Improving Confidence And Motivating Children To Write

By: Pam Aubuchon

Kindergarten Teacher

Clyde Campbell Elementary School

General Statement:

Children in kindergarten seem to be self-conscious about their writing ability. Students seem to struggle with writing phonemic sounds.

Background:

The problem begins when the children sit down to write on their own. They freeze when told they need to sound out the words on their own. The majority of my class understands to write down the phonemic sounds they hear but still do not feel comfortable in doing so. They can look at the words written on their paper and see that they have left out letters. This frustrates the children and they stop or they only write short brief sentences using words from the word wall. The children get into the habit of always starting a sentence the same way. I want to see the children move beyond this point and reach their true potential.

Our writing program that we are currently using in our school system encourages children to begin writing on self selected items at the beginning of the school year. The children are to work on drafts for several days, edit and publish. In addition to this style of writing, as a teacher in kindergarten, I am required to teach poetry writing, labeling, cloze sentences, journaling, and naming. Our materials consist of printed out copies of the Lucy Caukins guidelines and a North Carolina K-6th writing manual that we have to check out from the library. My paper that I use in class is a sheet that I designed on my own. When it is time to publish our writing I do use lined paper. I like for the children to write as often as possible, but finding time to cover all subject areas is very difficult. Since we have switched to the Lucy Caukins writing program, I have attended one writing workshop.

Research:

When I began thinking about the problems the children were having with their writing I began researching articles that focused on motivating and building confidence. One research article that I was impressed with was Emergent Writing in the Classroom by Elizabeth Sulzby, William H. Teale and George Kamberelis. As I began reading this research article it became clear to me that children should have the opportunity to write freely without instruction. This article went out to point out that in good classroom instruction, young children need to be encouraged but not pushed or pressured. The information that I found most interesting from this article was finding out that children take pleasure from their creations and expect others to take pleasure in them as well.

Another article that I found very helpful was The Emergence of Visible Language: Interrelationships between Drawing and Early Writing by Anne Haas Dyson. Ms. Dyson gathered data for her study for three months. She collected data in the morning during

the kindergarten’s class center period. She simply invited the children to write with her and to tell her what they wrote. She began to find that the children not only were writing but were drawing pictures too. Her research found that 62.5% of the time the drawing and writing were intermingled on the page but they were not related thematically. She began to find that more meaning was conveyed in the drawing than in the writing. After reading this article I wanted to make sure that I had the children draw pictures in at least half of the lessons so I could see if their pictures matched their writing. I also wanted to make sure that when conferencing with the children I had them not only read their sentences to me but to also explain their illustration.

The last article that I studied before beginning my research was The effects of an adapted interactive writing intervention on kindergarten children’s phonological awareness, spelling, and early reading development by Sharon A. Craig. The study investigated the effects of interactive writing. The different styles investigated were: text experience, response to the text using interactive writing and supplemental letter-sound instruction. The study found that when teachers differentiate instruction children reach new levels of competence in phonological awareness, spelling, and reading. It appears that writing instruction that encourages phonemic segmentation and invented spellings provides a rich context for developing the phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge children require for early reading.

With my research in mind I came up with the following three questions:

1. How do I get kindergarten children to feel more confident with their writing ability?2. What topics are kindergarten children motivated to write about?3. Do they enjoy one style of writing more so than others?

Participants:

My class is made up of 23 children. I have one EC student as well as one ELL student. My other students entered kindergarten at various academic levels. Many children were unable to write any letters when entering school while others were writing their names and beginning to write words. I will be observing all 23 of my students during my research.

My Research Plan:

1. The children are going to complete the following types of writing assignments:• Writer’s workshop• Journals• Cloze sentences• Poems2. The research will take place over a six week period.

I decided that the best way to come up with a plan on how to motivate and build the confidence level of my students was to have them write. I wanted them to write often, and at different times of the day. I wanted them to have the opportunity to write on self-selected topics as well as assigned topics. I observed and made notes of each child’s progress. I modeled for some lessons, but also gave the children the chance to write completely on their own. The children were given the opportunity to share their work and make comments about what they liked and disliked. Listed below is a description of each writing lesson used for my research project between the dates of February 23 and April 3.

Description of Writing Lessons:

Monday, February 23, 2009 – Journal Writing

Topic – What did you do over the weekend?

