Developmental Writing

 In Kindergarten and first grade, alot of times parents are at a loss how to help their student  write because unlike teachers they aren't trained to understand developmental levels of writing. Even sometimes, teachers may have unrealistic expectations of what students should be able to do. In this virtual learning environment, it can be so hard to know how to help your student, especially with writing. Personally, this is a struggle for my own son. Edmund's speech makes his vowels wonky and his fine motor isn't the strongest. It makes writing anything a source of frustration for him. Plus, he is a seven year old boy, so sitting still to write a couple sentences is usually the last thing he wants to do. I've been having to dig into my bag of teacher tips to help him succeed. If your child is anything like mine, you probably know how I feel and how frustration is both for the child AND for the parent! But here is a couple things to remember about writing and how you can help:

Developmental Levels of Writing:

First off, I think this point is critical...if your child is a Kindergartener or First grader, the range of acceptable writing can be vast because K-1st is supposed to be developmental...meaning, where the student is at, is where they are at. While there are standards, kids progress through stages at different paces. Some students who are slower to read and write, will be just fine by 2nd or 3rd grade, with proper instruction and intervention. So, there is a range. The concern is when students are not making appropriate level of progress with support and intervention. 

If your child is in Kindergarten at the beginning of the year, they may be

-scribbling for pictures and words

-drawing a picture and scribbling for words

-drawing a picture and using a string of random letters (bxbcbdrt)

-drawing a picture and using beginning sounds to represent words with no finger spacing between words

-drawing a picture, using beginning ending sounds, and starting to use finger spacing between words

-drawing a picture, using beginning, middle, ending sounds...the vowel might not always be correct, but they know there should be one there (that's called using a vowel as a placeholder), and using finger between words

-drawing a picture and using correct BME sounds, beginning to use sight words in their writing with correct finger spacing. 

Do you see what I mean? :) The key is to help students progress through each of these levels by providing support to get to the next level. So, if my child is scribbling, I might say, "can, you try to write some letters to represent your words?" I don't care what letters they are writing, I just want them to understand that writing includes having letters to represent what they are saying. 

By first grade, students should start writing simple sentences, using sight words and cvc words with correct vowels. Some kids will be doing way more than this, some kids will be doing way less. That's where development comes in. What is always important about teaching reading and writing is meeting the students where they are developmentally and add strategies and support to get to the next level. 

Alot of times, your student will ask, "how do I spell _____?" This especially happens in beginning of first grade when they are trying to write longer words and more sentences. Tell them to stretch out their word and write the sounds they hear IF it is a word they SHOULD NOT be able to spell. This is important, students should be held responsibility for the spelling features they have been taught. If I know my child has gone over short a words in small group, they should be able to spell those words correctly in their writing. If it is a hard word (like scientist or playground or baseball), then they write the sounds they hear. Having a word wall handy so they can easily access their sight words for spelling helps them have those familiar words (see this post: Word Walls  )

Example of how to support your student:

As Edmund really struggles with writing, I wanted to share with you the conversation I had with him to prompt his writing, but not do it for him...it's a balance, but we want to provide support to ease frustration, but also make it a learning experience for the child.

The prompt was: Write about a science safety rule we learned today.

Here was his result:

Me: Edmund, what do you want to write about?

Edmund: (after several minutes), Okay. (he starts drawing his picture)

Me: I like your picture. Now, what can you write about it?

Edmund: Don't go close to smell. You have to fan it. 

Me: Okay, I like that idea! The whole wafting thing, right?

Edmund: Yeah!

Me: what's your first word?

Edmund: Don't (he begins to stretch out his sounds without me asking. He writes the word and then stops)

Me: What was the next word in your sentence? (Believe it or not, alot of times kids totally forget what they were going to say. That is why they need to rehearse their sentence a couple times to get that idea solid in their brains). Remember, you are writing about the smell.

Edmund: Oh, yeah, go.

Me: you know how to spell that word! You know how to spell to, too, just don't forget to finger space!

(Ed writes go to)

Me: now, what's the next word?

Edmund: close

Me: I hear a blend in the beginning of close. While you stretch your word, listen for that blend! See if you can get it! (Note: Edmund hasn't been formally introduced to blends, but they are showing up in his spelling words for reading group...so I'm trying to use opportunities to see if he can hear those sounds while he is stretching them out..and he is starting too!)

(Edmund writes clos)

Me: Hum, what do you notice about that o sound in close?

Edmund: It says o!

Me: yeah, it says its name, so what does that mean?

Edmund: Magical E!!

Stopping here: Edmund has not been introduced in formal reading instruction to magical e. He noticed this feature in his teachers writing as he was trying to copy down her sentences. We had a whole discussion about what magical e was because he noticed it and was curious. So if it super obvious, like with an o or a sound, I try to point it out and just see what happens. I don't correct him or push him because he shouldn't be held responsible for that spelling features. 

Me: what is your next sentence? You is on your word wall, so you should look it up!

For the rest of it, I didn't correct have because that is not one of his sight words he has learned yet, so writing hav is completely appropriate for him! I make sure he wrote the rest of the words correct because they were short vowel words. 

If there is a longer word (he didn't have one of those in this writing), a quick strategy is that if your student is firm on syllables to have them write what they hear in each syllable. So take a word like pumpkin. I might say, 

Let's divide this until syllables. Clap it out. Pump-kin. Let's work on our first syllable, what sounds do you hear in pump? Have them write those sounds. Now what's the rest of the word? kin. What sounds do you hear in kin?

Also, if your student has started using vowels, remind them of this rule: every word has to have a vowel in it! One of Edmund's spelling words today was shin. He wrote it like this: shn. He told me it doesn't look right. I asked him why. He told me that every word has to have a vowel and then stretched out the ending better and squeezed in an i to his word. 

Hopefully some of these strategies help you with supporting your student's writing. Just remember:

-there is a wide range of developmental levels of writing

-encourage them with prompting to head to the next level

-hold the responsible for only what they are supposed to know how to spell depending on word study level

-for first grade students learning sight words, create a word wall for them to use in their writing

-don't give words but have them stretch out their words to write the sounds they hear. 

And know, that for some kids, writing is a pain...and they may hate it. Just try to support them the best you can by using these strategies, but don't do it for them. Trust me, so many times, Edmund is like, "please mama, just tell me!". And sometimes I may because he is revving up into a meltdown. And if that is the case, you do what you have to do! :)