Getting Started With Writing In Kindergarten

Participants: Beth Channell, Laura Buck

Overview of purpose :.

The child will know that writing is a way to communicate meaning. The child uses the writing workshop as a time to share the details of his life. He approaches writing using any means possible-drawing, written words, oral commentary etc, to capture that meaning. The child does not regard writing as primarily an opportunity to simply copy or list known words. The purpose of this unit is is to implement a group of min-lessons that support emergent writers during the first 6-8 weeks of school.

length of instructional time for unit : 6-8 weeks (Sept. – mid-Oct.)

grade/level of audience: Kindergarten and Grade one

NYS Standards

ELA

  • Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
  • Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
  • Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

***See attached for specific performance indicators.

Essential Questions

  • How do we use writing as a form of communication?
  • How do you develop young writers from conception to communication?

Content Knowledge

Declarative

The students will understand that…

  • they are writers and different kinds of writing are acceptable in kindergarten and first grade.
  • there are many possible topics that they can write about on any given day.
  • visual representation helps focus a topic.

Procedural

The students will be able to…

  • Choose a topic, sketching it, and then write a tiny bit about it.
  • Keep working on the same piece by adding more to their picture, by adding more to their words, or by starting a new piece of writing.
  • find and use tools they need for the writing workshop.
  • decide on a topic, envision it, and then record that meaning on the page with drawings that are representational.
  • continue drawing or writing even if it is not happening exactly the way they had planned.
  • recognize that authors write pictures and words and that they can do the same.
  • separate out the many sounds they hear in words and write down the letters that correspond to those sounds.
  • stretch and write words focusing primarily on hearing the initial sounds.
  • accept their own inventive spellings in order to tell more about their stories.
  • match the sounds they hear in a word with the letter that represents it.
  • see that they can add more to a piece of writing and have a system to separate finished from unfinished work.
  • plan and write a book with several pages.
  • recognize writing possibilities (ie. Letters and lists).
  • see writing possibilities for real world purposes (ie. Every section of the room and part of the day there are reasons to write).
  • students will be able to fix up and revise their writing so it says everything they mean before it is displayed.
  • edit and add color up their writing piece.
  • choose and share their favorite piece of writing.