Mrs. Bezubiak

The writing process in Kindergarten is so much fun to watch as the children progress.  This year I started with a different approach from previous years.  I read the book "Never too Early to Write" by Bea Johnson; this book celebrates young writers.  I was so inspired after reading this book that I wanted to start off the year with this approach.  I talked to the children about writers and I told them that they were writers, each child in the class was a writer.  I told them that writing looks different for different people.  On a white board I modeled the different stages of writing. 

I made sure to include these:
squiggles, sticks, curving lines, scribble and imitated writing
random strings of symbols which may include recognizable letters or numbers
Upper case letters and the children may borrow from environmental print
Beginning letters
Starting to connect letter sounds together
familiar words
Sentences
Hand Writing
 

I talked to the students about how everyone is writing in different ways but it is all writing; they are all writers.  The students started off a little hesitant and some wanted me to write their words down for them.  I told the students that their journals were for their writing and that I would write some of my words under theirs but that all the writing should come from them.  If they say that they don't know how to write I take them back to the stages and ask them what kind of writing they would like to do.  Once the students are comfortable with their writing, I try to make slow progressions with them so that they maintain their confidence.  I ask them to start writing in beginning sounds and to put spaces between their words.  It is an amazing process and it is fun to scaffold and build on their learning, they have progressed so well!

Here are some samples of the different stages in writing:

This student is writing a promise.
"Rebecca promises to love everybody there is."
This student is labeling his drawing
"Ice Castle"

This student is using some environmental print to make her sentence.  Angelfish was one of the words posted on the sea life words.
This student started using letter sounds to write "Motorcycle", she then finished her writing with wavy lines.

This student was exploring with writing.  After I saw he was comfortable and confident with writing, I encouraged him to put in familiar words and letter sounds.
Here the same student is incorporating his name to his writing.

The same student is now including beginning sounds.
The same student is only writing letter sounds and has eliminated his wavy line writing.

This student is writing letter sounds to write,
 "My Gumball machine"
This little girl was writing in a recipe for Chicken Soup with rice.  She wrote rice, carrots, chicken and broth.

This student is writing in beginning sounds in her writing.
This student is writing in beginning sounds in her writing as well.

This student is using letter sounds in her writing.
This student wrote, "I am in a hotel with mom and dad watching fireworks"

This student is using proper letter spacing, punctuation and has a deep understanding of standard writing format.

This student is writing to explain how to make a sock snowman.