Supporting Young Writers Through Read-Alouds- Week 6 Already Ready Book Study

By extending the ways they talk with students about picture books, teachers further young writers' understandings about texts, process, and what it means to be a writer.

(from p 125 of Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten)
Without laboring the point, Matt says simply, "I like the way that sounds. 'Soft and silent she swooped through the trees.'" Then, he continues on with the reading.

With just a tiny bit of talk inserted into the read-aloud, Matt does some important teaching. He plants seeds of understanding about how writers craft literary language, how readers draw to this language, and what this language sounds like in texts.

Later that morning... a student composes his own Waddell-like text for his book when he reads, "This is a snake and it slithers and slides."

During share time... Matt gets Owl Babies and rereads the page he read earlier and remarks on how the student's writing sounds like Martin Waddell's writing. 

In this example, the teacher worked with the student on the writing process across three different contexts- read-aloud, side-by-side while writing, and share time.

Wood and Glover suggest five lines of thinking that teachers and children can talk about related to writing and read-alouds-

1) People who make books

2) What makes a picture book, a picture book

3) Different kinds of books

4) Different purposes for books

5) The decisions writers and illustrators make

Talking About the People Who Make Books

Teachers need to support and encourage discussion that helps students understand that people who make books are everyday people just like them. Wood refers to this as the "concept of authorship." 

To build the concept of authorship-

1) Make it a habit to read the names of the authors and illustrators of the books you read. Read the names first, before you read the title. Embed a simple definition for author and illustrator into the talk. 

I have a book for you today that is written by a man named Mo Willems. He made the words in this book and he's the author. He is also the illustrator, so he made the pictures too. The name of his book is Knuffle Bunny. 

2) Show photographs of the people who make the books. This helps children see that authors and illustrators are real and familiar people. 

3) Read aloud the blurbs on the back covers to see what else you can learn about them. Find additional personal information from websites. 

4) Read the dedications. Knowing that authors and illustrators have special people in their lives makes them more real.  

5) Reread the same books. When reading a book students for a second time, you can talk about the author and illustrator like you know them. Rereading allows the talk about the author and illustrator to become more natural. This is the key to students seeing themselves like these authors and illustrators. 

6) Read multiple books by the same authors and illustrators. Reading a stack of books from the same author helps students see that writing is not a one-time event. 

Talking About What Makes a Picture Book, a Picture Book

Stapled sheets of paper and markers alone don't actually help children understand how to respond to an invitation to make books. Teachers need to encourage talk that supports students' understanding of what it means to make a picture book. 

- a picture book has both words and illustrations in it

- the words and illustrations change from page to page while staying on the same topic

- the author decides what the picture book is about (sometimes the author will make a note in the book explaining why he/she wrote the book, other times this is something you and your students can wonder out loud about)

- a picture book has crafted language in it (carefully use voice when reading and point out carefully crafted wording) 

Talking About Different Kinds of Books

Teachers need to help students begin to understand that there are different kinds of books- there is a difference between a book that tells a story and one that simply tells about something

Books That are Stories

Books That are Lists

Talking About Different Purposes for Books

It is helpful for students to understand there are different purposes behind the different types of writing and that two of those purposes are entertaining (writing just for fun) and informing (writing to teach people things). 

Point out and talk about common features- table of contents, labeled pictures, close-ups, glossaries, inset boxes, maps, bold print words, etc. 

The pieces for this anchor chart came from Kim Adsit's 

Reading Workshop Unit 6: Diving In!

Talking About the Decisions Writers and Illustrators Make

Notice and name what writers and illustrators do in their books- for example: look at how the author made the word a particular way- the way Nicola Smee crafted the words "WHOA!" and "STOP!" makes us read them with a loud voice. This helps build a repertoire of possibilities for things your students to try in their writing and illustrating. 

Common features to draw attention to- 

Written Texts

bold words, words written in different sizes and shapes, repetition, dialogue, sound, interesting language, interesting uses of punctuation

Illustrations

perspective, interesting use of color, borders, layout, how the illustrations show more than the words, the presence of white space, the presence or absence of detail

A few closing points...