The children were to complete this journal assignment after finishing their morning work. This lesson took place between 7:25 and 8:10 am. This lesson was done without me doing any type of modeling on the board. The children were writing on unlined paper. The children shared (read) what they wrote to the class. They really seemed to enjoy sharing and taking ownership of their work.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 – Writers Workshop

Topic – George Washington

We wrote about George Washington. We read stories about George Washington (2 non-fiction books) and we wrote an I am poem together. I made a list of facts about George Washington on chart paper. The children came up with the list of facts. The children were allowed to use one of these sentences or come up with their own. The children wrote on the writer’s workshop draft paper. The children shared (read) what they wrote to the class. They enjoy sharing. Our lesson began at 9:15 and ended around 10:00 am.

Thursday, February 26, 2009 – Writers Workshop

Topic – George Washington

We wrote about George Washington again today. I did the lesson differently today. I did not hang up the list of facts. The children had to come up with the sentence

completely on their own. They struggled more. When I posed the question which day of writing did you enjoy more the majority said they liked day one of writer’s workshop better because they had the chart to refer to. This lesson was worked on from 9:30 – 10:00am.

Friday, February 27, 2009 – Writers Workshop

Topic – George Washington

Today was the last day we wrote about George Washington. The children were struggling with facts to write about. They completed the lesson though and did a great job. We wrote from 9:30 – 10:00 am.

Friday, February 27, 2009 – Journal Writing

Topic – Free Friday

The children can write about anything on Free Friday. I did not model for this lesson and it is done after they finish their morning work assignment (between 7:25 – 8:10am). The children shared what they wrote with the class during Big Group. After sharing with the class I asked the following question: Do you like to share what you write with the class? Twenty-two out of my twenty-two students that were in the class said yes they like to read and share their writing.

Listed below were the reasons they gave:

We get to learn about the others.

It is fun.

Others liked my work.

We get to see everyone’s work and pictures.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 – Journal Writing

Topic – Tell me what you did over the long weekend?

The children had a great time with this lesson. We had been out of school for 2 days because of snow. The majority of the students wrote about their experience playing in the snow. The children didn’t complain about writing and they had a great time when

sharing with the class. The lesson was completed after they finished their morning work (between 7:25 – 8:10 am).

Friday, March 6, 2009 – Cloze Sentence

Topic – I like to eat ___________________

This assignment was given first thing in the morning as their morning work assignment. The children simply had to complete the sentence “I like to eat ______________.” None of the children complained and completed the sentence without any trouble. We did not share this lesson with the class. I have found that when the children are only completing the sentence they are more willing to write. I think it is because they are not writing and sounding out as many words. They feel more confident when writing cloze sentences.

Monday, March 9, 2009 – Writers Workshop

Topic – I wish

We started this lesson by discussing if we could wish for anything what would it be. Each child shared what they would like to wish for and then I modeled for the class what I wished for. The children helped me sound out the words in my sentence and helped me with the mechanics of writing my sentence. I also drew a picture to go along with my two sentences. The children were invited to write at least two sentences. The first sentence was to tell what they were wishing for and the second sentence was to explain why. The only words I left up for the children from my example were “I wish.” The children were given twenty-five minutes to work on the lesson. They really did a great job and seemed excited about the topic. I only had a few students who seemed to freeze under the pressure. Mrs. Klecha (my assistant) and I encouraged these students and they completed their lesson. The children shared their sentence with the class and seemed very proud of their work. After we shared I asked the children the following question: Did you like writing more than one sentence? Eighteen out of my twenty students said yes and all twenty of my students in class said they liked the topic we were writing about. We wrote from 9:15 – 10:00 am.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 – Writers Workshop

Topic – I wish day 2

I opened up the lesson by reminding the children of some of the things they wished for yesterday and I explained that they would need to wish for something new today. The children didn’t seem to have a trouble thinking of something new to wish for. Just like yesterday I modeled what I would wish for and why. The children had to write two sentences. In sentence one, they made their wish and in the second sentence told why they wanted this item. The children seemed eager to write. I didn’t have a single child complain when they were told they had to write more than one sentence. The only problem I ran into was that the children were trying to start their second sentence with the word because. I gave the children thirty minutes to write. They wrote between 9:30 – 10:00 am.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 – Writers Workshop

Topic – I wish day 3

The children completed the lesson without any assistance. Pat and I did not help the children sound out or write their sentences. I only had one student to get up and start walking around and quit trying to do his lesson. After the lesson was completed I asked the children the following question:

What did you enjoy writing about more George Washington or writing about wishes? There were nineteen children that were in class when I asked this question.

Five said they enjoyed writing about George Washington for the following reasons:

- He was in wars.- He was a good President.- He was a good person.

