Dear Sincerely: Exploring Literate Identities with Young Children and Preservice Teachers Through Letter Writing

Abstract

In this study, 38 preservice teachers enrolled in two sections of a language and literacy course at a small university in Montana were paired as pen pals with 14 fourth graders in Kansas. The purpose of the research project was to determine in what ways and contexts the literate identities of the children emerged through letter exchanges with the preservice teachers and to explore the influence of the preservice teachers' letters on the responses of their pen pals. The preservice teachers learned that the children expected them to model conventional writing practices and to negotiate meaning in an engaged and professional manner. When they did not, the writing of the children reflected the responses of the preservice teachers thus demonstrating the implications of modeling good writing and the motivational value of responding in a positive, affirming voice to young writers.

Keywords:

• language
• letters
• literacy
• preservice teachers
• writing