A Good Day of Writing
Every now and then, they all do their best
It’s a rare day in kindergarten when every student seems to do their best writing. Last week, we did a special bald eagle craft and I wanted to display them with (what I visualized to be) the students’ best writing to date. We first learned about eagles around Presidents’ Day; we’ve been keeping an eye on an eagles’ nest via an eagle cam; and then we read several books about eagles in preparation to do our best writing about eagles. The kids wrote well, but I wouldn’t say they all tried their hardest—even with me bribing them with “if you show me your best writing, I’ll let you put a googly eye on your eagle.”
And then there are days when I think it’s just a typical day of writing and, wow, I am blown away with every single student’s presentation. Today’s writing looked amazing; this is what I hope for after all these months of constantly going over the letter formation cues and finding the energy to keep track of 27 students’ various writing goals.
It is April 13, our 136th day of school. We are so fortunate to have been with in-person learning this entire school year. Four of my 27 were absent.
I was reminded today of the importance of consistently following my daily schedule. Whole group phonics every day. Two read alouds every day. Small group reading instruction (with a little writing thrown in) every day. Lexia and teacher-led phonics interventions every day. Making time for our self-paced sight word program with individual tests to pass each list. And, daily writing with individual student goals and the expectation to improve daily.
Okay, I’ve apparently written daily too many times because it’s starting to sound like a really weird word. But, I think you get the gist. Set your schedule and commit to it. Don’t skip writing because it’s overwhelming and hard to teach and you’re exhausted in the afternoon. Big things happen when you stick to your daily schedule.
While the big writing goals chart served its purpose of teaching students about the concept of goals and how to work on them, we have moved away from it and soon I will share how we’re currently dealing with individual student writing goals. It’s the latest iteration on my writing instruction and I think we’re all going to love it!
Hi Randee
Does your writing routine/year plan etc still reflect what you wrote about in your book in 2008 or has it changed to reflect new learning based on The Science of Reading? Love all the stuff you put out and just curious if this book is still how you teach writing in your class. Thanks!
Wondering if there is somewhere linked to access the My Writing Journal checklist you use for each chilc? You use the dot or check to mark off, and it has the BeD on the side? It looks amazing, thanks!