- Read aloud daily from a broad range of literary and informational texts, highlighting their varied
purposes (e.g., tell a story, share an opinion, inform or explain); structures or organizations
(e.g., narrative, description, cause and effect); and features (e.g., tables of contents). Ample
familiarity with different types and purposes of text facilitates children’s ability to write their own
texts of varied types for varied purposes. Some texts
serve as mentor texts, that is, excellent models of a
targeted type or structure of writing. - Provide a well-stocked writing area where children
can find a variety of writing instruments (e.g., pencils,
pens, colored pencils, chalk), surfaces on which to write
(e.g., postcards, paper, charts, sticky labels), envelopes,
clipboards, and a computer. Include examples of a
variety of texts (e.g., letters, posters, lists, books,
magazines, and signs). - Provide writing materials in all areas of the classroom
and outdoors, as appropriate: in the puppet area,
science center, painting center, and other areas. - Model writing daily. Write for real purposes, such as to make a request of the front office staff,
share information with families, record the schedule for the day, make a list of items to take
home, and appeal to a community member for assistance with a research project. - Engage children in constructing and reconstructing text, guiding children to collaboratively tell
or retell a story or other type of text while writing it for them (e.g., on chart paper or using a
document camera). - Provide opportunities for children to write in response to texts, particularly after sharing their
ideas orally. - Include writing as part of learning in content areas. For example, children draw their
observations of a leaf and then dictate language to describe it. They share their comments
about the value of classroom rules during a social studies lesson. - Teach children explicitly how to write letters, words, and connected text.
The goal of writing instruction in kindergarten is to support young children’s abilities to express
their thoughts in increasingly skilled ways, as well as to support their awareness of the purposes
for writing and of different text types. Although copying letters and words may be part of direct
instruction (e.g., for forming letters or encoding), it is not the primary focus of writing instruction.
(However, it is important to note that building fluency with printing and, later, with handwriting,
facilitates children’s ease with translating their thoughts into written language.) Importantly, children
begin expressing themselves through writing from the first day in kindergarten. The CA ELD Standards
highlight skills that support ELs’ progress in writing.
An example of a kindergartener’s narrative is displayed in figure 3.23 along with an annotation.
Clearly, this child has learned how stories work (note the opening, detailed events, and closing) and
knows and can use the symbols and basic conventions of the English writing system (i.e., letters of
the alphabet, capitalization, and punctuation). Examples of informative/explanatory and argument
(opinion) writing are available in Appendix C of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy (http://www.corestandards.
org/assets/Appendix_C.pdf, NGA/CCSSO 2010b).
Model writing daily. Write
for real purposes, such as to
make a request of the front
office staff, share information
with families, record the
schedule for the day, make
a list of items to take home,
and appeal to a community
member for assistance with a
research project.208 | Chapter 3 Kindergarten