Unleashing the Writer in Your Child

I am SUPER excited to be a part of another 5-day series with iHomeschool Network! And this time, I get to write about one of my favorite subjects (if not my very favorite) to teach: WRITING!  Yay! Please Scroll down to see all the topics and links to this series.

This week, I’d like to tackle the subject of writing. Not handwriting. Not spelling. Not writing to a prompt. Not copy work. Just writing. Writing as a CRAFT. Writing as a PROCESS. Writing as a WRITER.

 

 

Traditional Writing Instruction vs. Writing as a Craft

The Writer is Given Authority Over His Own Piece

In a traditional setting, writing is very much about the teacher. I give the prompts, I assign the copywork, and I decide what is and is not “correct”. (Please note that I am NOT saying that doing these things as a part of a balanced writing program is wrong.) When writing is seen as a craft, the writer is given lots of choice. Choice to decide his topic, choice to select his words, choice to publish or not publish. Now choice can make things messy. Very messy. But it’s well worth it in the end.

The Student is Seen as an Author

This fits hand-in-hand with the topic above. I find myself using words like, “It’s your choice. You’re the author,” or “You reminded me of {insert author’s name} when you wrote that!” when I work with my first grader at home. The child’s writing is treated as precious and read right along with the classics.

Writing is Not Linear

In the traditional setting, students write in more of a linear way: step 1, step 2, then step 3. While the writing process needs to be introduced in a linear way, once the child understands the process, it is not treated as such. I love Graves’ quote, “Losing balance, regaining it, and going on, is the substance of learning.” Writing truly can be a two steps forward, one step back kind of dance.  Writers move ahead, take a step back to revise, move ahead a few steps, fall behind in doubt, move ahead…the process is recursive.

Writing Skills are Learned in Context

In a traditional setting, skills (handwriting, spelling, conventions, etc.) are learned much out of context, treated as a separate subject that writing. When writing time comes,  the connection is not easily bridged between the two. While nothing is wrong with teaching handwriting or spelling, writing as a craft reinforces those same skills in context. In the context of writing. Why do we want to write legibly, spell words conventionally or place punctuation in the correct location?

Two main reasons:
1-We care about our message
2-We care about our reader/audience.

When writing is taught as a craft, these two reasons are kept at the forefront. Not always so in the traditional setting.

Writing is Social

In traditional writing instruction, students’ work is not typically shared and celebrated with others. But when writing is treated as a craft, kids interact with a listener. The audience may even drive their writing at times. Lucy Calkins says, “If given the chance to share their pieces with a responsive listener, they often realize they have more to tell and someone who hopes they will tell it.” (The Art of Teaching Writing) She goes on to say that if those listeners interact with and respond to the writer, the writer will soon internalize the reader. {I love that thought.}

Rich with Meaning and Purpose

When students are given authority, treated as authors, taught the writing process, given a reason to care about their writing and audience, and given the ability to interact with an audience about their pieces; writing time can be full of meaning and purpose. In the traditional instruction of worksheets, copy work, and prompt-driven writing; meaning and purpose (aka enjoyment) of writing can be squelched.

“We are teaching the writer, not the writing.” -Lucy Calkins

 

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So, how do you get your child to say YES to writing? How do you UNLEASH THE WRITER in your child? Oh, I’m so excited to explore this topic. We’ll spend the next five days working through the writing process. Here are some of the subjects we’ll cover:

• Day 1: Model Good Writing (modeling, connecting to literature through read alouds, the author’s craft and life)
• Day 2: Choosing a Topic (Writer’s Notebook, quick writes, author’s voice)
• Day 3: Writing a Draft and Preparing for Publication (time to write, invented spelling, keeping the reader in mind, learning from the author)
• Day 4: Publish and Share It! (ideas for publishing work, writing as a social process, authentic audiences to share pieces)
• Day 5: More Writing Tools and Resources (writing strategies beyond Writer’s Workshop, more websites and blog posts related to teaching writing)

More Writing Resources:

• Simple Writing Lessons: a 12-week series, giving you hands-on applicable writing lessons for the primary grades (lots of free printables, too!)
• Preschool & Kindergarten Writing Lessons: a 10-week writing series for Preschoolers and Kindergarten
• 25 Ways to Make Writing Fun

 

Enjoy teaching!
~Becky