Writing Workshop

Writing Workshop

 

One of my favorite things of kindergarten is the end of the year...It is not seeing them leave, but seeing what they can do. We started the year talking about how to hold a pencil and the letters in their names and now we are writing books about China or the new waterpark or hunting for Easter eggs. Katie Wood Ray's book In Pictures, In Words has been such a resource in my classroom this year. We started the year working on using our illustrations to tell a story. It was a balance between telling a story and the mechanics of writing, but when I look around the room and see my authors working so hard...I realize that they will leave with a love of writing. 



 

 

 

 



 



In my classroom we work hard to learn from real authors, some of our favorites are Tomie DePaolo and Angela Johnson. They teach so much more than I possibly could alone. I use many techniques in Katie Wood Ray's book In Pictures, In Words. I believe because of this book, my kiddos are able to analyze pictures and determine how and why authors put different details in their pictures. The really amazing thing...I am starting to see this translate into their writing. I also use many different techniques in Lucy Caulkin's Units of Primary Writing. My kiddos use books and mentor authors to add details to their stories. Lucy Caulkins writes a lot about writing "seed" stories. My kids have latched onto this concept and work on stretching the details in their seed stories to create a picture for their reader.

 

I'll tell you a secret...writing is my favorite time of the day. To see my kiddos get their writing folders and write, just fills up my teacher heart. I get to spend time watching them create stories and get so caught up in their writing that they moan when it is over. It is the best way to end the day...after a long day it is just what all of us need.

Welcome Back!

It has been a crazy year! I just wrapped up National Boards. I have learned a lot about myself and teaching, but I am glad to be able to say I am done with the writing. So on that note...not much has been written on my blog lately. But some things that I have begun to think about lately...would I want to be a student in my room?

Would I want to be a student in my room?

I was a good student growing up...I knew all the right answers...and worked hard to figure them out. I wanted to know exactly what the teacher wanted me to say. Then I would say it. I graduated with honors both in high school and college.

Fast forward to my classroom. Guess what??? I would hate to be in my room. In my room there is no easy answer. My students have to work to explain their thinking. They talk about how they figured out the answer and I am no longer the giver of knowledge. I would have hated it....I would have wanted to know the right answer. Now my kids are able to explain their thinking. They look at themselves to find answers, they question, they analyze, they decide and guess what they are 5.