Writing in Kindergarten

Often, the poetry folders will ask students to draw a picture and write a sentence and I've had a few parents ask me what exactly we are looking for when we ask the students to write a sentence. 

Student development varies from child to child. We begin by asking the children to write whatever they can, whether it be to simply draw a picture and accompany it with scribbles or to write any random letters they may know. At this point we are simply trying to get the students used to the idea of writing.

After this, we try to get the students to start hearing the different sounds within a word and to begin writing the letters that accompany those sounds. At this point they will not hear all sounds and will usually only write the initial sound and will omit vowels as they won't hear them.  For example, if they want to write the word "home" they may simply write "H" or "HM".

We then move on to the point of being able to stretch out a word to hear as many sounds as possible and to write them down. At this point they may be able to write the word "home" as "hom" because they are able to hear the H-O-M sounds, but they obviously won't hear the E because it is silent.

Eventually, by the end if SK, we hope to get to the point where students are able to readily write simple sight words and are comfortable trying to sound out unknown words, while remembering to leave spaces between their words! 

Below are some examples of the different ways in which Kindergarten students write "sentences". They are not in any particular order and are from JK, SK and ESL/ELL (English as a Second Language/English Language Learners) students. 

(I was playing in my house and I was colouring.)

(I went outside.)