How to support your developing writer…

1. Provide many writing opportunities throughout the day:

• Lists, Notes, Things to Do, Goals, Letters/Postcards/Thank you notes

2. Provide many writing materials to write on:

• Sticky-Notes, Index Cards, Greeting Cards, Construction Paper, Journals, Dry Erase Boards

3. Celebrate!

• Kids love to share their writing- allow time for sharing! Put their work on the fridge!

4. Say It then Write It

• Kids need to orally repeat their thoughts before we ask them to take it to

paper. This allows them to process the thinking first. Repeating the sentence/

thought after each written word helps the students recall what they are

intending to write.

5. Kids Read it Back

• Kids need to re-read their own writing to the adult, rather than the adult

reading it out loud first. This allows kids a chance to see omissions or

fragments in thinking.

6. Brainstorm Away

• Kids need to see LOTS and LOTS of examples and have time to brainstorm

ideas. The task of writing includes the thinking part, where kids need to be

supported with brainstorming and planning ideas.

7. Model

• Kids need to see a model over and over before we ask them to do the work

on their own.

8. Break it into Small Chunks

• Kids can be overwhelmed when being asked to write an entire piece or

sentence. Breaking it down into smaller sections helps kids. Even folding a piece

of paper in half helps kids see they are only working on one section at a time.

9. Don’t correct them too much. Hold them accountable for these things: 

• Uppercase at the beginning of the sentence and period at the end

• Appropriate sound spelling - if you can read it, don’t correct it!

• Vowels - if they are missing or mixed them up (often happens with i and e) 

• Lowercase letters 

• Letter reversals

• Finger spaces between words

• Neat handwriting

The more you pick apart their work the more frustrated they get, so choose only a couple things to correct them on.