1 Do you plan first-hand experiences of writing in real contexts for the children through visits to offices, shops and post offices?
2 Are children able to help themselves to a range of well-organised resources for making marks in all areas of the room? For example, have you tried notepads in the home corner, clipboards in the construction area and register sheets for the children to fill in?
3 Are children's marks and early writing treated as serious attempts to convey meanings? Are they displayed as respectfully as the conventional writing of older children would be?
4 Are there opportunities for parents and carers to discuss how you support children's mark-making and early writing?
5 Do you provide resources for mark-making and early writing outside? These could include pads of parking tickets, and big bits of card to create road signs.
6 Are you able to spend time observing children to observe their individual ways of representing ideas with marks, drawings and early writing?
7 Are you able to relate the early writing of bilingual children to the written script of their home language?
8 When children want to achieve something particular, like writing their name, are they helped and taught directly?
9 Are children encouraged to make their own signs, for example to label a model or to create a sign in the outdoor area?
10 Does your provision for early writing include ICT? Children can make marks using painting programmes and word processors. Pretend shops can include credit cards to swipe and transaction records to sign.