All of my students said they liked learning about George Washington.

Fourteen of my students said they enjoyed writing about wishes for the following reasons:

- It was fun.- They liked hearing the other kid’s wishes when we shared. - They liked looking at the pictures.- They liked sharing their wishes with the class.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 – Cloze Sentence – Leprechauns _________________

We have been reading about Leprechauns in class. The children enjoyed learning about the legend of Leprechauns. On St. Patrick’s Day the children were to complete the cloze sentence Leprechauns ____________________. They could tell me anything they wanted about Leprechauns. The children had a great time with this lesson. I was proud of how well the children worked on their own without complaining. They were truly interested in the subject. Information included that Leprechauns wear green, live in Ireland, are little people, and that they love to play tricks. I was impressed with their wealth of information. The children couldn’t wait to share their writing with the class. I was so proud of their work I displayed it on the wall outside of our class. We wrote later today from 10:30 – 11:00 am.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 –Journal - What do you like about school?

This lesson was assigned after the children completed their morning work. I have found that the children are writing much better first thing in the morning. They are not as quick to complain about having to write. The children wrote multiple sentences on this topic. They didn’t want to stop writing, they continued with this lesson until it was time to go to specials. When the children returned from specials the children read their sentences to the class. They did an excellent job. The children were able to read their sentences. I have quickly discovered how much the children take pride in their work and enjoy sharing with the class. I also noticed with this lesson how the children look up from their writing to review their picture as they read. I think the picture helps them to remember what they wrote.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 – Journal/Cloze Sentences – Junie B. Jones

I wrote an invitation from Junie B. Jones inviting the children to keep a journal with her. They were so excited and couldn’t wait to get started with this project. I began this lesson by reading from Junie B. Jones’ own top secret journal. After reading all about Junie B. Jones, I wrote about myself on chart paper. The children then returned to their seats to begin on their own top secret journal. The journal is set up in the same form as Junie’s. The children were to complete the questions on page one. We did the lesson together as a whole group. I would read the question and the children would fill in the answers. This was a time consuming lesson. I noticed the children expected help more with this lesson compared to the journal topic earlier in the morning. I have been noticing that if I stand back quietly and let the children work on their own they tend to continue to write; however, if Pat and I circulate during writing time the children depend on us to help them sound out their words.

Friday, March 20, 2009 – Journal/Cloze Sentences – Junie B. Jones

What a disaster. Today the children were to continue with their journal. The topic for today dealt with facts about their family. I began the lesson today by writing about my family on chart paper. The children then returned to their seat to begin writing in their own journal. I read the questions and the children were to fill in the answers. In addition to Pat helping me circulate around the room to help with the lesson I also had a volunteer in the class. The children struggled throughout the lesson. I finally stopped the lesson about halfway through. I have decided the children will need more one-on-one time for this assignment. I didn’t give up on the lesson but we are working in small groups to complete this lesson.

Monday, March 23, 2009 – Journal – What did you do over the weekend?

The children wrote in their journal after completing their morning work. They were told to write at least two sentences telling me what they did over the weekend. I was so pleased because several of my students wrote as many as five sentences. I was also pleased at how original their answers were. They did not all write I played outside. They were really telling me what was going on in their life. They talked about soccer games, going to the creek, playing with their brothers and sisters, etc. I am concerned with their mechanics when writing in their journals. The children are adding capital letters in the middle of the sentences and running their words together more than I feel they should be at this point in the school year.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 – Cloze Sentences – I see ______________

We had the best time with this lesson. I took the children out for a walk in search of spring. The children were looking for signs such as flowers, trees blooming, birds, nest, etc. They had so much fun. After the pictures were developed they wrote about what they were seeing in the picture. I worked with the children one-on-one with this writing lesson. They had to complete the sentence I see____________. I noticed that when I was sitting one-on-one with the kids they were more dependent on me. They wanted me to help them sound out the words. I did however use this lesson as a great opportunity to remind the children not to use capital letters randomly. The lesson went really well and the children really enjoyed writing about their photograph.

Thursday, March 26, 2009 – Journal – Anything Thursday

The children wrote in their journal after completing their morning work. They were told to write at least two sentences about anything they wanted. They love this type of lesson. I have found they will write without complaining when writing about themselves. They also do not complain about not being able to sound out the words. They truly stay engaged and try their best. When the children returned from specials they shared their sentences with the class.

