. Some are using >>it >>when they get stuck in English- they know the sign they want but do not >>know >>the english equivalent, so they draw in the SW in their text. Others have >>been motivated to write stories and information in SW by the page fulls.. >>It >>is all very exciting, because now they can write messages to each other >>and >>be understood without getting hung up with English. >>Carry on the good work! >>Lorraine > > >SignWriting List >April 25, 2000 > >Welcome to the SignWriting List, Lorraine! And thank you for this >great message. It is also to your credit, that the students are given >such flexibility, to develop their reading and writing skills at >their own speed. It sounds like you are doing an excellent job. > >I remember back when we first started, there was a teacher who >required her students to write "perfectly" and it discouraged her >students, and even the teacher herself became discouraged. So it is >clear that flexibility means a lot for success... > >If it is OK with you, I would like to post your entire message on our >SignWriting Web Site? Under feedback from teachers in Albuquerque.... > >And next I will post the letter and web report from the fourth >teacher in New Mexico - Nancy Cole in Las Cruces! > >Thanks again for writing, Lorraine...and please continue to keep us >informed. I am documenting everything ;-))) > >Val ;-) > >----------------------------- > >Valerie Sutton > > >SignWritingSite: >https://www.SignWriting.org > >SignWriting List Archives: >https://www.egroups.com/group/sw-l

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