Writing

[Guest]

Do the more experienced have any thoughts about the following matter.

 

I teach a Reception class. My Head came in to do an observation last week. She was surprised at some children's reluctance to use shopping list paper to mark make in a random 'have a go' way. The paper was in a role play area set up as the 3 pigs house of bricks.

 

My experience so far is that this seems to be stage related. The children who are less able in writing and use of sounds seem to have less hang ups and will role play write to their hearts content. Those who are a bit further along in their skills seem hung up by what they don't know and are concsious of ideas like correct spellings etc. If I'm in the writing area I tend to encourage by asking them to write the sounds they can hear when they say the word and praising their efforts. My Head seems to think I should rather be encouraging role play writing. She felt I needed to role play how to do it for the whole class. So far I tend to work on such things by spending some time in the area with a few children, getting them enthused on the idea and then hoping there will be a drip, drip effect of other children wanting to have a go. This does work sometimes.

 

Help/advice welcome. As an NQT +1 I don't always have the courage of my convictions as much as I would like.

 

Also do other people have set learning objectives in mind for all child initiated play going on in dedicated areas of their rooms.

 

 

 

Angela

[Susan]

Hi Angela,

it'll be intersting to hear others thoughts on this one as you are describing exactly what happens in my classroom!

Children do seem to get to a stage when they realise that there writing isn't what they want it to be. I have tried to counteract this with giving them the skills they need in guided activities, some transfer this to their play others don't.

I also find that the less ready children become inhibited too and have been trying to work what I can do to improve this.

 

For child initiated activities I have indicated in my planning file, the sorts of learning that may take place within each area ie: sand etc.

For my weekly planning I just list what I am going to set up. If learning is child initiated it may or may not meet learning objectives?

[Guest]

The exact same thing is the case in my class both this year and last and I'm at different schools! Those who had no idea about sounds/letters etc or very little knowledge were happy to just write anything. Those who were more able in writing were not keen to write unless they knew that what they were writing was ''correct''. It just took them time to become more confident and me always saying, have a go! Sounds like it is a pretty common thing.

[JacquieL]

And in my class I find exactly the same. I feel very heatened to know it is not just me. Also children whose parents have pushed them on, teaching them to copy write will not 'have a go'. I think we should just tell ourselves that this is a stage of their development. I don't worry too much but just find ways to interest them by extending the role-play activities and perhaps going in and stmiulating them a bit more, for example pretending to ring up and asking them to write down a message or to make a list of something.

[Susan]

hi

I'm greatly reassured, what about you Angela?

[Guest]

Thank you all! Glad I'm not alone and doing it all wrong! My most able reader and potentially writer this year is very geared up to clues in the environment and will where possible go off searching the walls, books etc for the word he needs. He is reluctant to sound out but pleased to find it's quite successful with cvc words and phonic words. I'm also trying to get the better readers to close their eyes and picture the word they want when they know how to read it. That seems to help some of them.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry I really posted the message in the wrong area. I didn't realise I'd done it until too late.

 

Angela