Already ReadyNurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten

by Katie Wood Ray & Matt Glover

This book is not about teaching writing; it is about nurturing writers –

helping them grow and develop

When thinking about developmentally appropriate expectations for preschoolers we must always take into consideration:

• the child is a writer (already ready)• the child is 3 or 4 years old

UnderstandingYoung Writers

What It Means to Be a Writer

A pre-schooler writer….• composes for stretches of time• makes picture books• goes through a writing process• uses ideas from books read to them• shares and keeps their books• reads their books• Example: The Dinosaur & Flower Book

Jeffery is a Pre-school WriterThe Cold Bear, by Jeffrey

“The bear can’t find a mitten because he can’t find a glove and because of that he has to have to let his

hands be cold.”

“Because his hands are cold he wants to go skiing to make him warm.”

Pg. 1

Pg. 3

Pg. 2

“Bear dreams about a bone that has meat. So he can eat it. This bear likes meat because it makes him warm.”

“Because bear is warm, he ate his meat bone. A hedgehog invited him over to his house, because he had a fire going. Then the bear invited the hedgehog over to

his house because he had ice cream.”

Pg. 4

Observations of Jeffery as a writer

• Makes picture books

• Uses ideas from books read to him

• features of stories and books• sequencing of story• using word bubbles to show that a character is dreaming.

• knowledge learned during recent read alouds• The Mitten• study of hibernation

For the Pre-school writer….

the written product means very little without the child being there

to represent it when he or she is actually writing

•Noah's Book - 'The Machines That Make Everything Come to Life'

Transcription and Spelling Development

Developing the skill of transcription

• takes a long time

• requires a lot of experience writing and reading

• follows sequence of stages• scribble writing• random strings of letters• invented spelling• conventional spelling

Figure 3.1

Scribble Writing

Figure 3.2

Researchers have found that the marks are made with some intention in mind and only appear as random scribbles. Over time the letters begin to resemble actual letters.

Random strings of letters

Figure 3.3

Children begin to remember what certain words look like, particularly words in the environment, so it’s not uncommon for a sight word to show up among all the random strings of letters.

Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover suggest reasons for NOT transcribing student stories-

• transcription is not a prerequisite for compositional writing

• preschoolers are not even moderately adept at spelling• it will be years before they can engage in transcription

without thinking about it and pay full attention to the thinking process of composition

• not knowing much about transcription actually frees writers to put more energy into other aspects of writing.

Three Dimensions of Composition

During the pre-school years, young writers learn about

• texts• focus • representation of meaning- pictures, words, both• meaning should remain constant over time• organization should remain constant over time• genre and purpose

• process• intentionality- planning topics and revision• revision to solve problems and make sense

• what it means to be a writer

Composition DevelopmentDuring the Pre-school Years

Developing the skill of composing • takes a long time • requires a lot of experience writing and reading• follows sequence of stages of making books with

• no focus- children label pictures (Figure 4.1)• loosely connected focus- children talk about what is in the pictures

(Figure 4.2)• focused text- children narrate a story prompted by the pictures (Figure

4.3)

Growth in this area is evident when these readings sound more and more like picture books

Example of a pattern book - The Pink Penguin

• Composing follows a sequence of stages :• a book with no focus (children label pictures – Figure 4.1)• a loosely connected focus (Figure 4.2)• a focused text (Figure 4.3)

• Children read books• may simply label pictures• may talk about what is in the pictures

• Teachers of young children can refer to texts as a story or list

• Growth in this area is evident when these readings sound more and more like picture books

Figure 4.1 – Cold In Summer, by Leila

“This is a spider sleeping.”

Fig 4.1

“A snake is sleeping. It is cold out.”

Pg. 1

Pg. 3

Pg. 2

“The dragon is sleeping.”

Labels for Pictures

Figure 4.1

Figure 4.2 – A Loosely Connected TextChristmas Holiday, by Aubrey

“The deer is protecting itself with it’s horn.”

