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Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day of March 2017.
A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.
We talked about how writing isn't simply a 45 minute workshop block. Students should see themselves as writers, all the time. Early childhood classrooms should have writing tools available throughout the classroom, no matter where a child plays - clipboards at the ready in science centers and in the block corner; pads of paper, notebooks, schedules in dramatic play; sign-ins at arrival; sensory tables that emphasize fine motor skill development through tools such as tweezers, tongs, or hiding small beads and sequins in sand; writing centers stocked with pencils, crayons, alphabet tools, more.
We shared what we know about writing tools, things we've learned from occupational therapists that have worked with young children with fine motor issues, such as triangular and chunky crayons, short 'golf' pencils that force you to pinch the end of the pencil. It is essential to have a full array of writing tools - and opportunities to build those fine motor muscles.
Of course, writing is language in print. How can you be expected to write if you haven't the words to share? From their earliest days in school, we must give them opportunities to share, converse, tell stories, to build their oral language - and we should capture and document their words.
I also think - not only is teaching an art, it must be activism. We early childhood teachers must be activists. We must speak up for play and exploration, defend developmentally appropriate practice, and remind our administrators and legislators about the individual children behind the data.
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.
At a recent early childhood team meeting, we had a terrific discussion about early writing. Our early childhood team is six classrooms - two each of kindergarten, pre-K 4, and preschool (or pre-K 3 - as it is frequently called in our district.) I'm a preschool/pre-K 3 teacher. The kindergarten teachers were sharing about Writer's Workshop, and I was riveted by focus of their teaching - getting students to think about punctuation, space between words, stretching out the words to hear all the sounds.
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| Writing materials in preschool dramatic play |
We talked about how these concepts can be a developmental stretch for many kindergarteners, sharing anecdotes of students who are still not connecting that letters create words, who struggle to hold a pencil, who have very little interest in sitting still and focusing. We saw a video clip of one kindergartener who was reading his own writing aloud and - rather than recognizing or connecting letters he himself had written on the page - closed his eyes and tried to recall his story from memory.
We wondered, are we pushing children to read and write too soon? How do you know when it is too much to expect? How do you recognize what a student really needs?
We talked about how writing isn't simply a 45 minute workshop block. Students should see themselves as writers, all the time. Early childhood classrooms should have writing tools available throughout the classroom, no matter where a child plays - clipboards at the ready in science centers and in the block corner; pads of paper, notebooks, schedules in dramatic play; sign-ins at arrival; sensory tables that emphasize fine motor skill development through tools such as tweezers, tongs, or hiding small beads and sequins in sand; writing centers stocked with pencils, crayons, alphabet tools, more.
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| Writing materials in the block center |
We shared what we know about writing tools, things we've learned from occupational therapists that have worked with young children with fine motor issues, such as triangular and chunky crayons, short 'golf' pencils that force you to pinch the end of the pencil. It is essential to have a full array of writing tools - and opportunities to build those fine motor muscles.
Of course, writing is language in print. How can you be expected to write if you haven't the words to share? From their earliest days in school, we must give them opportunities to share, converse, tell stories, to build their oral language - and we should capture and document their words.
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| Writing materials in the art corner |
I walked away from this early childhood meeting really excited about teaching. I was struck by the true art of teaching:
- knowing each child individually - personality, temperament, family, routines, likes, desires, fears, hopes, more;
- seeing the big picture (knowing the developmental milestones of writing skills, Common Core standards, curriculum expectations) and able to identify the smaller, personalized goals for students;
- having a keen understanding of development, how large and fine motor, cognitive, oral language, and social emotional skills all play a role in the 'academic' goals;
- having an awareness of those 'zones of proximal development' - knowing when it is good to push, stretch, instigate
- having time to focus on individual students and their learning struggles, and living with the tension of the disproportionate time and attention you give to certain students (teaching can be so much more efficient with our higher level learners)
- collaborating with our colleagues, learning about their approaches, considering questions together, and continually improving one's own practice.
I also think - not only is teaching an art, it must be activism. We early childhood teachers must be activists. We must speak up for play and exploration, defend developmentally appropriate practice, and remind our administrators and legislators about the individual children behind the data.
