1. Writing For and By Children
Writing with Children for All Abilities
Building Blocks Literacy Framework

2. Does the student: Daily Emergent Interventions
Know most of the letters most of the time?
Engage actively during shared reading?
Have a means of communication and interaction?
Understand that writing involves letters and words? No
Yes
Daily Emergent Interventions
-Shared Reading
-Predictable Chart Writing
-Alphabet & Phonological Awareness
-Independent Writing with access to full alphabet
-Self-Directed Reading
-Symbol-based Communication (with few exceptions)
Daily Conventional Interventions
-Guided Reading (Anchor-Read-Apply)
-Word Study (Key Words + Making Words)
-Writing
-Self-Directed Reading
-Communication with symbols + spelling

3. Use the list of Emergent OR Conventional Interventions
Does Your Classroom have ALL Students who are Emergent or Conventional? No
Yes
Combine the Emergent and Conventional Interventions
Shared Reading AND Guided Reading
Alphabet & Phonological Awareness During Word Wall & Making Words
Predictable Chart Writing (Share the Pencil)
Writing Instruction (Conventional Only)
Self-directed Reading
Independent Writing
Use the list of Emergent OR Conventional Interventions

4. Different Students Different Targets
Conventional-Goal is to build skills to communicate experiences, thoughts, feelings and understandings for many purposes.
Writing Process
Emergent-Goal is to build early understanding of the functions of print
Writing by Children (independent writing)
Writing with Children
Writing for Children

5. What is Not Writing the Four Blocks Way
These all have a place in writing formation but not writing for literacy. You need both production and conceptual processes for writing for literacy.
Copying
Tracing
Handwriting exercises
Fill in the blank
Writing with symbols
Grammar worksheets

6. Why is Writing Important?
The obvious: college, jobs, lists, applications etc.
Lauren from PA Literacy Camp Alec
Matthew from PA Literacy Camp Alec

7. Reading, Communication, Writing Visual up in here

8. What is Writing For Children?
Teachers provide a model of writing
The teacher writes and talks about what they are writing
The teacher explains why they are writing what they are writing
Can be a mini lesson or an activity itself
Morning Message
Signs, Schedules and Directions
Journal Entries

9. Why Writing For Children?
Many people learn skills by watching a model
It is one of the most powerful ways to help children understand:
What writing is
What people think as they write

10. Skills Taught When Writing For Children
What you say, you can write
Where to start writing and which way the writing goes (left to right)
Where to begin the next sentence or line (top to bottom)
Using capital letters
Using punctuation
How to stretch out words, listen for sounds and write those letters---spelling/reading!

11. Writing For Children Morning Message
“I am going to write a morning message. I will say the words as I write.” “Dear, capital D-e-a-r, Class, capital C-l-a-s-s. This is a comma (pointing to the comma), and it means to pause.” “The first sentence I am going to write is, Today is Tuesday. Today, Capital T-o-d-a-y, is, i-s, Tuesday, capital T-u-e-s-d-a-y.” The teacher write a period and points to the period while saying, “This is a period. You put a period at the end of a sentence.”

12. Writing For Children Journal Entry
“We begin our journal entry with the date, September 18. September, capital S-e-p-t-e-m-b-e- r, eighteenth. “The teacher writes a one and an eight as she says, ‘Eighteenth.’ “My first sentence is about what we did today. ‘Today we began school with big group.’ I start each sentence with a capital letter because sentences begin that way. Today, capital T-o-d-a-y, we w-e, began, b-e-g-a-n school, s-c-h-o-o-l, with w-i-t-h, big, b-i-g, group, g-r-o-u-p, period. A period goes at the end of the sentence.”

13. Writing For Children Signs, Schedules, Directions
“We are going to make a sign for the Classroom Library Reading area, so I will write ‘Classroom Library’ at the top. Capital C-l-a-s-s-r-o-o-m space capital L-i-b-r-a-r-y. Next, I will write the directions, so I will add that to my title.” (Add the word ‘Directions’ to the title) “Number one (write a numeral one on the chart paper)” etc.

