Last Spring, I attended a workshop at Havergal College which has an exemplary inquiry based Kindergarten program. Among the many things that I was introduced to and learned, the scaffolded writing in kindergarten approach was most interesting to me. Kindergarten children relay their messages in so many forms, from basic shapes on a page to detailed pictures accompanied by simple sentences. Since we can have children on all levels of the developmental writing continuum, it makes most sense that we focus our attention on where the child is and provide instruction that scaffolds their growth. I decided to expand upon our writing area and focus on all forms of communication. This is why it is now called the graphic communication learning area. Here, children are encouraged to write stories, send friends letters, make lists and plans for their daily activities. In addition to the many authentic writing opportunities, I also do guided instruction to provide individual children with the tools that they need to become better graphic communicators. One way that I encourage our emergent writers to extend their stories and independently write is through Scaffolded writing. This approach helps those children who are ready to write, remember their thoughts and elaborate more on their stories. I have found that this approach is incredibly helpful to our emergent writers to become more independent.
Above, students were asked what they wanted to write about their picture. The teacher drew lines that corresponded with the length of each word. Once the lines were drawn, the teacher and student repeated what was going to be written. Using prior knowledge of sight words, a portable word wall and phonemic awareness strategies, they were able to independently write and add detail. With continued practice, it is expected that our students will be able to write much more and do so with confidence and enjoyment.
Should you be interested in learning more about this approach to writing you can refer to the link below. Their is much more in the article to support children at various stages of writing. Also, keep in mind that the key to building a classroom full of confident writers is to meet them where they are. Writing should be fun and enjoyable. If a child is not yet ready to write or has not yet had opportunity to experiment with various forms of writing, then it is very easy to change a child’s perspective from an enjoyable activity to a daunting task.
The Kinder Class 