Abstract
Observational studies suggest that early writing instruction rarely occurs in early childhood classrooms, despite the importance of supporting young children’s writing development. Morning Meeting Time (MMT) routine is a typically occurring large group activity in early childhood classrooms that is interactive and familiar to teachers and children. Because it is interactive, occurs daily in most preschool classrooms, and is comprised of regular routines that can easily be modified, MMT provides a meaningful context for promoting young children’s writing development. This article describes the characteristics of MMT, discusses the rationales for infusing interactive writing instruction into MMT, and provides seven research-based guidelines for adding writing to MMT in early childhood classroom environments.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aram, D. (2005). Continuity in children’s literacy achievements: A longitudinal perspective from kindergarten to school. First Language, 25(3), 259–289.
Beaty, J. J., & Pratt, L. (2011). Early literacy in preschool and kindergarten: A multicultural perspective (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Bialystok, E. (1992). Symbolic representation of letters and numbers. Cognitive Development, 7(3), 301–316.
Bingham, G. E., Quinn, M. F., & Gerde, H. K. (2017). Examining early childhood teachers’ writing practices: Associations between pedagogical supports and children’s writing skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 39, 35–46.
Bloodgood, J. W. (1999). What’s in a name? Children’s name writing and literacy acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(3), 342–367.
Bredekamp, S. (2011). Effective practices in early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Dennis, L. R., & Votteler, N. K. (2013). Preschool teachers and children’s emergent writing: Supporting diverse learners. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 439–446.
Dorl, J. (2007). Think aloud! Increase your teaching power. Young Children, 62(4), 101–105.
Gerde, H. K., Bingham, G. E., & Pendergast, M. L. (2015). Reliability and validity of the Writing Resources and Interactions in Teaching Environments (WRITE) for preschool classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31, 34–46.
Gerde, H. K., Bingham, G. E., & Wasik, B. A. (2012). Writing in early childhood classrooms: Guidance for best practices. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(6), 351–359.
Hindman, A. H., & Wasik, B. A. (2012). Morning message time: An exploratory study in Head Start. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(5), 275–283.
Hofslundsengen, H., Hagtvet, B. E., & Gustafsson, J. E. (2016). Immediate and delayed effects of invented writing intervention in preschool. Reading and Writing, 29(7), 1473–1495.
Justice, L. M., Kaderavek, J. N., Fan, X., Sofka, A., & Hunt, A. (2009). Accelerating preschoolers’ early literacy development through classroom-based teacher-child storybook reading and explicit print referencing. Language, Speech, and Hearing Service in Schools, 40, 67–85.
Kaderavek, J. N., Cabell, S. Q., & Justice, L. M. (2009). Early writing and spelling development. In P. M. Rhymer (Ed.), Emergent literacy and language development: Promoting learning in early childhood (pp. 104–152). New York: Guilford.
Levin, I., & Aram, D. (2013). Promoting early literacy via practicing invented spelling: A comparison of different mediation routines. Reading Research Quarterly, 48(3), 221–236.
McGee, L. M., & Schickedanz, J. A. (2007). Repeated interactive read-alouds in preschool and kindergarten. The Reading Teacher, 60(8), 742–751.
National Early Literacy Panel [NELP] (2008). Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.
Pelatti, C. Y., Piasta, S. B., Justice, L. M., & O’Connell, A. (2014). Language-and literacy-learning opportunities in early childhood classrooms: Children’s typical experiences and within-classroom variability. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(4), 445–456.
Pentimonti, J. M., Justice, L. M., Yeomans-Maldando, G., McGinty, A. S., Slocum, L., & O’Connell, A. (2017). Teachers’ use of high- and low-support strategies to differentiate language instruction in high-risk/economically disadvantaged settings. Journal of Early Intervention, 39(2), 125–146.
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Manual Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Piasta, S. B., Dynia, J. M., Justice, L. M., Pentimonti, J. M., Kaderavek, J. N., & Schatschneider, C. (2010). Impact of professional development on preschool teachers’ print references during shared read alouds: A latent growth curve analysis. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 3(4), 343–380.
Powell, D. R., Burchinal, M. R., File, N., & Kontos, S. (2008). An eco-behavioral analysis of children’s engagement in urban public school preschool classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23(1), 108–123.
Puranik, C. S., & Lonigan, C. J. (2014). Emergent writing in preschoolers: Preliminary evidence for a theoretical framework. Reading Research Quarterly, 49(4), 453–467.
Puranik, C. S., Petscher, Y., & Lonigan, C. J. (2013). Dimensionality and reliability of letter writing in 3-to 5-year-old preschool children. Learning and Individual Differences, 28, 133–141.
Rowe, D. W., & Wilson, S. J. (2015). The development of a descriptive measure of early childhood writing: Results from the Write Start! Writing assessment. Journal of Literacy Research, 47(2), 245–292.
Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M. L., Smith, B. J., & McLean, M. E. (2005). DEC recommended practices: A comprehensive guide for practical application in early intervention/early childhood special education. Missoula, MT: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Schickedanz, J., & Casbergue, R. (2009). Writing in preschool: Learning to orchestrate meaning and marks. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Wasik, B. A., & Hindman, A. H. (2011). The morning message in early childhood classrooms: Guidelines for best practices. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(3), 183–189.
Whitehurst, G. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69(3), 848–872.
Williams, C., & Pilonieta, P. (2012). Using interactive writing instruction with kindergarten and first-grade English language learners. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(3), 145–150.
Wiltz, N. W., & Klein, E. L. (2001). What do you do in child care?”: Children’s perceptions of high and low quality classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 16(2), 209–236.
Zaghlawan, H. Y., & Ostrosky, M. M. (2011). Circle time: An exploratory study of activities and challenging behavior in head start classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(6), 439–448.
Zhang, C., & Bingham, G. (2016). A classroom-based intervention for promoting children’s writing skills utilizing routine activities. Symposium presentation presented at the annual conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, Porto, Portugal.
Zhang, C., Bingham, G., & Quinn, M. (2017). The associations among preschool children’s growth in early reading, executive function, and invented spelling skills. Reading and Writing, 30, 1705–1728. doi:10.1007/s11145-017-9746-0.
Zhang, C., Diamond, K. E., & Powell, D. R. (2015a). Examining the content of Head Start teachers’ literacy instruction within two activity contexts during large group circle time. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 29, 323–337.
Zhang, C., Hur, J., Diamond, K. E., & Powell, D. (2015b). Classroom writing environments and children’s early writing skills: An observational study in Head Start classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43, 307–315.
Funding
Funding was provided by Spencer Foundation (Grant No. Post-doctoral Fellowship).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, C., Quinn, M.F. Promoting Early Writing Skills through Morning Meeting Routines: Guidelines for Best Practices. Early Childhood Educ J 46, 547–556 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0886-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0886-2