Page 85 - Reading Nest - The Supportive Literacy Environment Handbook

Creation

Reading and writing offer opportunities for creative self-expression: note down one’s
thoughts, compose fairy tales, poems and songs, game rules, or user instructions for new
inventions. Performance arts also fall under creation, such as reciting an existing or
improvised text, performing a play, telling a joke, reading a thrilling story or lyrical poem
to peers.

From the adult point of view it might seem that without primary literacy (no link yet
between a letter and a sound, or perhaps does not know letters yet), literacy cannot be used
creatively. Yet even a two-year-old can compose a poem, where ‘writing’ is more like
waves in the sea. Creation does not exactly stand for high-level fiction; writing a schedule,
game rules or food recipe might be as creative for a child as creating a poem, story or play.

Modern technology can be successfully employed for creating texts. A computer (even an
old model, no longer used for work) enables very young children to type letters, while older
children can acquire orthography with the help of a computer. The child can focus on
creative writing because they know that the computer underlines misspelling in red and
provides versions for correct spelling. It is important because many children would like to
write an exciting story or a nice fairy tale but cannot pay equal attention to form and
content simultaneously.

Kopli Lasteaia lapsed kavandavad oma unistuste lugemispesa.