1) Manage your talk around books so that is supports students rather than overwhelm them

2) Help children take the talking and thinking about the read-aloud back to their writing

3) The message of all of the talking and thinking should be "You're writers too!" 

4) Bring student books to read-aloud time and talk about them the same way you talk about read-alouds

5) When working side-by-side with a child as he/she writes refer back to read-aloud conversations as teaching points

Understanding Dimensions of Composition Development- Week 4 Already Ready Book Study

The purpose of Chapter 4 is to examine the different dimensions of composition development within the context of children's composing.

Important Point- As you read through each question related to development, it is important to remember that the answers to the questions cannot be found in the books alone. Some of the questions can only be answered by observing the child as he writes. If the child has already finished the book, the opportunity to see the child's development in some areas has been lost.

The book organizes the dimensions of composition development into 3 broad categories- 
1) understandings about text
2) understandings about process
3) understandings about what it means to be a writer

Important Point- Composition development is multidimensional. It does not have to follow a line of logical progression. The three dimensions are not hierarchical.

Understandings About Texts
Is the child's book about something?
- When children start making books, each page of their book will most likely be
about something different
- In the next phase of development the book will be all about something, but
written in a loosely connected way (for example: things a child likes)
- Over time the writing will have more focus with strong meaningful
connections between ideas

How has the child organized the book?
- Does the book move through time (narrative, telling what happened next) or
through a list of ideas (non-narrative, a list of ideas that tell about something
and connect them in a logical way)
-Oftentimes young writers mix the kinds of connections they make between ideas
(for example: a book that tells about a trip to the zoo through a list of things the
writer did at the zoo as opposed to a story of unfolding events)

Does the child ready the book basically the same way every time?
- Over time, inexperienced writers grow to understand that meaning should stay
the same over time
- Growth in this area also includes a child's drawings becoming more
representational so that they too hold their meaning more efficiently

Is this book made in the manner of other picture books?
- Young writers show that they understand the particular formats of publishing
when they add features such as titles, bylines, dedications, table of contents,
etc.

What in the book shows the child understands genre?
- "Genre is the writer's sense of what he is making with writing" (Ray, 2006)
- When young children begin talking about the different kinds of books they can
compose, they are developing a sense of genre (for example: writing a funny
book about a family member, making up a story about a turtle, etc.)
- Young writers will broaden their repertoire of possibilities as teachers read a
variety of texts to them

How is the child representing meaning?
- How does the child represent meaning in the text (is all of the meaning in the
illustrations or does the written word hold most of the meaning)
- Do the art and writing extend each other's meaning or are the words just labels
or words that simply narrate the same meaning found in the illustrations)

Understandings About Process
Is the child intentional about what is being represented on the pages?
- Is the child intentional about what he is drawing and writing on each page
- A child who is writing without intention may ask the teacher what he's drawn
- Some children draw something first and then decide what it is after the fact
- Does the child set out to make meaning and then move the piece purposefully
in that direction

Does the child engage in revision while composing?
- Young children mostly revise their illustrations
- Development in this dimension ranges from no revision at all, to revising one
thing, to being able to explain the revisions made
- Allow students to hold markers when they are telling you about what they
wrote
- Conversations with and feedback from the teacher helps students to think about
and see what else they need to do to make meaning clearer

Is there any evidence the child is thinking ahead about what to write?
- Young writers begin by living in the moment of the page they are composing
rather than thinking ahead to the end

Has the child made any intentional crafting decisions?
- Teacher need to show students what other writers do to make books interesting
(speech bubbles, the size and color of illustrations, circular or repetitive text)

How long has the child worked on the book?
- Stamina includes- writing in one sitting as well as going back and working on
the same writing for more than one day
- Working alongside another child and interacting with an adult helps a young
writer stay with a book a little longer

Does the child exhibit a willingness to solve problems while writing?
- Young writers will certainly encounter "technical" difficulties through the
writing process- a marker may not work, they run out of pages in their pre
stapled book, the book is not finished but it is time to leave for lunch or go
home, etc.)
- The act of learning how to solve problems productively is an important part of
writing development