Fig 4.2

“This deer only has one baby horn.”

Pg. 1

Pg. 3

Pg. 2

“Clara is riding the deer like a sleigh.”“But the deer died and now it’s slimy.”

Pg. 4

Figure 4.3 – Focused TextA Cold, Cold Day, by Charlie

“Once upon a time Gogo the snake was getting to hibernate.”

Fig 4.2

“The snake grew and grew and found a place to hibernate.”

Pg. 1

Pg. 3

Pg. 2

“Gogo the snake went inside the igloo. He started to warm up.”

“Gogo the snake takes a nap.”Pg. 4

The Child’s Image of Self as WriterHold two ideas simultaneously-

The child is a writerThe child is four years old

•Important that children develop an image of themselves as writers- who make books

•Initiative driven by desire and belief

•Must be valued as the writer s/he is– at this moment of time

•Children share their writing on their own terms

-If the adults don’t acknowledge a child’s writing simply because it’s not yet representational, then they never see the amazing thinking about writing she is capable of doing.

-Focus on the process – Not the product

Nurturing an Identity of Self as Writer

•Pre-school children need opportunities to • develop an image of themselves as writers- who

make books• be driven by desire and confidence• be valued as the writer s/he is– at this moment of time• share their writing on their own terms• focus on the process – not the product

If the adults don’t acknowledge a child’s writing simply because it’s not yet representational, then they never see the amazing thinking about writing she is capable of doing.

Teaching Practices that Nurture

Young Writers

“Making” Picture Books is Important because…

• they are familiar• illustrations carry the weight of the meaning – allowing them to

talk about what they see illustrated in text.• children extend what they know about communication and

composition.• picture book format encourages persistence, stamina, and

independence• activity is fun and developmentally appropriate• multiple pages force the issue of composition

Although picture books are just one kind of text- the understandings children develop while making them

can be generalized to all kinds of texts.

Classroom A …in contrast to Classroom B

Child is writing a book“Making” something vs writing something

Child is not writing; No invitation to write

Child chose to write and what to write about Teacher gave the children a topic

Child’s ideas are valued;Ability to figure out the writing process is valued

Adults provide structures and scaffolds to frame the writing

Long stretch of time available Children are given one page to write on

Books are shared and published; Finished book stays in classroom

Writing is not saved or re-read

Books look like they are written by a 3 or 4 year old Teacher transcribes – The unspoken message is that the child can try to write on their own, but adults are really the ones who know how to write

Child read the book Child cannot read it. The words are part of his oral vocabulary, but not his reading vocabulary

The teacher values his writing because it supports him as a writer

The teachers value his reading because it supports him as a reader.

Classroom Environments that Support Young Writers

Compositional Writing …in contrast to Functional Writing

Comes from within the writer Comes from outside the writer

Is the project- requires the writer to devise something in his mind and use writing to capture that design

Done to support a task or project

Act of creation-writers bring meaning to the page, and go way beyond the basic skills of transcription

(mostly) Act of transcription-a single piece of paper with a sentence transcribed beneath it reduces the meaning in such a way that it cannot be called a composition

Builds a much stronger identity as a writer- experiencing the response of readers helps children understand the power they hold when they compose and arrange things to achieve a particular effect

Won’t nudge children beyond skills

Writing Activitiesthat Support Young Writers

Interactive Read Alouds • talking about books and authors• reading multiple books by authors, illustrators• rereading books

Side-by-Side Teaching • sit with children and stay there long enough to observe and interact by• posing problems• asking question• making comments• sometimes showing how

Nudging (vs. pushing) • moving writing forward AND leaving children with energy and enthusiasm for making books

• supporting without overwhelming• giving energy rather than taking it• questioning less and listening more

Share Time • learning from other writers

Instructional Practicesthat Support Young Writers

“Show me what you can do and I can help you get a little bit better”

Lev Vygotsky