Kindergartners are bursting with ideas and want to express what they are seeing and learning about their world. Depending on their development and experiences they all eventually want to record their information. In the kindergarten classes we provide many opportunities for children to have positive experiences with the writing process.

Learning how to write involves: 1. Recognizing and writing alphabet letters. 2. Knowing what sounds the letters make. 3. Understanding how writing and speech relate. 4. Wanting to write for a purpose.

Some of these skills are taught in isolation such as learning to form letters in our alphabet writing books, but most are integrated throughout each day in our daily routines, centers and play times. Children watch as the teachers write a morning message to the class, write down the attendance for the day and make a list of what we will do at center time. We help children to become aware of alphabet letters, sounds, and words through games, songs, and looking at each other's names for letter similarities and differences.

There are many occasions to write thank you notes to someone, a story about our latest field trip or a sign to hang up in the room telling about our butterflies.

The writing center is one of the places in our classrooms where children will find the tools they need to practice their writing skills as they develop throughout the year. In addition to different types of paper and writing implements, they will have a journal to keep track of their thoughts and ideas. At first many children will draw a picture and write a few letters to tell about their picture. Later, they will use temporary spelling to sound out words and copy sight words from wall charts. Many children will eventually write whole sentences using spacing between words. Dictionaries are always available for children who want to look up the correct spellings of words.

There are many other times during the day when the children write: a birthday card for someone, a note to a friend, a list of the children in the class, and that most important sign that goes by a block structure that says PLS D NT TSH.