Young Children’s Writing in Play-Based Classrooms

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Few studies connect teachers’ intentionality with children’s writing in play-based contexts. Thus, the goal of this study (n = 5) was to examine how the use of stations and intentional teaching encouraged writing in two preschool classrooms. Interviews with the preschool director and classroom teachers as well as observations of the children helped our understanding of how the teachers worked to naturally integrate writing into children’s play. Findings suggest learning stations that encourage writing offered authentic and creative opportunities for composition, but must be scaffolded with intentional teaching in order for children to continue to develop their writing skills.