writing instruction in pk-6

Writing Instruction in Pk-6

Judith Dunkerly-BeanOld Dominion University

Reflection Questions– What is challenging about helping students

become strong writers?

– What is challenging about building community

and helping students learn to work together?

Dual Goals of a Writing Program– To teach students to write skillfully,

creatively, abundantly, and with motivation in various genres

– To teach students to work together and to help them develop socially and ethically

The Writing Process

– Prewriting– Drafting– Revising– Proofreading– Publishing

Core Elements of Any Writing Program

– Building intrinsic motivation– Providing time to write– Learning from published works and authors– Guiding students through the writing process– Learning skills and conventions when most

helpful– Developing writing in the primary grades– Collaborating, sharing, and conferring

Building Intrinsic MotivationStudents must really want to write to grow as writers.

Ways you can build intrinsic motivation:– Use of intriguing read-aloud texts– Choice of writing topics, even when exploring different

genres– Membership in a safe, caring community that

takes writing seriously

Providing Time to WriteTo be a good writer, students need to do a lot of writing.

Students need to independently write daily – anywhere from 15-25 minutes a day. You build up to this time.

First 5 minutes – no walking / no talking

Learning from Published Works and Authors

Students learn to write from published writing.

Students should encounter compelling examples of writing in various genres to:

– Use as sources of inspiration– Examine specific features of genres, writing craft, the

author’s purpose, and conventions– Learn about the writing habits and lives of professional

authors

Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com 9

A Brief Example…Wishful Thinking

Tom had all he ever wanted. And he still had one wish left. “I can’t decide. Can I use it later?” he asked. “You da boss. I’m just the genie.”“Cool.”As he walked down the streets, he searched for a tune to express his joyous feelings.“….Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner –”

Guiding Students through the Writing Process

Students should:– Use quick-writes to try out writing craft– Participate in guided reading of their drafts– Self-assess and confer with partners

The teacher provides guidance through:– Careful questioning– Modeling when appropriate– Providing tools such as word banks and proofreading

notes


Personal Narrative• Book Share Potential Titles

– Sunshine Home by Eve Bunting– Owl Moon by Jane Yolen – When the Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant – Thundercake by Patricia Polacco – She Come Bringing Me That Baby Girl by

Eloise Greenfield


Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

• Using a Mentor Text to focus on:• Narrative Writing

– Analyzing first words and– Sentence lengths

• Focus Skill: Idea Development • Support Trait: Sentence

Development


Common Beginning Words (average class sample)


Quickwrite• Think about a special memory

when you had some alone time with a family member. This could be a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, or a family friend. Think about what you did with this person and why you consider that time to be special.

• 15 minutes to draft 8-10 sentences

• Remember to “write small”

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• After my daughter Camille was born I wanted to be a perfect mom. I wanted to share with her the happy traditions from my childhood. Every Easter for as long as I could remember, my Grammy would make a lamby cake. This was a wonderful cake that was molded into the shape of a lamb. She would decorate it with coconut wool and jelly bean eyes. All around the lamby cake there were chocolate eggs and sometimes little yellow Peeps. I wanted to make lamby cake for Camille’s first Easter. It did not go well. No matter what I tried, what recipe I used, the lamb’s head would not stay on. I tried again. And again. My kitchen soon resembled a Lamby Cake French Revolution – heads were rolling everywhere! I threw all of the cakes away and went over to my grandma’s house. As she held Camille, I cried because I felt like such a terrible Mom….I couldn’t even make a cake! Grandma listened patiently and then went to the kitchen without saying a word. When she returned, she put a small jar of toothpicks in front of me. Patting my hand she said, “I could never get the heads to stay on either!”

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Writer’s Craft with Students• Briefly review Owl Moon

• Count the number of words other than “I” or “the” that Yolen uses to begin sentences

• Circle the beginning words in your draft• Count the number of words in your

sentences, then in Owl Moon• Working with a partner, discuss the

differences• Craft trick: Varying beginning

words and sentence lengths

Learning Skills and Conventions When Most Helpful

Skills are not taught during the prewriting and drafting phases of the writing process.

Skills are taught during the revision, proofreading, and publishing phases when students should be focused on communicating clearly and correctly to their readers.

Developing Writers in the Primary Grades

Students should be given opportunities :– Draw and tell their stories before writing– Participate in shared and modeled writing

The teacher provides guidance through modeling:– Thinking aloud about writing ideas– Drawing illustrations to tell a story – Using basic writing skills – Rereading his or her own writing

Collaborating, Sharing, and Conferring

In order to grow as writers, students need opportunities to collaborate and receive feedback.

Students should have opportunities to:– Talk in pairs, in groups, and as a class about

their writing– Learn cooperative structures and discussion prompts– Confer with partners and learn to give and receive

feedback– Present published writing from the Author’s Chair


Primary Lesson• Book Share• Talk• Model• Time to Write


Intermediate Lesson• Book Share• Quick Write• Time to Write• Share / Reflection• Guided Revision• Surgery ( interactive Revision & Editing)

Possible Genres for Grades K–2

– Getting Ideas– Telling More– Writing Stories About Me– Fiction– Nonfiction– Letter Writing– Exploring Words Through Poetry

Possible Genres for Grades 3-6

– Personal Narrative– Fiction– Expository Nonfiction– Functional Nonfiction– Persuasive Nonfiction– Poetry– Letter Writing– Test Taking Unit

Lesson Structure– Getting Ready to Write (15 minutes)

• Whole-class instruction• Shared and modeled writing• Preparation for partner work

– Writing Time (20-30 minutes)• Teacher confers and assesses

– Sharing and Reflecting (5 minutes)• Students share their writing• Students reflect on social interactions


Next time…• Interactive Revision and Editing: “Surgery”• Conferring • Assessing Writing

writing instruction in pk-6

Documents

published writing

helpfuldeveloping writing

narrative writing

writing habits

writing craftparticipate

writing instruction

writing programto

writing processstudents