Teaching Writing

           Children possess the potential to produce writing beyond the expectations of adults. When they are instructed in the proper environment with the necessary support from their teachers and family, they can succeed.  Teachers can facilitate writing development by utilizing the technique of scaffolding. (VanNess, Murnen, & Bertelsen, 2013, p.574).  In scaffolding, supports are gradually removed as the child advances in his or her development. Supports can include “private speech and materialization” (VanNess, Murnen, & Bertelsen, 2013, p.579). Private speech refers to the way children say their thinking out loud by repeating words, sounds, or letters. Materialization can include word lines, word walls, and other physical objects used to represent something invisible.

The teacher in the article divided her students into ability-based groups. This enabled her to focus her mini lessons on a specific topic that she knew was a common struggle for the group (VanNess, Murnen, & Bertelsen, 2013, p.579). She is aware of the varying stages of development that each child is working on. Her observations and documentation display her dedication to providing the fitting amount of guidance for each child. She also gives suggestions and leads the children into subjects for their writing, but allows them freedom and choice in how they start their story and what they decide to record. She wants her students to see writing as a “process of personal expression” (VanNess, Murnen, & Bertelsen, 2013, p.579). The children gain ownership over their work and feel competent. By utilizing observations and noting the abilities of the children, young children can write.

Sources: VanNess, A.R., Murnen, M.J, & Bertelsen, C.D. (2013). Let me tell you a secret: Kindergartners can write! The Reading Teacher. 66(7), 574-585.