Monday, March 30 – Acrostic Poems

My Name

I introduced acrostic poetry to the class today. I began by explaining the definition of an acrostic poem. I continued by modeling how to do an acrostic poem with the letters of my name. The children and I brainstormed words and phrases that describe me. The children did a great job and we decided to let them try to write an acrostic poem of their own using the letters in their name. Below are two examples of my student’s work:

Zebra lover Smart

A boy A dreamer

Nice Makes toys 

Enjoys soccer A big girl

Nice

Tall

Happy

Angel

I was quite pleased with how well they did with this lesson. I thought they would struggle, but all of my students at least attempted to do this poem. Some struggled, but some of the children did a really great job. Pat and I had to help the children a lot with this lesson. I was very proud of how all of the children at least attempted to write their poem. We worked on this lesson from 10:30 – 11:30 am.

Monday March 30 – Friday April 3 - Acrostic Poems

Spring

I worked with a small group (4-5 students) each day during center time. I decided to have the children write an acrostic poem about spring using the descriptions and words that we brainstormed together as a class. Each student in my group would get a sheet of construction paper with one of the letters of spring on it. They would then choose which description they wanted to use in their poem and they copied it onto their paper. I worked with students each day during center time for a week. The children enjoyed writing their acrostic poem about spring and really tried their hardest with this lesson. Listed below are two samples of how our spring poems turned out:

Sun is closer to earth Smile a lot

Purple flowers grow Pours down the rain

Roses bloom Rabbits hop

It is pretty It is windy

Nice warm days Nights are shorter

Go to the park Gorgeous

Data Collection And Data Analysis:

1. I interviewed the children together as a class after completing lessons.

2. Each child completed a writing survey.

3. I used a variety of teaching styles and writing styles as part of my research.

4. Reviewed the writing samples.

My data collection was an informal process. After each writing lesson I would have the children read to me what they wrote. I logged what they said inside of a notebook. Below what they read to me I copied down letter for letter what they actually wrote. I then transferred this information into an excel program to make it easier for me to keep up with each lesson. Other information I commented on in my notebook included: did the picture match the writing, did they use capital letters correctly, did they use a finger space between each word, and did they end their sentences with a period.

I used a variety of teaching styles and writing styles as part of my research. It was hard for me to step away from my students and let them write on their own. I quickly found out that I was not hurting my students by doing this but I was helping them to become more independent. I discovered that the children’s confidence began to bloom when I left them to write on their own during journal time.

I continued to model and write for my students during writer’s workshop. Modeling and writing for the class is an important part of helping the children to become better writers. I have the children guide me and help me write my sentences and draw my picture. This allows the children an opportunity to see how we start our sentences with a capital letter, how we use a finger space between each word, and how we use a period when ending a sentence. The children also see me sounding out my words as I write. I believe this is an important step for the children to see. This helps the children to understand how they need to write down the sounds they hear when writing. I also reference our word wall when I model. I encourage the children to use the word wall when writing their own sentences.

Throughout the research I would conference with the students. During our conferences we would discuss what the children were doing well, and discuss what they could do to improve their writing. I spend this time to encourage the children in hopes of motivating them to want to continue to write.

I understand now after doing this research that it is okay for me to step away from the children and let them succeed or struggle on their own. I have found that the children will try to write as long as they are writing about a topic they are interested in. They like to write about themselves and things that they like. They want to share their work with others. I believe that is the secret to building confidence and motivation, letting the children share what they are interested in.

After the writing lessons were complete the children did complete the following survey:

Writing SurveyName: _______________________________

Which writer’s workshop lesson did you like better?

George Washington

I wish

Why

Which journal topic did you enjoy most?

What did you do over the weekend

Tell me anything you want

What do you like about school

Why

Which cloze sentence topic did you enjoy most?

I like to eat ___________

Leprechauns ______________

I see _______________

If I were a messenger ___________

Why

Which acrostic poem did you enjoy writing more?

Your name

Spring

Why

What is your favorite type of writing overall?

Writers Workshop

Journal writing

Cloze sentences

Poems

Why

Do you like to write? Yes No Why

Do you like to share your writing with the class?

Yes No Why

Do you like it when we hang up your writing for everyone to see?

Yes No Why

How can we make writing more fun?

After collecting and analyzing the information listed below were the end results:

Results:

Which Writers Workshop Did The Class Enjoy More?

George Wash-ington30%

3 Wishes70%

Writers Workshop

Reasons why students selected the topic - 3 wishes:

It was fun.The wishes might come true.I wrote more sentences.People would know what I wanted, and maybe they would get it for me.Wishes are fun to write about.You get everything you want.You learn about people’s wishes.You can write about something you want.Everyone found out about my wishes.I wanted stuff.