14. How does Writing For Children Work?
Step 1: Write on a large example for the students to see in the method they write with (make sure the students can see you produce letters)
Step 2: Draw attention to the parts of writing you want students to learn
Step 3: Talk about your thinking and why you are writing

15. Writing For Children Bridging to Conventional Students
Draw attention to the higher level skills you want to focus on
Be creative in how you write for children; use music lyrics, jokes, story lines of videos they watch

16. Writing For Children Linking
Any time you have an opportunity to write in front of students utilize the techniques and steps to Writing For Children
Build opportunities for modeling writing throughout the day in each activity (For example write out the I can statements for every lesson in this method for any lesson is not as naturally built with writing)

17. Writing For Children Examples

18. Questions About Writing For Children ?

19. What is Writing By Children?
Planned opportunities to
Model writing
See what a child knows about words
See what a child knows about phonics
Respond to writing
Coach students in how to write

20. What is Writing by Children?
Print Has Meaning
Scribble, numbers, letter like strings, letters
Random Letters
Only letters are used but no awareness of sound-symbol relationships
Semi-phonemic (dg for dog)
Attempt to represent sounds in a word
Only use 1 or 2 letters/sounds in a word
Phonetic
Learning letter sound correspondences
Transitional
Rule-based, not always conventional
Developmental
Spelling Stages

21. What is Writing by Children?
Repeats Letters in Order (qqqqwwweeeeeeee)
Selects letters in the order they are presented
Repeats Letters Out of Order (qqmmkibbb)
Earliest indicator of attending to individual letters
Patterns (fjfjfjfjfjyototototo)
Selects Letters in Alternating Patterns
Spaces ( rrrrrr j fjfjfkkls mm i)
Students experiment using spaces
Word Like Groups (aht mos rrjr dkdk dkd)
Phonemic & Visual Representations (semiphonemic)
Words (phonetic & transitional)
Emergent Developmental
Spelling Stages

22. How does Writing by Children Work?
Step 1 Mini Lesson
Model free writing
Step 2 Writing Production
They have free writing
Step 3 Conferencing/Sharing
Discussion with students about what they wrote
Write what they said it is about on the back

23. How does Writing by Children Work?
“Some people draw pictures when they write”
“Some children make wavy lines when they write. They think about what they want to say and then write.”
“Another way kids write is to use the letters and sounds they know. They stretch out words like this…”
“Some children write with words they know or can see around them.”
“Some kids write like I do with sentences.”
Mini Lesson

24. How does Writing by Children Work?
Journal Writing
Real Reasons for Writing
Free Writing
Invented Spelling
Mini Lesson

25. How does Writing by Children Work?
Student is dictating the writing, teacher can influence with prewriting activities but should not be saying “we are supposed to write about BLAH”
Not prompting with ideas, prompting with tell me more
Don’t be an editor, be a cheerleader!
Writing Production

26. Writing Tips Break away from only copy and trace
Teacher writing on back of paper (no parent wants your work on their fridge)
Always model (mini lessons)
Know what comes next and encourage it/model it
Model with their pencils

27. Writing By Children Example

28. Road Blocks to Writing When writing has no meaning
When they do not have access to the full alphabet

32. “A wrestle mania moment. A see to. I get excited.”

33. Alternative Pencils
To get access to an alternate pencil, students DO NOT need to demonstrate:
the physical ability to use the alternative pencil
Knowledge of the letters of the alphabet
Pick a pencil that is EASIEST for student to physically use.
With limited, unreliable movements, pick one that has most potential to develop into a writing tool
Students learn about pencils and letters by writing.
The pencil MUST provide access to the full alphabet.

34. Alternative Pencils

35. Alternative Pencils

36. Alternative Pencils

38. “This book makes me feel mad because I don’t like nothing”

45. Questions About Writing by Children ?

46. References
Erickson, K. and Koppenhaver D. Children with Disabilities: Reading and Writing the Four-Blocks Way. Greensville, North Carolina: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc Hall, D. and Williams E. The Teacher’s Guide to Building Blocks. Greensville, North Carolina: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc Erickson, K. and Koppenhaver, D. Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension [PDF document]. Retrieved from 9th Camp Courage Literacy Camp Wiki at %20Camp “Predictable Chart Writing.” Dynamic Learning Maps Professional Development. Dynamic Learning Maps Alternative Assessment System Consortium. 25 March “Predictable Charts in the Classroom.” Predictable Chart Writing: Group Writing for All. Jane Farrall Consulting Literacy – AAC Assistive Technology, 6 June March Icons made by Freepik from