Understandings About What it Means to Be a Writer
How has the child decided what to write about?
- The topic may come from whatever the child drew on the first page, from
something the child saw another child write about, from a read-aloud the
teacher shared, or something they are interested in

How interested in the child in an audience's response?
- The more young writers experience the response of real listeners, the more they
will develop the sense of audience and an interest in the responses they receive

Has the child composed in a way that led to new meanings?
- The act of writing is as much a process in finding meaning as it is in expressing
it
- Composition should lead to new understandings about the topic

Does the book show that the child willingly took compositional risks?
- Most of the decisions made by inexperienced writers involves risk-taking
- Development in this dimension ranges from not knowing how to do something
and avoiding it, to not knowing how to do something and trying it anyway, to
showing great confidence as a writer

Does the child seem to have a sense of self as a writer?
- Proficient writers know the things they write about, why they write about them,
how they write best, and the conditions that matter
- When a child can respond to questions about his writing and the decisions he
made in the process, he is developing a sense of self as a writer

Does the child show he understands his powerful position as author of the book?
- The child owns what is in the book and knows it is up to him to make all of the
decisions about everything in it

The Importance of Book-Making: Week 2 Already Ready Book Study

Sorry about this post being a week late. I painted Abby's bedroom last weekend and the time just got away from me.

I would like to begin this week by addressing a few questions that came up as a result of the last post.

Both questions are related to the book's suggestion to move away from dictation.

How does a parent "read" a young child's writing when they are not skilled at "reading" emergent writing?

What about the child who can't remember what they wrote in order to read it?

My personal opinion is that none of this is really important at this early stage of writing. Let them "read" their stories differently each time. Encourage parents to ask their children to "read" their stories to them. When children are lifted up as writers, they are more likely to explore the craft and to try new things. They develop a sense of agency and identity as a writer. This is a very powerful thing- much more so than if we only have them concentrate on the skill of reading the transcription.  

Chapter 2- Composition and the Importance of Making Picture Books (from Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten by Katie Ray Wood & Matt Glover)

The chapter begins by comparing functional writing and compositional writing. In the early grades functional writing plays such an important role in supporting young children's understanding about what writing is and what it can do for them.

Functional writing is important to all kinds of daily tasks, but mostly it addresses tasks at hand and does not go beyond that. Everyday people jot down notes, make lists, sign in and out, and fill out forms. These are all types of functional writing. They are writing done in response to the demands of everyday living.

Students Signing In and Out to Take Attendance

The capability to use writing to support one's jobs and projects is one of the greatest benefits of literacy. Teachers need to provide opportunities for young children to write as part of the daily school routine, in play, and through exploration; however, if functional writing is the only type of writing young children take part in they will probably not feel much like writers. 

This line was a bit of an "ah-ha" for me. I had kids writing all day and across all content areas, but when I stopped to consider how much of that time was spent on functional writing and how much of it was spent on compositional writing... most of it was spent on functional writing.

"Literate people who use writing only for functional purposes typically don't have strong identities as writers." (Wood & Glover, 2008)

Those who use writing to compose have much stronger writing identities because of it. As part of their jobs, some people use writing to compose articles, reports, newsletters, webpages, reviews, advertisements, etc. All of which are designed with a specific purpose and audience in mind.

Making Signs for Structures in the Block Center

Photo From Learning and Teaching Preschoolers

Some of you may be thinking "What's really the big deal between functional writing and compositional writing?" 

The big difference is going beyond just the skill and emphasizing the attitude to use the skill productively. (I love this!) 

With this in mind, functional writing alone won't do much to nudge young children forward in their writing because it mostly involves transcription or simply put... writing things down. 

On the other hand, compositional writing requires writers to bring meaning to the page. Project writing and bookmaking call writers to think deeply about purpose, ideas, organization, word choice, tone, craft, presentation, and so on. 

Some of you may be thinking that your students barely know the letters or sounds or that while they know them they are nowhere close to getting them down on paper or to understanding spelling and handwriting. You may be asking how can I engage my students in compositional writing before they master the skill of transcription. 

