Kindergarten Essentials

The debate continues, throughout my own team and the majority of Kindergarten teachers, on what writing in Kindergarten classrooms should actually look like. This is overwhelming! With as much teaching that is expected of Kindergarten teachers, for instance, teach them to read, write, fundamentals of math, social-emotional skills, how to sit in a chair, how to use a stall restroom without adult supervision, etc., we struggle to find the time to incorporate all of the academics. When faced with the job of teaching academics in a now limited time, teachers begin to believe that handwriting and writing are actually the same thing.

I get! You want them to know the difference between n/h so you discuss it during a conference. Those mechanics creep into sacred writing time. This is the time when we should be developing voice and fostering choice with our writers. Instead, we choose mechanics and handwriting. And why do we do it? Because it's easy. Pick the thing that is glaringly obvious and the students don't have to think beyond the surface to correct.

When Elizabeth Auguste interviewed Kindergartners asking what makes a good writer, these are the types of responses she received: "I'm neat." "I can start a sentence with a capital letter." "I put spaces between my words."

While these are all great topics, essential mini-lessons to incorporate in the publishing stages of writing, it's not the authentic authorship experience we want for our beginning learners.

So what do we do? To make the shift to authentic writing in my classroom, I will be revitalizing my approach to writing and phonics. Handwriting and sentence structure will stay in my phonics curriculum. Writing will focus on authorship. Yes, I will have cross over moments to demonstrate how to apply those mechanics into our publications. This will be known as editing. But when teaching revision, I want them to see their piece again. What can you add? What style are you using? Who are you talking to? These are the questions we will answer with our writing.

This will be an experiment for my classroom. I hope to share my results with my fellow teachers and administrators as we continue to address changes needed in our writing community.

Bibliography

Auguste, Elizabeth. “The Balancing Act of Kindergarten Writing Instruction.” Ascd.Org, Apr. 2018, www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr18/vol75/num07/The-Balancing-Act-of-Kindergarten-Writing-Instruction.aspx. Accessed 10 July 2020.