Writing - there's more to it than meets the eye

Many teachers don't realise how hard writing is, especially for kids. I was one of those teachers and thought with enough practice every day, they will eventually 'get' it.

I learned a lot about in my journey with the Science of Reading, structured literacy and BSLA approach as well as workshops with Liz Kane how we learn and teach, especially in writing.

After reading this blogpost it is all making sense and I will change my practice to assist my young learners in their literacy journey.

As a teacher, I'd show the students how to write, they'd try, and we'd move on. I didn't realise how much they need to learn before they can write well. Students would draw and scribble letters, and I'd praise their efforts. But I didn't think much about what they really needed to learn. I should have spent more time teaching them the basics of writing, instead of squeezing it in with everything else. Now I know better, and I'll focus more on helping them build a strong foundation for writing.

Looking back on my teaching practice, I can see that some students thrived with the way I taught writing. They caught on quickly and became confident writers. But there were others who struggled. They seemed confused by the whole writing process, finding it hard to come up with their own ideas. Still, I kept at it, thinking that if we just kept practicing, they would improve. I included language experiences to make it more engaging but although that increased some of the writing there were still students who didn't.

Motivation

I will break it down into smaller steps throughout the day instead of just one big writing session. This way, kids can practice writing little by little, making it easier for them. When they write on their own, I'll still guide them, but not necessarily in the same way as before.

1)Working memory

I believe the key to helping children hold onto their ideas long enough to write them down is to reduce the other tasks that may be distracting them.

2) Formation

I knew handwriting was important, but I didn't realise how much it mattered for writing. Now I see that handwriting sessions are vital and should happen every day, I am excited that our school has decided to focus on handwriting as well.

3) Fine Motor and Gross Motor Skills

This is related to forming letters. If holding a pencil or sitting properly is hard, learning to shape letters becomes very tough.

The Key Strengths & physical skills needed for handwriting:
Gross Motor Skills (Posture Base)
Gross Motor Skills (Bilateral Coordination)
Fine Motor Skills (Sensory Perception)
Fine Motor Skills (Hand and Finger Muscles)
Eye Tracking Ability.
Spatial Awareness.
Motor Memory.
Visual Memory.

4) Encoding (spelling)

I believe this is one of the most overlooked aspects of literacy. Tools and skills to encoding, including elements of structured literacy, is now the main focus in our literacy sessions.

5) Irregular Words - heart words

Spelling tricky or as we call them 'heart' words like "the," "my," "was," and "saw" helps us write smoothly. If we don't have to think too hard about spelling these words, it leaves more brainpower for writing. Tricky words become easier once we learn them, just like regular ones. The Code spelling program will aid all our students in this.

6) Oral Language and Vocabulary

Good oral language skills are crucial for writing. Lately, I've seen a decline in students' ability to talk well, and it's a growing problem.
If a student can't speak in full sentences, how can they write one? We need to give them lots of chances to practice speaking clearly and expose them to rich language through stories and poems. This helps them become better writers. Shared Reading also plays a big part here. A rich exposure help students learn more words and ideas, which helps with both reading and writing. the shared reading time will not only benefit younger students but I believe older students will definitely benefit from being read to in class as well.

7) Sentence Construction

Teaching students what a complete sentence is should be a key part of writing lessons. They need to learn about the different parts of a sentence and understand syntax and word structure. For my younger students I begin with Oral language - Colourful semantics. This way they build their knowledge first orally and then by writing it down.

8) Idea Generation and Knowledge Development

If it's hard to think of an idea, writing is tough. And if we don't understand our world well, writing becomes even harder. We can help kids by teaching them how to come up with ideas using pictures, songs, poems, and videos.


How will this reading help me?

I will change my practice and reflect how to make it more engaging but also teaching my students the tools and skills they need to excel in their learning.

So What?

My reading buddies will have more focus in class 
'Sam the snake' will appear this week and help students with their ideas
Challenge wall set up and going through the growing pains of what works and what not, teaching students independence
Colourful semantics, handwriting and reading(with decodable sentences) must take place everyday
Shared reading must happen everyday
Will assess by the end of term and reflect how to change and tweak.

I will post an update on how my challenge wall is going. 

Link - Blogpost by Leslee Allen(Number Agents)