June 16, 2020 | Emily Ford Sytsma
This blog was written by former MSS Kindergarten teacher Kim Knoester.
How do you help your child develop over the summer and prepare him/her for reading in first grade? Create space for your child to write.
The rules for writing are simple in kindergarten and entering first grade. First, draw a detailed picture. Second, write the sounds you hear in the words that tell your story. Finally, reread your work to make sure you didn’t forget anything important.
Writers begin with a detailed picture and write about their experiences. Ruby draws and writes about her trip to an upside down house.
Writers listen for sounds in a word and they write the sounds they hear. Here, Stella models how to listen for many sounds in a word. She writes, “I am going to the doctor’s office.”
Jack works to carefully make letters fit the lines. Holding an idea, listening for sounds, identifying letters, and remembering how to form them is hard work! Writing helps to strengthen the child’s working memory.
Writers use spaces between each word. Caroline puts a finger space between each word as she writes about eating at a Mexican restaurant.
Writers proofread. Camila went back over her words and realized she could use the word wall to spell a word instead of sounding it out. She also added a period she had forgotten.
At the end of writing, writers ask four questions.
Happy Writing!