Description:

How do children come to literacy? This documentary observes that encouraging young children to make pictures—to invent their own graphic representations—sets the literacy process in motion. As children experiment with crayons, markers and pencils, they begin to realize that these marks can stand for the sounds of language. That learning path leads from telling stories with pictures to telling stories with words. And as some very enthusiastic young students demonstrate, these early interests can evolve into a passion for reading and writing.

This documentary is one of four in The Learning Child Series, produced by Jonathan Diamond Associates, Inc. in association with the Child Development Institute at Sarah Lawrence College.  Each program includes a companion guide.