According to Katie and Matt- Transcription is not a prerequisite for compositional writing. It is part of compositional writing, but not a prerequisite. (2008) 

If a writer doesn't know anything about how to transcribe words yet, he or she simply uses other means to capture his or her thinking while composing. 

Writers can do this through their illustrations or memory- through repeated readings or reading to others. Creating a shared memory by reading to others holds one's thinking better than one's memory alone. 

In fact, not knowing much about transcription actually frees writers to place more thinking energy into other facets of their writing. Once young children have a working knowledge of letters and sounds they will put more of their thinking energy into the transcription of the piece rather than into other aspects of it. 

The purpose of comparing functional writing to compositional writing was not to place more value on one over the other. Rather it was to persuade teachers to consider new invitations to write that encourage children to compose and make things with writing just as experienced writers do. 

Everytime I learn something new I think of this quote by Maya Angelou. Take the challenge- consider what new invitations to write you can offer your students. 

So... Why Make Picture Books?

Picture Books are Familiar

All children are familiar with books- even if they only see them at school. Contrast this familiarity with journaling or single sheets of paper that aren't in a publishing format. Picture books are the kind of writing young children know. That holds great significance. 

Picture Books Expand Avenues of Meaning Making

In picture books the weight of meaning is carried as much through the illustrations as in the words. Readers oftentimes extend meaning by talking about the illustrations in books. Our youngest writers need to see there are a variety of ways to capture their thinking.  

Making Picture Books Forces the Issue of Composition

When making picture books children extend their writing to another page and then another- connecting each new idea to the one before it in a meaningful way. 

Simply put... paper matters. When a child is given a single sheet of paper then all of the meaning is contained on that one page. Capturing meaning through a single drawing or sentence does little to help young writers understand composition. 

When a teacher asks a child to dictate a sentence to go with a drawing and then writes the sentence for him, the meaning is reduced further- to no longer being considered composition. Composing includes putting ideas- sentences- together in ways that they make sense. Single pages, illustrations, and sentences do not show this. 

Making Picture Books Helps Children Read Like Writers

Everytime you share a book, seize the opportunity to notice what authors and illustrators are doing in books. Then turn that noticing into an invitation for your students to try it out in their own books. 

For example: Add Speech Bubbles to Your Writing

From the book Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas

I love Jan Thomas! 

Making Picture Books Builds Stamina

A picture book format, which includes multiple pages waiting to be filled, encourages children to stay at their writing. 

Making Picture Books is Fun

There is a fine line between "I can do this" and "I'm way too frustrated by what you are asking me to do". Saddle up next to your young writers and help them do things that are just a little beyond what they are capable of doing on their own (Vygotsky, 1978). Make it fun, give it meaning, keep it developmentally appropriate and they will like it. 

Nurturing Young Writers Through Book-Making- Week 1 Already Ready Book Study

A teacher emailed me last week asking my thoughts on traditional writer's workshop versus a book-making format of writer's workshop. When I was in the classroom I used a traditional model of writer's workshop, we made lots of books as a class, I offered up plenty of invitations for functional writing, and provided the materials needed for individual book making. I thought I was doing everything I needed to do to build my students as writers and illustrators.

Since I had recently heard someone speak on making books during writer's workshop, I decided to look more into this alternative version of writer's workshop before answering the question. In my effort to find out more, I turned to several books by Katie Ray Wood. In the end, the book that was the most helpful was Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten.

Through my reading I discovered three "big" things about writer's workshop-
1) Many of my previous thoughts, attitudes, and methods for growing writers were right on
2) I could have achieved so much more with my young writers if I have used a book-making format during workshop time
3) While I did not use dictation often, when I did it may have sent a message I did not intend to send

The more I read from Already Ready the more I decided that a chapter by chapter book study over several posts would be more helpful and less overwhelming than trying to sum up everything in one long post. So here goes...

Chapter 1- What It Means to Be a Writer

People define themselves by the kinds of things they do in life and young children are no different. If a child spends his time in the classroom doing what writers and illustrators do, then he or she will think and act like a writer and an illustrator. You, the teacher, need to make the time, space, and materials available so that young children can do what writers and illustrators do- make books about topics that interest them. 

