First grade is an important time for young children's growth as early writers. Reading and writing develop along a continuum of behaviors, and Paloma teachers strive to encourage each individual child as they progress in their writing development. Many children enter first grade writing the first letter of a word to represent that entire word and spacing is not yet used. This is an important early stage in early writing development. Invented spelling (sometimes called phonetic spelling or non-standard spelling) is important to the process of becoming a writer. As children feel empowered to write for authentic purposes, they will use the sounds they know and hear as they say a word they need to write. As children learn and grow, they include more sounds and adult conventions (like -y says "e" at the end of a word). Research demonstrates an over-emphasis on "correct" spelling in the early years pressures children into writing only the words they "know" they can spell. Meaning and expression, consequently, are lost.

Parents can greatly aid their children in becoming writers by valuing invented or phonetic spelling attempts.   First graders are exposed to a great variety of authors and genres which generates an interest in writing and reading alike. Some of the areas of instruction for first graders include an introduction to the writing process including: Generating topics, Drafting, Revising ideas, and editing for some standard (conventional or adult) spelling and mechanics. Writing about personal experiences or created experiences. First graders are introducd to the elements of a good written piece: A beginning, middle, and end Interesting characters Details in written pieces.

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