The Written Production of Four Kindergarten Children in a Whole Language Classroom: Frequency, Function, and Form Page: 3

                                
of Christmas followed by self-concept, shapes and colors,
farm animals, Thanksgiving, Winter, transportation, nursery
rhymes, patriotic, Valentine, food and nutrition, Halloween,
Spring, wild animals, community helpers, gingerbread man,
Summer, Easter, and pets; all five functions of language
were used in the art center, four in the language, dramatic
play, social studies, and "other" centers, and three in all
other centers; all five functions were used during the
Valentine curricular theme, four during self-concept, trans-
portation, Spring, and farm animals, three during food and
nutrition, and nursery rhymes, two during eleven other
curricular themes, and only one during Easter and pets; and
gains were made in form by the end of the study. Writing
was often in the last stage of spelling development and more
print concepts were in evidence.
The conclusions made were that some learning centers
and curricular themes prompt more frequent writing and the
use of more language functions.