Let Them Believe
From the desk of Kris…
A picture is worth a thousand words…..well, okay, for a kindergartener maybe it’s not a thousand words…but it certainly can be worth many words. If you ask any kindergartener about his picture, he is sure to tell you a lengthy story! But does drawing a picture and telling a story constitute ‘writing’? You bet! In her book The Art of Teaching Writing, Lucy Calkins states that 90% of children come to school thinking they can write (they also think they are pilots, princesses, and superheroes). We let children believe these things so let’s let them believe they can write. They will grow into being writers just as they grow into being talkers. When babies babble, we entertain that as talking. But when a kindergartener ‘writes‘, we sometimes think it is just scribble. And let’s be honest, sometimes it does look like scribble scrabble! However, as kindergarten teachers, we need to think of our students as writers. Does their drawing really count as writing? Can they write when they don’t even know all of the letter sounds? The answer to these questions is a resounding YES: Drawing is a child’s form of writing and it does have meaning. There might be letters floating around that may or may not be a sound match to what is in the picture. But yes, they are writers! As hard as it is sometimes, let’s strive to keep our focus on what these young writers can do, not what we wish they could do. So how can we foster writing in kindergarten? With Writer’s Workshop of course! Writer’s Workshop can harness a child’s natural desire to tell stories, communicate and help them put it all on paper.
What does Writer’s Workshop look like in Kindergarten?
Procedures:
-Provide students with plenty of paper, writing utensils and time to write. They will amaze you with their creativity and ability to make stories. Remember that your children are coming to you able to think of stories to tell and topics to teach. Children don’t worry if their writing is ‘good enough’. They will proudly show everyone! Set aside valuable writing time everyday for your students and celebrate what they are writing.
-Set up your room to allow for collaboration. Kindergarteners are very social and verbal!
Mini-Lesson:
Pull your students to the carpet to teach them a strategy for writing. You might show them how to:
-Brainstorm an idea
-Choose an idea to write about
-Draw a picture that focuses on exactly what you want to write about
-Label your picture with beginning/ending sounds or words
-Write a sentence under your picture
-Add another page to their story
-Add punctuation
-Make characters talk (speech bubbles)
-Create terrific endings
The list is endless. Watch your students and determine what they need. Plan your mini-lessons according to their needs. Keep your mini-lesson short and focused! Chart out which mini-lessons you have taught and review which strategies are relevant for that day.
Mentor Text:
-When you read aloud to your students, point out what you notice the author is doing that students can imitate in their own stories.
-Let kindergarteners bring all they are learning in their reading to their writing. When they are reading level A and B books, tell them that the words and pictures match and that is what they do when they write.
Explicit Teacher Model:
-Students love when you share a piece of yourself with them! Use your own life events to model your mini-lesson focus. It does not need to be elaborate, just real and relevant.
-Even if students haven’t learned all of their letter sounds, go ahead and model how to label your picture and how to write a simple sentence. We know they might not be able to do this yet, but we want to set our expectations high!
Rehearsal/Turn and Talk:
-Give your students a chance to turn and talk about their ideas or about how they will use the mini-lesson focus in their own writing.
-Students love to talk and share their ideas and by doing so, it brings their ideas more clarity.
Release students to write:
-This should be the bulk of your Writer’s Workshop time!
-Write! Write! Write!
Conference:
– Sit down next to your students and ask them questions about their writing.
– Get to know their strengths and weaknesses. Use what you notice to drive your mini-lessons.
Share:
-Allow a few students to share how they demonstrated the mini-lesson focus.
-When students get to share it is an opportunity for their peers to learn from them. It is also a confidence booster.
As you embark on your journey with fostering writing in your kindergarten classroom, remember their pictures are worth a thousand words. Your students will grow to love writing (if they don’t already) and you will be amazed at the growth they will make.