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Let me take you back eleven or so years. I was on the phone to my new principal who told me, “You will be teaching Prep”.
My initial reaction to this news was “awww". Then, after we hung up, my second reaction was “OK… but how do I teach Prep?”
We have all been there at some point! Some of you might still be feeling this way.
This post is going to delve into writing lessons with Preppies, and specifically how I structure those lessons.
I hope it might help you feel more confident if you’re still in the 'What do I do?' stage.
Discuss the learning intention and success criteria
Firstly, we discuss the learning intention and success criteria. Kids are real goal-getters. They want to improve in writing and achieve their goals, but they don’t know what they don’t know.
Therefore, I’m very explicit about the learning intention, and the success criteria. What do the students need to include in their writing to be successful? This is the success criteria.
I use digital learning intentions and success criteria for this. I don’t enjoy cramming it all on my whiteboard. It’s messy, cramped and time-consuming. Instead I use a PowerPoint and display them on my smartboard.
I like to use visuals as much as possible so students can ‘see’ what they need to do to be successful.
Whole class lesson
In this part of the lesson, I do lots of explicit teaching and give plenty of opportunities for oral language. I model thinking of an idea for a sentence, then have students talk with a partner about their possible sentence. We then share some ideas with the class to generate ideas.
For example:
"Today we are going to write about animals we like, and we will try to include a reason why we like them. Watch me as I try to think of my sentence. I like dogs because you can play fetch with them. Did you hear how I said which animal I like, and why I like them? Turn to a partner now, and share with each other what animal you like, and why. You might start your sentence: I like ___ because ___".
Modelled writing
In this part of the lesson, I do lots of ‘think-alouds’. Things I model are:
Tapping out my sentence
Starting with a capital letter
Leaving spaces between words
Using words in the room
Stretching out words and recording the sounds I hear
Ending with a full stop
Re-reading to make sure it makes sense
After writing my modelled sentence, we then refer back to the success criteria to see if I’ve included everything.
For example:
“Did I start with a capital letter? Yes!”
“Did I leave spaces between my words? Yes!”
Independent writing
Students then go to their tables and have a go at writing their sentence(s). We use a variety of writing tools such as alphabet charts, spacers, word banks, word wall etc.
The amount that students will write will vary. Some will write a small amount using support prompts, others will write multiple sentences.
Feedback
When checking students’ work, I like to give them verbal feedback. I never write feedback inside their writing book if the student is not next to me.
I like to start with something they did well, then add something they can try to remember for next time.
For example:
“I love that you found the word Friday in the room to help you write your recount. Next time, let’s use a spacer to make sure the spaces between your words are nice and spaced out”.
Share time
At the conclusion of the lesson, I choose 5-6 students to come up the front and share their writing with the class. We rotate this so that all students get a chance to share.
For example:
“Look at that beautiful handwriting”, or “You included all the parts of your recount!” or “I love that matching picture!”
And that's it!
That's the exact process I follow every writing lesson. The students know what to expect and that makes things run smoothly.
Writing lessons have come to be one of my favourite parts of the day.
If you have any questions at all, I'm always here to help!
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