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                     What have we been working on?

10/21/09

Small Moment Stories                                                                                         

We have begun a new unit in writing, personal narratives. In her book, Lucy Calkins quotes researcher Gordon Wells: "Constructing stories in the mind - or storying, as it has been called, is one of the most fundamental means of making meaning."  She says, "If children are going to 'be at home' with literacy, they need to read, write, and talk the language that creates new worlds.  So, for us, this unit is not only about storytelling, but is also about the sort of responsive listening that can lead us to gasp in empathy and laugh in delight at each other's stories." "Because our goal is to teach youngsters to retell a sequence of events with precise detail, and to write in such a way that a reader could follow those events, we decided that in this unit we would set children up to write very focused vignettes - what we call Small Moments - from their lives. "

You can support this unit at home by "speaking the language of stories", or storytelling. For example, when your child draws a picture of something he or she did, ask, "Tell me the story that goes with your picture."  If your child says, "Oh, that's me skateboarding," then you can say, "Oh, so the story goes, 'One day I was skateboarding.' What did you do next?  So, let's staple another piece of paper and put that!"

9/8/09

Beginning Writer's Workshop                                                                                              Our first unit in writing is Launching Writers' Workshop. The lessons we will work on revolve around the logistics of Writers' Workshop, such as what do I do when I'm done writing, where do I store my work, what tools do I use, etc. as well as fundamentals such as the kinds of smart writing moves writers use.

Today we began Writer's Workshop under the guise that all writers have a story to tell. For some kiddos, that was a tricky concept!  Some kids have never been asked to illustrate or even "write" about something that has happened in their life.  Many have only drawn stick people, cats, hearts, rainbows, etc. or colored in coloring books.  Now I am asking them to draw representational pictures - illustrations with details that tell a story!  For example, if you remember a time when your dad took you to the park and watched you go down the slide, then your picture should show all those things.

Along with detailed pictures, the students will add writing that tells the story.  For some students, labeling the picture with words such as slide (or "s" or any other letter they write!) is a challenging job.  Kids who demonstrate proficient sound/symbol knowledge (i.e. that the word slide is spelled s-l-i-d-(e)) are encouraged to write sentences that tell the story. For example, "My dad took me to the park. I went on the slide. My dad watched me. I went around and around."  We will spend the next week or so, and off and on throughout the entire year, on stretching words. This is what we call it when we say a word slowly and record the sounds we hear.

If your child is writing at home, here's a quick list of questions/prompts to help him/her along:

1. Think of a time that you want to write about.                                                                   2. Do you have that picture in your mind? Go ahead and illustrate that.                                   3. I see that you have a great illustration! Tell me about it.                                                     4. Now you are ready for some words. What do you want your words to say?                      5. After your child tells you the story, encourage them to write down those words. 

 If your child says, "But I don't know how to write that!" then say, "Just say its slowly and write down any sounds you hear."  If your child records "nonsense" (oyndhhfhp), that's okay! We want all students to see themselves as writers, and...gibberish is a stage of writing!  Sound/letter correspondence will come soon!

         What does Writer's Workshop look like in our class?

From about 9:20 to 10:10 each day the students engage in Writer's Workshop. This includes a 10 minute "mini-lesson", ~35 minutes of writing time, and about 5 minutes of "Author's Chair".

"What is mini-lesson"                                                                                         A mini-lesson is a short, to-the-point lesson about something I want the writers to focus on that day. I review them often and look for application in their daily work. 

Examples of early lessons:                                                                                  *Which kind of paper should I use?                                                                          *How do writers begin their writing?                                                                      *When are you finished writing for the day? (When the timer goes off!)                           

Examples of lessons that speak to the mechanics of writing:                                     *Writers put spaces between their words.                                                           *What do you do when you don't know how to spell a word?                                                     *Detailed illustrations help the reader to better understand what's happening in your book. 

Examples of lessons that spring creativity! We do this by studying what published authors have done in their books:                                                                                        *Adding "sound" words (Squeak,squeak!)                                                                   *How to use ellipses properly (and...there he was!)                                                  *Word choice, trading in words like "good" for "delicious" ·

"What am I doing while the kids are writing?"                                              Conferencing!  I pull up a chair next to a student and observe their actions as a writer.  I think about and notate questions like: Does he/she know how to get started?  Is he/she able to choose a topic independently.  Is he/she working alone or needing the help of a classmate?  Then I ask him/her to read me their work. Then, making an on the spot judgment, I focus on one or two aspects of their writing, discuss it with them, and individually teach to that point. It could be anything from helping them sound out a word to hear more letters, to listening to the plan they have for their book (all writers have a plan!), to editing together for correct punctuation.

"What is Author's Chair?"                                                                            When the timer goes off, that signals the end of writing time for that day. During the conferencing time, I have made notes of which children I will ask to come share their writing in front of the class. I keep track to give all the kids a chance. I choose based on something "smart" they did that day in their writing. We use the sharing time as a time to reinforce lessons learned and celebrate great writing!

• KNOW that beginning writers scribble.  Writing is a progression.  That's just how it works.  Eventually each of those scribbles will morph into a symbol.  And not long after those symbols are the letters of the alphabet!  Each time your child "writes" they are getting closer and closer to the stage where letters appear.  Encourage the process, not the result.  Say, "Wow!  What did you write!?"  instead of "That's just scribbling."  When your child is ready, ask them to write some letters that they hear.

• When your child is writing and asks "How do you spell ____?" Rather than spell it for them, reply, "Let's say that word together really slowly and see what sounds we hear."  Make sure they do most of the work!  After that, IF your child says, "That doesn't look right" or "I've seen that word before and I thought it had more letters" THEN it's great to say, "You're right, those are the sounds, and I can read it, but here's how you would see it in a book."  Go ahead and write it on a paper for them to copy!  That was an awesome thing that just happened!

• When something exciting or interesting happens that your child wants to tell you about it, add the remark, "Wouldn't that make a great story?" to your response.  Your child wants to do what you do and they are always watching!  If they see YOU write, they will want to write also.

• Let your child keep the shopping list.  Or, bring a notepad to the store and let your child write down the name of each item you put in the cart.  Not only does it keep your child busy during errands, he or she is writing!

• Purchase matching notebooks and set aside some time each week to write together.  You could even set a timer like we do in class!

• After family outings, talk about what events would "make a great book". Describe them and come up with detailed descriptions of people, places and feelings.  You could "tell" a whole book, then suggest that your student write that at home, or at school...or you could write it together! They have seen books with more than one author!

• Reading to your child at home is an invaluable way to build their vocabulary.  When reading, draw their attention to an author's use of interesting words, make sure they understand what they mean.  Suggest that they use "that word" in their writing some time!

• Reading books to build vocabulary is not the ONLY thing books can help writers with!  If you read books "like a writer" you will find many techniques used in picture books that you and your child can discuss!  For example: Text going across two pages, the use of sound words, text curving around an illustration, things put in the illustrations that were not mentioned in the text.  There are a million things to notice that authors do to make their books more interesting!  REALLY LOOK AT BOOKS TOGETHER!

• Keep a notebook in the car to jot down ideas for books.  Purchase a small one that would fit in your pocket or purse.  Imagine how impressed your Kindergartner would be if they saw you take it out and write down an idea for a book that you want to write!...don't forget, like I said before, they are watching you ALL the time.