There was one subject I used to be nervous about teaching. Teaching writing in kindergarten was something I wasn’t confident doing AND I didn’t really know how to go about it. Thankfully after a lot of observations, research, trial and error, I figured out a kindergarten writing routine that now makes it is my favorite thing to teach!
Why is Writing Important?
Teaching writing in kindergarten is super important! We talk about how without writing, stories were only passed down orally. Writing gave us the power to send messages to people far away and to record things so we won’t forget. I teach my students that writing gives them the power to inform, persuade, and entertain. They can understand that writing has a purpose and they are authors and illustrators right from the beginning!
How I am Teaching Writing in Kindergarten
Quick-Start Routine
My kindergarten writing routine begins first thing as students start every day with morning journals. This ensures daily writing practice and makes for a soft start for teaching my students.
Usually I project a prompt on the board to inspire students. At the beginning of the year these are a simple picture or word to copy. This progresses to a simple sentence, a sentence starter, and finally a picture or a question for them to answer. I use alphabet paperless prompts at the beginning of the year and then use monthly themed writing. Projecting means morning work is always ready to go with no prep!
Free Write Fridays are my kids’ favorite days to write. They choose something from our weekly writing center such as a card or letter, incorporate themed vocabulary from the week, or just free write. They always impress me with what they can come up with!
Warm-Up Routine for Teaching Writing in Kindergarten
After arrival, I start each day with a morning meeting. This incorporates my word study routine and my writing routine! I start the writing portion with author’s chair. Students sit in a special chair to share a piece of writing they have completed. After they share, they choose two friends to share a glow and a grow and ask the author a question. This helps my students be proud of their writing and encourages a positive classroom culture. Students can also do authors’ chair as a read to someone option later if many want to share.
Then it’s time for shared writing! Sometimes I do this on a giant anchor chart and other times on the SMARTboard. The latter is fun because I can still utilize handwriting lines and my board has a QR code so I can push out our writing via Class Dojo for parents to see. I love having this easy family connection!
I often make purposeful mistakes so students can help me fix them after our writing is completed. We know even teachers make mistakes and this also shows how revising and editing is an important part of the writing process. To write our message we use our environment full of learned sight words, themed vocabulary, and our phonics knowledge to use inventive spelling for the words not posted. Then we edit our draft together with a class rubric.
Teaching Writing in Kindergarten with Centers
This year my reading block has changed due to the Science of Reading. After our new whole group reading and phonics lessons, I do 3 quick centers so I can progress monitor, do interventions, and assess. Students collaborate, apply learning, and complete minutes on our district programs during these centers. My three centers are Teacher, Table, and Technology and students visit each daily. Table center focuses on either reading centers, word, or writing. The following are options I use for my writing “table” center as the final part of my routine for teaching writing in kindergarten.
Manipulatives
Students mix and fix sentences in a giant pocket chart and then copy these into their notebooks or elaborate on them to make them more complex.
Handwriting
Students practice handwriting by focusing on individual letters with tracing sheets , using printed traceable story prompts, or by tracing sentence starters and then completing the sentence as meets their ability level.
Vocabulary
Students choose themed vocabulary words to use in their journal writing, copy them in an around the room center, or pick a printable monthly prompt to complete that includes the weekly themed words. We love incorporating more vocabulary in our classroom!
Rubrics & Assessment
To help students self-assess their writing I use prompts with rubrics on them. This reminds students to check for beginning capitalization, ending punctuation, finger spaces, neat handwriting, and to read to make sure their writing makes sense. I also have this posted as an anchor chart I make with the class. During teacher round on the days they have writing at table center I often complete progress monitoring for writing.
Purpose for Writing in Kindergarten
My kindergarten students know that they write with a purpose. They are writing to inform, persuade, or entertain. Writing can be a fun form of expression or a way to communicate with others. Through Fun Friday journals, author’s chair, pen pals with upper grade buddies, making cards for family members and to celebrate school staff, and more, we learn to enjoy writing.
Teaching Writing in Kindergarten Take Aways
Routine is key to everything in kindergarten, and that includes writing! Although it looks different in August than in May, daily writing is key to empowering young authors. With choices, photographs, and consistency, they can have the encouragement and confidence to learn to write. Writing helps them express themselves, complete schoolwork, and communicate with friends. With a strong routine, we can teach kindergarteners to love writing!
Start with Your Free Week of Vocabulary Now!
Start motivating your students to write with a week of engaging vocabulary words right now! Students will have the confidence to write with themed words ready for them to use in their writing. You will be thrilled to have students writing instead of asking “what do I write about?” or writing the same old sentences. Let me know if themed vocabulary helps you with teaching writing in kindergarten.
