Dear Parents,
Perhaps you are
wondering about how we develop writing in class and why, perhaps, your child is
bringing home papers with temporary spellings that haven’t been corrected.
Remember when your child first
learned to talk? S/he may have made many “mistakes” or approximations in their
speech, but it didn’t really concern you that much. At times you may have
corrected their speech, but mostly you included your child in your conversations,
encouraged them to talk, and delighted in your interactions with them. As
parents, you know that children learn to talk the same way they learn to crawl
or walk… They learn to talk by talking.
Learning to write works the same
way. Here is an example of writing in the early part of the year:
IFAGDFDA
Now this may not look like
standard writing, but it is an approximation and it is AMAZING! It tells us a
lot. This shows that this child knows that written language is supposed to mean
something, and the child can explain exactly what it means. When asked, they read:
I have a goldfish called Adam.
Just about every letter stands
for one word in the story.
I
F A GDF
D A
I have a goldfish called Adam
By the end of the year, we hope
to see something like this:
My
frarit part of the clasrom is the libare bekus it has Books. And we lrn how to
red. I like it.
My
favorite part of the classroom is the library because it has books. And we
learn how to read. I like it.
A teacher’s job is to help
children learn to write the same way parents and families help them learn to
talk. If we put our energy and focus into correcting each and every
approximation, the child will get discouraged and lose a natural desire to
write. What research tells us about heavy correction is that children are being
taught that meaning is less important than spelling the words correctly.
If we invite them to use their
oral language in their writing, even if they can’t spell all the words
correctly, we give them the freedom to say what they mean. Children learn to
write by writing. When we support and applaud their “best attempts” we see
their writing take off.
Do
we have a time to teach spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting?
Absolutely! We do this during our
whole group instruction, small group instruction, and individual conferences.
We select one or two teaching points that are writing their writing development
and support them as they take on this new skill.
My goal in sharing my thoughts with
you is to encourage you to share in your child’s joy of writing. Kindergarten
is an amazing year of growth for writers. The skills will come with time.
Just remember… We learn to write by writing!
Fondly,
Queen Hicks
