Episode 8: Talking About Writing!

I’m your host, Elizabeth Morphis and for today’s episode, I’ll talk about writing and the purpose of writing. We’ll go deeper on this topic in the next few episodes as well. 

The purpose of writing in the elementary grades 

Kids love to share what they know and express themselves, and writing helps them do this. What they write varies depending on their age and grade level. Kindergarteners, for example, start with pictures of what’s important to them: their toys, their friends and family, and eventually they add print to the pictures, labeling each of them. For the higher grade levels, they learn the different forms and genres of writing which include narrative, persuasive, or even poetry. 

Writing also impacts reading, as reading and writing are interconnected. When children can write and talk about what they read, they become even more motivated to read. 

Setting up a workshop and time for kids to write 

First, kids find it helpful to have a consistent structure. You can teach about writing processes and the craft of writing. Then give them time to write afterwards where they can apply these lessons. The setup of independent writing time would depend on your class and what your goal is. 

At home, we can do small things to encourage kids to write more. If there is paper and writing utensils in each room the kids spend time in, it’s very easy for them to grab and write whenever they feel like it. Texting to friends and family members and being able to share their stories, allows kids to write in a way that they would eventually have to so they can communicate with others. 

Useful tools to help kids when they’re writing 

Paper and writing utensils are the most obvious, but we can utilize these tools to motivate kids to write even more. Kids love colors, so add more colors to their writing utensils. You can use crayons, colored pencils, and different markers. There is also different paper you can use now, and even different notebooks with lines, pictures, blank pages, and with fun covers. 

Pay attention to the things they find interesting and use it to encourage them to write. 

I hope this episode was helpful for you, and you’ll implement these in your own class or at home.