Let's Talk About the Basics!

Children want to write. They want to write the first day they attend school. This is no accident. Before they went to school, they marked up walls, pavements, newspapers with crayons, chalk, pens or pencils...anything that makes a mark. The child’s marks say, "I am.”

- Graves, 1983 from Oregon's Early Literacy Framework, p. 50

 

Step 1: Read

Considering the evolution of mark making in our lives, are there ways that this shows up for you today? Do you journal, text, make to-do lists or compose stories? As we advance in our skills from childhood, writing takes many forms and helps us carry out the tasks of daily life, from academic to social endeavors. It supports us to reflect and communicate our thinking to others and to expand and demonstrate our knowledge. Many of us write every day in one way or another. In school, it is also a key means to share our learning.

Check out some of the writing basics that we will explore further throughout this module in the flip-cards below, or select the accessible table alternative.

To interact with the flip card, keep your mouse hovered over each card to review the back side.

What is writing for?

Writing can be used for most communicative purposes, for example, to persuade, entertain and explain. We can also write for ourselves, e.g., to reflect, keep records and express ourselves. Writing presents an opportunity to welcome student identity, voice and experience into the classroom.

What helps us to get started?

Writing requires foundational literacy skills, such as understanding letter/sound correspondence, handwriting, spelling and word processing.

What forms can writing take?

There is no one right way to write but instead a myriad of styles and genres to choose from depending on your writing goals and intended audience. While some contexts require use of a standard English, others are best served by students utilizing the full repertoire of their linguistic assets.

What is the writing process?

Writing can range from quickly jotting down ideas to engaging in more formal writing genres. These genres often require planning, drafting, feedback and revising. A key takeaway of this process is that quality writing doesn’t occur on the first draft!

How do peers support one another’s writing?

Students benefit from being part of a community of writers, to identify as writers and take ownership over learning. As part of this community, students can support one another through the process of brainstorming, reflection, feedback and celebration.

 

Step 2: Explore

It’s time to do some sleuthing! Take a few minutes to consider the different opportunities in your classroom that your students have to write during the course of a day.

Five Part Exploration Activity

  1. Reflect on your lesson plans and student schedules for one day.
  2. Make a list of the writing opportunities you find. Hint: These opportunities may be found in the context of content area learning and in dedicated writing instructional time.
  3. Count how many times your students write during the school day and how many different types of writing they engage in.
  4. Based on your best judgement, note the complexity or challenge of the writing task on a scale of 1-4 for your students.
  5. Consider ways to increase the number and types of writing opportunities your students have throughout the day. Include a few that challenge students!

 

Try It Out!

Engage your students in different writing opportunities and share your experiences with a colleague.