1 Emergent Sampler®byVickiGibson,Ph.D.Writing5.6.3.4.2.1.Engaging Children with Directed Drawings Directed drawing activities are teacher-led opportunities that teach children how to combine the five emergent writing strokes and create geometric shapes. The activities help children develop prewriting skills to print letters and numerals.Directed drawings are useful for teaching problem-solving. Children learn how to visualize a whole object, separate the whole into its parts, and reproduce each part in a sequence—activities that typically involve math and science skills. Directed drawings are not art lessons. They are developmental activities that teach children how the five prewriting strokes may be used for drawing lines and circles or forming geometric shapes, in preparation for printing lowercase and uppercase letters and numerals. Directed drawings require children to apply multiple academic skills simultaneously, including: • listening and following directions, • observing and copying a model, • developing a plan and following sequential steps, • maintaining correct orientation and alignment (literacy skills), and • using spatial awareness to plan drawing or print in a confined space.At the same time, directed drawings invite children to express their natural creativity along with feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Children learn to: • express feelings by drawing, • add details to elaborate, • describe details and choices reflected in their works of art, and narrate or tell a story with their own illustrations.Directed drawings build foundational skills for language, literacy, math, and science… as well as children’s confidence in themselves as learners and expressive individuals.Emergent WritingREADY TO© Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Table of ContentsDrawing 1 • Simple Happy Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Drawing 2 • Complex Happy Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Drawing 3 • Simple Baby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Drawing 4 • Bear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Drawing 5 • House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Drawing 6 • Robot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Stroke Three: Touch, push over . 2 Stroke Two: Touch, pull down . 1 Stroke One: Up and around .4 Stroke Four: Slant right . 5 Stroke Five: Slant left . 5 Prewriting StrokesLetter Formationao tx21234I can make a face with round shapes.Drawing 1Simple Happy Face341234I can add round shapes to make eyes and ears.5Drawing 2Complex Happy Face61.2.3.5.4.6.Drawing 37A baby has a round head and body.Simple BabyNext >