Building a Bridge: Writing and Reading Connections in Early Childhood

AbstractReading and writing are essential components of literacy. Children's initial preschool experiences with literacy set important foundations for later school success. Instruction that can create a bridge between reading and writing to support children's developing understandings in both these areas of literacy has powerful implications for their literacy growth. This teaching and learning in action guide explores meaningful connections between reading and writing by examining the way in which one prekindergarten teacher supports children's readingwriting skills across various components of written language (i.e., sounds, letters, words, sentences, and content) and within various instructional contexts (centers, small groups, large group/readaloud). This article shares researchbased approaches in the context of specific examples in which the focal teacher fosters meaningful reading and writing connections using two key readalouds as starting points. How do we make readingwriting connections in preschool across contexts and learning experiences to support children's literacy in meaningful, engaging, and developmentally appropriate ways and make connections visible to children? What highquality reading and writing experiences influence preschoolers' engagement in activities? What ways are reading and writing addressed in your classroom across various instructional contexts (i.e., whole group, small group, centers)?

Building a Bridge: Writing and Reading Connections in Early Childhood Academic Article