the write stuff

Thanks to everyone who weighed in last week as to what they'd like for me to share next. It seems that sharing about writing has topped the list for this week. Just this week, I gave a private tour of my classroom to a teacher friend in our district who wanted to see how centers work for us. It seriously lasted an hour and a half! It was great fun sharing and talking together about how to make literacy the most concrete for kinders without having to do worksheets when possible.

Okay, onto writing... Oh yes, and the reason I started this post by sharing about my friend coming to visit. She was asking about which center is my "reading" center and which one is my "writing" center. And my answer is that they are either reading, writing or doing both at every center. So that's why we had such a long, but fun discussion.

I do have two centers that focus mainly on "writing" in the more traditional sense. The first is already in place within our classroom and is called the writing center.

This center is housed in a three-drawer organizer and a basket. We started an initiative years ago to expose students to letter writing at a younger age. This was how I developed it and its stuck! Each week, we write to one lucky duck kinder and all write a letter to him/her.

{download this poster}

We interview them and fill out a web listing some of their favorite things before we begin writing for the week. Then we hang the chart by this center for handy reference. I change the names on the master one on my computer and will slightly alter the message as time goes on.

I do change the letters within the entire letter to dotted as we master them in handwriting and gradually leave words missing until we are all writing in the spring and then the letter is completely up to them to write!

When the lucky duck kinder comes to this center, he or she works on decorating the front cover and making it all theirs.

{download example}

They turn these into a basket on my desk (actually its the only thing turned in during centers) so that way I can give them a quick glance before compiling them.

I compile them the next week (when we're already working on someone new) into a book. We read them together and our special kinder gets to sit at the front while we all read our page to them. Last year I sent these books home right away. This year, I've added a reading component by creating a place to house these books. Students will still get to take them home, just on "loan" until the end of the year.

It works out beautifully by the end of the year when before they leave, they realize I haven't had a turn and write me "goodbye" letters and our last one is our end-of year prompt in which they write to their new teacher.

With all of my centers, I try to make them open-ended and have a choice component to them. With this center, the choice comes in the content and while the letter does end, students can write a letter to anyone they want when they have finished. They can use our class address book, kinder-friendly words in my neighborhood book and kinder-friendly letters to mail. Of course, I get to be the post-master and read each letter before the mailman delivers it. Funny what they learn to write to each other once we put that power in their hands. I'd love to hear any funny stories about notes or what you've found written around your classroom!

{click to go back and get this free download}

Okay, and I save this for last! The author writing center - they totally just get more independent writing time. I am introducing this as a center this week. It will have one day of instruction and then can go "live" because all procedures are already in place.

They are working on writing little books on any topic they'd like to and this (and the materials) are exactly the same for what we do during our author writing time (writer's workshop). Voila - instant center and they love it! I totally make a big deal out of how they get more time to work on their books than anybody else that day. They totally eat it up. Nothing fancy, but its writing! The icons about planning and checking work comes from our writing process pack that I use to help develop writers.

Now that I've shared about writing its your turn! I'd love to hear any funny stories about notes or what you've found written around your classroom! Do tell!