Monday, April 9, 2012

Writers Workshop

So, I've put a challenge ahead of my Kinders- I want you to be readers and writers by the end of the year- pretty tough for a 5 or 6 something student!  BUT, my Kinders love a good challenge, and they have risen to the occasion.  Here's how they do it.

They each have their own composition books.  (I got them from Staples during summer for a PENNY each!)  I love, love, love Staples penny deals- it feels like winning the lottery!

Each morning, I write a prompt/question on the board.  Such as: {{What is your favorite color?  What is your favorite animal?  What is your favorite cereal?}} at the beginning of the year... and {{Do you like fiction or non-fiction better?  When we learned about Black History month, which person was your favorite?}} towards the end of Kindergarten.

They get out their journal and see this:

... that is their journal bookmark- telling them it's Ready to Write.  The bookmark has writing strategies they can use as they write.  When they are finished, their journal looks like this:

They put their journal bookmark back in with Ready to Read sticking out the top.  Once I read it... you guessed it... I put it back with the Ready to Write sticking out of the top.

I can't tell you how pleased I have been with their writing quality!  I remind them to look back in their journal for how to spell certain words they use alot... "because" "favorite" and other words like that.  They also use the word wall for Kindergarten sightwords.

I (or my cadet teacher) read through them everyday.  Is it time consuming- YES.. Is it worth it- DOUBLE YES!  It has been such a blessing to see these kids sprout into writers who LOVE to write- they are excited to see what the next question of the day is, and they have a fun time reading what I write back to them.  Most of the time it's just corrections of their spelling, but every once in a while, I'll throw in a little comment or two and they love it :)

Here's what my bookmarks look like:
They are for sale in my TPT and TN stores, but for my faithful readers, I will e-mail them to you for free- all you have to do is comment below that you want them, and I'll e-mail them to you!  easy peasy, lemon squeezy :)

So, I want to know- (it's another 2 part question)

How do you teach writing in your classroom?
AND
What did the Easter bunny leave for you on Easter???

me?  I got chocolate- duh! (and YUM!)

oh- and have you entered Teri's giveaway at A Cupcake for the Teacher?  She has reached 1000 followers in just about 4 months of blogging!  Way to go Teri!!

11 comments:

  1. Wow, that is totally awesome!! I was just blogging about writing, and it's definitely an area that we have been working on. Thanks a lot! Oh, I would love to have the bookmarks!!
    agriffith1123@yahoo.com

    Angela
    The Daily Alphabet

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  2. Thank you so much for sharing! Good luck :)
    ❤Teri
    A Cupcake for the Teacher

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  3. Penny? Seriously?! :)

    I love to see writing in kindergarten! Have you heard of Lucy Calkins' K-2 Units of Study? They are top-notch.
    ❀ Tammy
    Forever in First

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  4. I love the bookmarks! Especially the Ready to Write and Ready to Read labels. My students have bookmarks, too, with their sight words on them, so they don't always have to look at the word wall.

    I teach writing to my kindergartners by using writing workshop. First, I do a mini-lesson, then I send them back to their seats to practice what I've taught them, then we share. They also practice writing at their stations each week. I am very pleased with their progress.

    Thankfully, the Easter Bunny left me my favorite...anything with the word Hershey in it! LOL!

    Lori
    Teaching With Love and Laughter

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  5. I am always looking for great writing resources! I love your bookmarks! :)

    Lisa
    fsuteach81@yahoo.com

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  6. I bought those same notebooks over the summer. I love your bookmarks and your blog!
    Marcy
    marcy_sundling@hotmail.com

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  7. Love your bookmarks!! In the morning there is a sentence on the board for my kids have to correct and then they have to write 3 sentences with a certain site word. Since it is getting towards the end of the year, I want to begin using open ended questions they need to answer. You have inspired me to start doing so!

    Oh ya, and I got lots of chocolate for Easter. YUM!
    lclements728@gmail.com

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  8. I use the same idea for bookmarks for my math journals and I love the results. Neat to see how they can be transferred into other subject areas too!
    -Leslie @KindergartenWorks

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  9. Tagged you....but I am suggesting FReeze tag:)
    Staci

    Going Nutty!

    misssquirrels@yahoo.com

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  10. Thanks for your comment on my blog! Keep me posted on how My Fitness Pal works out for you!

    1. You'll die, but I don't specificially & formally teach writing in my class. I have an intervention program I have to teach for an hour and a half each day. Plus, it's not tested so it kind of falls by the wayside. I love those bookmarks and would love a copy!
    livingawonderfulife@gmail.com. It will definitely help next year when I will definitely be formally teaching writing.

    2. I got nothing from the easter bunny this year! My mom did get me a Gamecocks scarf, so that counts right?!

    Bonnie
    Living A Wonderful Life

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  11. I hope it isn't too late to ask for the bookmarks! I love that idea and I would be pumped to be able to use it next year. :)

    marvelousmultiagers at gmail dot com

    At my school, we have a writing program, Write Source, that I use. I didn't teach as much writing as I wanted to this year... but most of my kids made huge strides despite that fact! So I'm looking forward to focusing on it next year and comparing the results. :)

    The Easter Bunny brought me sweet tarts! <3

    Marvelous Multiagers!

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