A study on learning how to write in kindergarten by: Kelsey Wiska I’m An Author Now! A study on learning how to write in kindergarten by: Kelsey Wiska

The Five W’s Who: Mrs. Spicer’s kindergarten classroom Made up of 20 individuals What: Writer’s Workshop Lucy Calkins Writer’s Workshop Program Students split into 3 writing groups: Blue-High Red- Medium Yellow-Low Where: Concord Elementary School When: Approximately 11:00-11:40 am Mini-lesson: 10-15 minutes Individual writing time: 15-20 minutes After workshop share: 5-10 minutes Why: After observing how Writer’s Workshop is implemented into the kindergarten classroom, I am curious as to how it molds children into effective writers.

Research: Round 1 Statement 1: Students get up and move a lot during writing time. Question 1: What is going on during writing time?

Research: Round 1 Research: Video Recording & Observation. Video record was taken during both the mini-lesson and individual writing time. Results: Students that are not writing are either at the drinking fountain or walking around the room.

Research: Round 2 Statement: After assessing the data from round 1, the majority of students who are not writing are out of their seats. Question 2: How do students who are out of their seat during writing time explain what they’re doing?

Research: Round 2 Research: Anecdotal Notes & Survey After taking notes marking the children’s comments and conversations during writing time, I heard many negative comments such as “I hate writing” from various students. From this, I then posed a survey to the class in which I asked, “Do you like writing?”, before starting writer’s workshop. Results:

Research: Round 3 Statement: From the survey results, a majority of the students indicated a dislike for writing and an overwhelming majority of students in the yellow group indicated a dislike for writing. Question 3: Why did the student’s who answered “no” dislike writing?

Research: Round 3 Research: Individual conferencing I chose to work individually with each of the children who said they disliked writing time. During our conference, we would work on their individual writing piece together. After our conference, I simply asked them if they liked writing. Results: After being asked “do you like writing” after each individual conference, all of the children responded “yes.”

Research: Round 3 Continued Student X: September individual writing piece. Student X: October conference writing piece.

Professional Literature: …And With A Light Touch Avery, Carol. -- And with a Light Touch: Learning about Reading, Writing, and Teaching with First Graders. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993. Print. Lucy Calkin’s Writer’s Workshop Calkins, Lucy. "Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing." Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum. Portsmouth, NH: FirstHand, 2003. N. pag. Print. http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=186708 "In-Class Writing Instruction with Lucy Calkins [5,810 Views]." TeacherTube. Heinemann Publishing, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Strategies That Work Harvey, Stephanie, and Anne Goudvis. "Chapter 3: Effective Comprehension Instruction." Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. York, Me.: Stenhouse, 2000. N. pag. Print.

Conclusions: I realize kids who have negative attitudes about writing often avoid writing or view writing as “difficult.” I find that a teacher can foster a positive view of writing from children who view it negatively by writing with them in individual conferences. I think when teachers find various ways to check in with young writers, as well as their peers, when they place them in groups they figure out their behaviors and learn more about the kids processes of learning.

A Very Special Thank You To: Mrs. Spicer Dr. Kyle Shanton The Albion College Education Department Concord Elementary School