Stages of Writing Development

Scribble Stage           no recognizable letters           lines and scribbles

Isolated Letter Stage           letters begin to appear           letters and some symbols and numbers are strung together randomly

Transitional Stage           some high-frequency words appear often at beginning of piece           continues to use isolated letters, symbols, and numbers           spacing of "words" appears           drawings are included that help hold meaning over time

Stylized Sentence Stage           some sentences using known words and repetitive phrases and                 sentence beginnings such as "I went to the ________"           words from environment to complete sentences           invented spelling           clues enable writer to reread message after some time

Writing Stage           conventional spelling and some invented spelling           complete sentences to express ideas           creativity           voice