Glimpses of kindergarten life with Laura Flocker from September through May: An Oregon Full-Day Kindergarten Model… This is what we know for sure: Provide explicit, systematic instruction in seeing and drawing like an artist. Introduce children to lines and rich vocabulary the first week of school with crayons and markers. Use multisensory ABC and Phonics […]
Class Pets Provide Authentic Reasons to Write, Draw, and Make Books in Kindergarten and First Grade Charlie the Turtle became a vital part of Katie Nelson’s kindergarten. Mailboxes especially designed for class pets are delightful K-1 writing props! Students love to write books about their animal friends and to pen personal messages to them—especially if […]
Overview of a Comprehensive Kindergarten Writing Model Why do we value the Common Core writing standards? All Kindergartners Can Develop Stamina for Personal Narrative We raised our expectations, developed accelerated learning strategies, involved Parents as Partners, gave children crystal-clear learning targets, and became skilled teachers of beginning writing. The result? Learning to write in kindergarten […]
Learning to Express Gratitude Is a Year-Long Theme: We Sing, Sign, Spell, Express and Write “Thank You.”
Their discovery? “I can read!” Success with Stamp and Read Books Each of these 16 Wooden Animal Stamps comes with a clear plastic coating, making it easier to keep them clean (made in China). Tip: Consider covering Nellie Edge Wooden Stamps (handmade in the USA) with clear contact paper, going over the word and down the […]
It’s early October and kindergarten children are learning the joys of writing for real world purposes. Writing and reading fluency with a growing collection of high-frequency “heart word” sentences is our next important learning target.
Hello! My name is Heather Cacak, and I am honored to be a guest blogger on Nellie’s blog. Today’s blog post will focus on what seems like one simple component of the writing workshop time frame, but it’s really how I manage to get my students writing authentically and independently each day.
How to Simplify Kindergarten Handwriting Instruction And Build Stamina and Fluency for Writing Workshop! 1) Intentionally develop fine motor skills and teach pencil grip. Differentiate instruction, recognizing the diverse 4-year range of skill development typical in most kindergartens. Use fingerspelling, games, and guided drawing to build finger dexterity, perceptual motor skills, and focus. 2) Involve […]
Opinion Writing: W.K.1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).
Glimpses of Information Writing in Kindergarten. W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
