Emergent Writing

[Susan]

When modelling writing for children do you model at the stage at which they are writing emergently?

 

So for children who are writing individual sounds, usually initial, you model that or do you expand it??

[Guest]

I would show them how I listen for the initial sounds of the words plus some other final or dominant sounds, quietly writing in the rest of the letters. I tend to emphasise the idea of words as well eg 'Now for the next word, it's 'dog'. What sound does dog begin with?' I would try to support the children in listening for final sounds, perhaps as a group.

[Guest]

For the children that only recognise a few letters and are still working on hearing initial sounds, I try to encourage their own emergent writing using any letters they know (not necessarily representational), just to get their confidence going and helping them to feel that they can write. For the middle band, who recognise and can write most initial sounds 'on demand' I do much the same as'horsechestnut'. For my top group I encourage them to write all the sounds they can hear and also use a word card with some irregular high frequency words they can read.

So, in answer to your question, I suppose I model at their level, and slightly above (with the exxeption of the 'bottom end').

[Susan]

So if you are writing a shopping list for example you would write

p

b

m

 

 

???

[Guest]

Generally I get the children in the group to tell me the sounds they can hear, and they tend to be the ones that I write down. It would be just the first letter and a picture for the lower level writers. If it was with the whole reception group it would be more letters written down for a word, because of the higher attainers. I don't know if this is right, it's just what I find myself doing!

[Susan]

Ok, thanks

Ive always modelled with a whole class group and written the sounds they give me, prompting and encouraging to extend through the word so that you have full words. It has been suggested this week that we should be modelling at the level the child is at but how do they progress if that is all you offer?

[mundia]

Im curious about this one as a few people in my school go along the write the sentence and they copy, and Im not very keen on that especially for those that really aren't making any recognizable attempts at letters yet.

So when you work with a group writing, do you write or do they write? I do as above asking them what sounds can they hear etc, but then ask them to write them rather than me, sometimes they say they can't and I ask them to go and find that letter, but Im always asking myself what are they learning if I do all the writing and they just copy?

(we do lots of modelling writing as a class all the time eg the date, LOs etc). What do others do?

[SmileyPR]

If it is in a whole group situation, I usually ask first to those who can only recognise initial sounds... giving them the chance to be successful. Then I ask what is the next sound and I choose one who is in the able to find the middle sound and so on (final sound). That way everyone has a go and feel they have done well.

 

If it is not a vc or cvc word (some already do CCVCC's), like an irregular word they want me to write down (they ask it )... then I ask for their help, write what they offer and then I correct it with them.

 

BUT... I don't say: "You were wrong here". I say: "Wow, you did very goog, you were very close! Ms. (Grade 1) will be very proud to here you are giving a try to such difficult words. I am very proud of you. Well done!"

 

You should see their faces .

[Guest]

I have started to use my puppets to model emergent writing and they write at the level I am targeting for that group.

I work in nursery so felt the need to have an emergent writing model as some children feel pressure of 'real' writing and so won't have a go at their own writing. using puppet gets away from issue of not modelling correct writing as an adult. puppet might be at stage of writing using random 'scribbles', letter-like shapes, or familiar letters and sounds.

 

When writing with the whole class I would always write correctly but including chidlren's input at whatever level of expectation is appropriate.

[melc]

When I do modelled or shared writing with the class or group I encourage the children to listen for the sounds they can hear in their ears and we write those: initial, final, medial. When we have finished, sometimes a word, sometimes a sentence I tell the children how clever they were to hear those sounds and if they do that in their own writing I would be very pleased. But I know that this word has other letters too, so I show them.

 

Mel C