Strategies for scaffolding writing  I am going home.   (child says what he wants to say, teacher repeats it, and writes a line for each word. they repeat it together and then child writes a word on each line- invented or whatever. Child uses this strategy alone and quits using it when he/she doesn’t need it any more.

Children’s own spelling strategies “how do you pronounce island?”  Children often figure out their own strategies for spelling, even for words whose semantic & phonic structure does not match.  Always ask them to explain their strategies- it is a depiction of use of metacognition strategies.

Ideas for writing mini lessons (Used to introduce a variety of strategies & skills for writing).  Procedural mini-lessons (write name & date, stapling finished work, what to do when you have finished writing, etc.  Skills mini-lesson- (space between words, writing conventions….), punctuations, syntax, etc).

Ideas for writing mini lessons (continued)  Strategy mini-lessons: (lining out instead of erasing, rereading own writing, rehearsing ideas at home or with friend, figuring out important part, topic selection, where to get ideas for writing).  Craft mini-lessons: (making picture in mind of reader before writing, considering effective leads in familiar bks, using words to advance a story, letting writer’s personal voice come through, using your senses when adding description.

Conferences: prompting children to begin & sustain writing  How is it going?  How can I help you?  What is going to be the most important thing?  Tell me about the most important part.  How do you do that?  What is happening in this piece?  Are you going to write all this?  What are you writing about?  What was the best part?  What are you writing about?  What are you going to say about it?  What are you going to write next?  Any surprise in your writing?

Role of literature & read-alouds  When writing “children do borrow from literature & from each other”

Cursive writing-pros & cons Pros  Aesthetically pleasing  Easy to use once mastered.  Easy to read  Great for children with disabilities (eg. dyslexia - can’t see difference in some letters, e.g., “b” & “d”).  May reflect overall literacy skills & increased self esteem.  Is needed in situations where computer can’t be used. Outdated  Outdated  Does not favor left-handed people  Research shows that many legible & quick writers do not use it.  A waste of time- won’t need it in future.  Even post office doesn’t use it.  Not tested in standardized tests.