Primary Writing Presented by Cherry Carl Alphabet Stew

Primary Writing Presented by Cherry Carl

Alphabet Stew Words can be stuffy, as sticky as glue, but words can be tutored to tickle you too, to rumble and tingle and sing, to buzz like a bumblebee, coil like a spring. jiggle their letters and jumble their sounds, swirl them in circles and stack them in mounds, twist them and tease them and turn them about, teach them to dance upside down, inside out. 2

Make mighty words whisper and tiny words roar in ways no one ever had thought of before; cook an improbably alphabet stew, and words will reveal little secrets to you. Jack Prelutsky abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz 3

Shared Writing Teacher and children work together to compose messages and stories; teacher supports process as scribe. Values: • Demonstrates how writing works • Provides opportunities to draw attention to letters, words, and sounds. • Enables children’s ideas to be recorded • Creates written language resources for the classroom Source: The Ohio State University Early Literacy Learning Initiative from Guided Reading by Fountas and Pinnell 4

Interactive Writing As in shared writing, teacher and children compose messages and stories that are written using a “shared pen” technique that involves children in the writing. Values: • Demonstrates concepts of print, early strategies, and how words work • Provides opportunities to hear sounds in words and connect with letters • Helps children understand “building up” and “breaking down” processes in reading and writing Source: The Ohio State University Early Literacy Learning Initiative from Guided Reading by Fountas and Pinnell 5

More Interactive Writing Values • • Provides opportunities to plan and construct texts Increases spelling knowledge Provides texts that children can read independently Provides written language resources in the classroom Source: The Ohio State University Early Literacy Learning Initiative from Guided Reading by Fountas and Pinnell 6

Steps In an Interactive Writing Lesson 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Negotiate a sentence. Count the words on fingers. Recall the word to be written and stretch the word. Share the pen. Point and read. Recall the entire sentence to be written, then go back to step 3. Source: Boroski, Linda. Sharing the Pen: Interactive Writing with Young Children 7

Guided Writing Children engage in writing a variety of texts. Teacher guides the process and provides instruction through minilessons and conferences. Values: • Helps writers develop voice • Provide opportunities for children to learn to be writers • Provides chance to use writing for different purposes • Increases writers abilities to use different forms • Builds ability to write words and use punctuation • Fosters creativity and the ability to compose Source: The Ohio State University Early Literacy Learning Initiative from Guided Reading by Fountas and Pinnell 8

Independent Writing Children write their own messages and stories, sometimes helping each other. Values: • Provides opportunity for the independent production of written text • Provides chance to use writing for different purposes across the curriculum • Increases writers abilities to use different forms • Builds ability to write words and use punctuation • Fosters creativity and the ability to compose Source: The Ohio State University Early Literacy Learning Initiative from Guided Reading by Fountas and Pinnell 9

Stages of Writing Development • Emergent Writer • Early Writer • Fluent Writer 10

Emergent Writer • Understands that writing is talk written down • Writes about things that are important • Used pictures, scribbles, or symbols to write • Takes risk in writing • Begins using spelling approximations • Shares own writing with others • Begins to use left to right progression 11

Early Writer • • Writes a message meaningful to readers and the writer Understands message written is exact and unchanging Writes for own purposes Begins to write for an audience Rereads writing for sense and meaning Incorporates and innovates on language patterns Increasingly observes conventions: periods, capitals at beginning of sentences and for proper nouns • Uses classroom resources to assist with writing and spelling; takes risks in spelling • Spells some words conventionally 12

Fluent Writer • • • Sees self as an author Works independently through the writing process Knows when and how to seek help Self-selects topics Writers for several reasons, purpose and audience Writes with fully developed beginning, middle and end Uses prewriting strategies Participates in revising activities Self-initiates editing 13

Fluent Writer (cont. ) • • Uses editing conventions Marks spelling approximations to check later Uses multiple resources to check spelling Spells a large collection of words correctly 14

Stages of Writing Children’s Targets Children’s targets have a Process Focus and a Product Focus. At the Emergent and Early stages of written language, it is important that children understand the actual process of writing. Once this process is understood, then the product can be given greater consideration. 15

Emergent Level Process Focus • To have correct directional movement • To leave spaces between words • To use approximations according to the sound heard at the beginning of words. • To begin to use some high frequency words. 16

Emergent Level Product Focus • To be able to choose a topic to write on • To use own experiences for writing • To begin to talk about some features of writing • To be able to present a piece of writing for others to share 17

Early Level Process Focus • To use beginning and ending sounds of words • To use vowels • To spell many high frequency words correctly • To use more correctly spelled words than approximations • To begin using editing skills: to place periods and capital letters, to locate approximations by circling them, and to being to correct approximations by using word sources 18

Early Level Product Focus • To understand that words carry many kind of information • To know that writing must make sense • To be able to select from a wider range of topics and genre • To be able to choose an appropriate title • To being to make some corrections to meaning • To begin to realize that writing can involve a number of stages • To being to record and present information in different ways 19

Fluency Level Process Focus • To use editing skills • Thinking about the message of the writing • Using most punctuation marks correctly • Dividing written work into paragraphs • Recording and presenting information in different ways • Using dictionary and a thesaurus 20

Fluency Level Product Focus • • To variety in sentence beginnings To sequence ideas To use an increasingly wide vocabulary To write spontaneously to record personal experiences (expressive writing) • To write instructions and recount events in authentic contents (transactional writing). • To begin to explore choices made by writers and apply this knowledge to own writing. 21

How Adults Facilitate Writing Acquisition • By calling children’s attention to print in the environment and reading it to and with them. • By modeling what it means to be a writer: letting children see what you write. • By encouraging children’s experimentations with writing and responding positively to their efforts and products. 22

How Adults Facilitate Writing Acquisition • By providing an emotionally safe environment for risk-taking. • By supporting children’s engagement in the writing process. • By expecting children to eventually learn to write like an adult. Source: Creating Support for Effective Literacy Education by C. Weaver, et al (1996) May be copied for transparency/slide use only. 23

The Five Developmental Stages of Spelling 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Pre-Communicative (like babbling) no letter/sound correspondence Semi-Phonetic (some spelling by ear) some letter/sound correspondence Phonetic (spelling by ear) all sounds are spelled Transitional (spelling by eye) as words look Conventional (over time) the way it’s spelled Source: Dr. J. Richard Gentry 24

The Writing Process • • • Topic search Pre writing Drafts Revisions Proof-reading/editing Publishing 25

Writers’ Workshop • • • Read Aloud (10 minutes) Mini-Lesson/Modeled Writing (10 minutes) Independent/Journal Writing (20 minutes) Editing Publishing 26

Teacher/student Conferencing • Keep a conference record sheet for each student. • Include the title of the writing piece and the date. • List skills used correctly in the writing. • Record skills taught during the conference (no more than 2) 27

Revision Checklist Yes No I fixed it. Did I start each sentence with a capital letter? Did I end each sentence with a period, an exclamation point, or a question mark? Did I use my writing tools to check my spelling? Does my writing make sense? Do I have enough details? Does my title match the story? Remember: If you answered no to any of the questions, try your best to fix your mistakes. 28

Classroom Assessment List Grade 1 Journal Selections for Portfolio Entry 1. Did I use capitals at the beginning of my sentences? 2. Did I use periods at the end of my sentences? 3. Did I put spaces between my words 4. Is my work neat? Terrific OK Needs Work 29

2 STARS and a WISH 2 STARS (what you liked): I’m good at math. I’m good at writing bigger. 1 WISH (a way to improve): I wish I was a better speller. 30