Transcript Writing in Kindergarten

Writing in Kindergarten
Prairie Central CUSD 8
Teachers’ Institute
February 15, 2008
Mrs. Donna Folwell
In the Beginning
• Demonstration - The concept of print and
conventions needed in writing are a large focus
for much of the writing in Kindergarten.
• We write class stories, thank-you notes, lists,
and construct the Morning Message in front of
the class.
• Many of us use predictable charts, songs,
poems, and Morning Message to demonstrate
sentence structure.
Morning Message
• Teacher is scribe.
• Teacher models sentence structure,
capitalization, punctuation, etc.
• Evolves into an interactive writing activity.
• Student fills in the blanks in the message.
• Other activities using the writing to demonstrate
concepts of print, etc.
Cunningham, P.M. & Hall, D.P. (2003). Reading, Writing, and Phonics
for Kindergarten (rev. ed.). Greensboro, NC: Carson-Dellosa
Publishing Company, Inc.
Morning Message
Predictable Charts
• Establishes a structured experience to ensure
success for each student.
• Contributes to the development of prior
knowledge base.
• Develops high-frequency word vocabulary
through repetition.
Hall, D.P. & Williams, E. (2000). The Teacher's Guide to Building
Blocks. Greensboro, NC: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
Predictable Charts
Journals
• Writing and math journals
• 3-5 times weekly
• Implemented during whole group and center
times
• “Free-write” and prompts given
• Assessed authentically
• Majority-concepts and conventions based
Journal Example
Another Journal Example
Other Writing Activities…
• Name writing journals - Monthly (assess
progression of legibility/formation).
• Morning notebooks - Practice notebooks used to
develop writing environment (letters, highfrequency words, word families, and simple
sentences). Evolve into “free-write” journals.
• Sentence strips - Often used from the predictable
charts (cut apart and student arranges in order).
• Songs and poems - We write out frequently used
poems and songs. Students visualize the words
and phrases as they sing and recite.
• Writing the room - Students gain vocabulary and
word awareness with this activity.
Book Making
• Creating books is a way that many
Kindergarten students become familiar with
print concepts and the conventions of text.
• Blank books are available at choice time for
students to create independently.
• Themed books are created in various situations
(letters, high-frequency words, word families
and other discipline specific lessons).
• Class books are made from predictable charts.
Writer’s Workshop
• Introduce a concept and follow up with an
individual conference after they’ve ‘journaled’ in
writing center.
• Continues to be more ‘mechanics’ driven for the
majority of students.
• A few are ready to create imaginatively on their
own at this stage (March).
• Focus is not on the writing process (pre-write,
rough draft, edit, publish).
Kindergarten Writing Rubric
Writing Stage
Fluent
Writer
Emergent
Writer
Content
•Uses detailed writings
and drawings outlining
events of the story
•Uses details that build
upon each other
throughout the writing.
•Draws pictures that match
story.
•Begins to show a
beginning, middle, end to
story.
•Uses details in the story.
Understanding
of Print
•Consistently uses spaces
between words.
•Writes recognizable
sentences.
•Print is written left-to-right
on the page.
•Uses spaces between
words most of the time.
•Print is written left-to-right
on the page.
Conventions
of Print
Spelling
•Uses uppercase and
lowercase letters
appropriately most of the
time.
•Uses some punctuation.
•Period placement is
consistent.
•Correctly spells some
high-frequency words.
•Each speech sound is
represented in words.
•Uses uppercase and
lowercase letters
inconsistently.
•Randomly uses periods,
sometimes as ending
punctuation.
•Uses beginning and
ending consonant sounds.
•Uses some consonant
sounds found in the middle
of words.
•Uses some vowel sounds.
•Uses approximations in
spelling.
Early Writer
•Draws pictures with little
detail to represent
thoughts.
•Begins to label pictures
with words.
•Uses spaces between
words inconsistently.
•Writing is random, found all
over the place.
•Some copied words
beginning to appear.
•Uses uppercase letters.
•Randomly uses
punctuation.
•Uses one letter to
represent a word, usually
a consonant.
Prewriter
•Draws to convey
meaning.
•Dictation writing does not
always match drawing.
•Uses strings of letters.
•Writing is random, found all
over the page.
•Scribbles.
•Inconsistent letter
formation.
•Punctuation is not used.
•Writes own name.
•Writes letters, but with no
sound-to-letter
correspondence.
Leuenberger, C.J. (2003). The New Kindergarten; Teaching Reading,
Writing & More. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
Online Resources
• NCTE – Elementary Writing
• Writing Activities – Kindergarten Writing
Activities
• Writing Resources – Several templates for
writing
• Kindergarten Corner – ISBE
• Elementary Writing – Many different resources