Book-making is fed by the same energy children bring to any activity where they are making and creating things - such as in the art or block center - or making things up - like during dramatic play. 

Oftentimes adults see young children as illustrators rather than writers because their written work doesn't yet match adult expectations for what someone who knows how to write should be able to do. The first step in growing young children as writers is to see them as writers- not pretend or play writers or even emergent writers- but simply writers.

I loved this quote shared in the chapter-

Members of the literacy club are people who read and write, even the beginners, and the fact that one is not very competent yet is no reason for exclusion or ridicule. A newcomer is the same kind of person as the most proficient club member, except that he or she hasn't yet had much experience.

(from Joining the Literacy Club by Frank Smith, 1988) 

Young children do not need to do anything to get ready for membership.
Young children are already ready.
Young children may say they know how to draw a dog, but not make the words. Experienced writers are prone to tentativeness too. It's okay not to know how to do everything. Just do the best you can.

Teachers must hold two understandings of young children- They are writers and they are 4, 5, or 6 year olds. The two do not cancel each other out. They are equally true at once. Teachers must not let either one of these identities hold more weight than the other in their thinking.
If a teacher focuses on the "writer" then he or she runs the risk of having developmentally inappropriate expectations for the child.
On the other hand, if the teacher focuses too much on the child's age, then he or she runs the risk of not helping the child realize his or her potential as a writer.

A few things to consider about your own classroom...

Do you think that children need to learn to read before they begin thinking about writing? Does your classroom offer suggestions or invitations for writing?

Offer invitations to write regardless of whether children are reading or not

Do you provide markers and paper for writing and drawing, making lists, writing notes, and signs, but offer very little to children in terms of book-making- in doing the work of an author and illustrator?

Invite children to make books- to work as authors and illustrators

Do you always give your students a topic for writing or do you allow them to choose their own ideas?

Allow children to choose their own ideas, decide what will go on each page of their book, make changes along the way as they reread and revisit, and to decide when the book is finished

Do you only offer up one sheet of paper for writing and drawing because you think making an entire book is too overwhelming? 

Allow students to use their understandings of genre and text structure to create books. 

Do you believe that building writing stamina is not really an age-appropriate goal for young children? Do you believe your students can't stay on task long enough to work on a book?

When students make books, they are not just writing something, they are making something. Young children can stay with with something for a good bit of time when they find it engaging. 

After your students write and illustrate a piece do you encourage them to save the writing and reread it or do you believe that once it's over, it's over? 

Children need to see that while they may have finished the piece, writing itself is not temporal. Their work should be a fixture in the classroom that is read over and over again. 

Do you take dictation? Do you transcribe students' words underneath their writing? 

Regardless of the benefits you believe dictation or transcription might bring, if a student sees an adult's writing as part of the writing process, then the transcription has a message attached to it, whether it is intended or not. The child can try to write on his own, but adults are the real writers. This message gets enforced when teachers make students redo the writing, but not the illustrations. 

Teachers needs to accept approximations. They need to welcome the understanding that a young child's finished book will not look the same as one finished by a writer with more experience. 

Do you understand that a young child's writing may not carry as much meaning when he or she is not there to read it and that is okay?

If you hold that writing has to hold its meaning when the writer is not present, then dictation and transcription are the only options for turning the youngest writer's work into writing. This belief privileges the text itself over the writer's intention to make meaning. 

Do you value a child's writing because it supports their development as a writer or because you think it supports their development as a reader?

When writing is valued for how it supports a child's reading development, an emphasis is placed on getting the words down- on the transcription aspect of it. Practices that focus on a child's growing letter-sound knowledge and accurate transcription are privileged above all others. 

The chapter concludes with a few thoughts on the goals of the book. This thought stood out to me... 

Randy Bomer (2006) calls a blank page for writing an invitation to make meaning and reading an expectation to figure out someone else's meaning. 

When children are new to the literacy club, invitations are more developmentally appropriate than expectations. When children respond to an invitation they can't get it "wrong" because their was no expectation to begin with. 

We will pick up next week with Chapter 2- Composition and the Importance of Making of Picture Books.