Reasons why students selected the topic - George Washington:I liked him.He was in battles.He was a soldier.I learned about George Washington.He was nice.I wrote facts about him.

Only one girl picked the George Washington as their favorite writer’s workshop topic.

Which Journal Topic Did The Class Enjoy More?

What did you do over the weekend?

22%

Tell Me Anything You Want39%

What do you like about

school?39%

Journals

Reasons why students selected the topic - What did you do over the weekend? We get to share with the class.I like writing about what I did over the weekend.I get to tell you (Mrs. Aubuchon) what I did over the weekend.

Reasons why students selected the topic - Tell me anything you want I can tell you anything I want.You get to learn what I do.I get to write.You get to write about whatever.You can learn things about me you didn’t know.It is fun.

Reasons why students selected the topic - What do you like about school? School is fun.My teachers and friends are nice.I like it when we learn.Other people will know how important school is.It is fun to write about school.I like to write about playing at school.I like school.

Which Cloze Sentence Topic Did The Class Enjoy More?

I like to eat9%

Leprechauns35%

I see30%

If I were a messenger

26%

Cloze Sentences

Reasons why students selected the topic – I like to eat _______________:So other people will know what I like to eat.Food is a funny thing to write about.

Reasons why students selected the topic – Leprechauns _________________:Lucky the Leprechaun came to visit our class.Everyone got to share their Leprechaun work.I like green.Leprechauns are tiny and one was in the room.We learned they have gold.I got to draw and write about a tiny leprechaun.Leprechauns are sweet.I like leprechauns.

Reasons why students selected the topic – I see _________________:I wrote about flowers.I could tell you about spring.We went outside to look for things about spring.We learned about things outside.I liked the pink flowers.We learned about spring.

Reasons why students selected the topic – If I were a messenger _________________:

Messengers get to mail things to people.I got to see what a messenger looks like.Messengers get to deliver stuff.I got to tell people what I would deliver if I were a messenger.I want to be a messenger.

Which Acrostic Poem Topic Did The Class Enjoy More?

Name39%

Spring61%

Acrostic Poems

Reasons why students selected the topic – Your name _________________:I wrote about me.I liked using my name.I used the letters in my name.I like my name.I like writing about myself.

Reasons why students selected the topic – Spring_________________:Spring is beautiful.I love spring.We wrote together at center time.Spring is pretty.I like that we wrote about spring together.Spring is fun.Other people can learn what I like about spring.It was easy because we wrote together.I got to show my mom.

Favorite Type of Writing Overall:

Writers Workshop22%

Journal35%

Cloze Sentences22%

Poems22%

Favorite Type

Thirty-five percent of my class chose journal writing as their favorite type of writing. When writing in their journal the children have more opportunities to write about themselves and things that are important to them.

Yes No0

5

10

15

20

25

Do You Like To Write?

Series1

Twenty-two out of my twenty-three students said they liked to write. My student that said he didn’t like to write feels it takes up too much of his time.

After researching and completing my survey I decided I wanted additional information. I wanted to see how the children did with matching up their pictures and if their

mechanics were correct. I decided to look at their favorite topics from each style of writing. Listed below are the results:

Attempted

to writ

e

Sounded

out the w

ords

Read w

hat they

wrote

Picture

matched

Periods

Used ca

pital le

tters

Spaci

ng

2117 15 17

1310

19

I wishWriter's Workshop

Series1

I also model before a writer’s workshop lesson. The children are reminded to use capital letters, periods, and to use a finger space. I stress how important it is to write down the sounds they hear. As you can see I had twenty-one students writing for this lesson. They did great with trying to sound out their words and they did a great job with matching their picture to their writing. On this lesson they struggled with using capital letters correctly. It was that they didn’t begin their sentence with a capital letter but that they use capital letters incorrectly within the sentence.

Attempted

to writ

e

Sounded

out the w

ords

Read w

hat they

wrote

Picture

matched

Periods

Used ca

pital le

tters

Spaci

ng

1915 15 15

11 1115

Tell me anything you wantJournal Writing

Series1

The children are working independently during journal writing. They did a great job with sound out their words and matching their picture to their writing. They struggled with the mechanics.

Attempted

to writ

e

Sounded

out the w

ords

Read w

hat they

wrote

Picture

matched

Periods

Used ca

pital le

tters

Spaci

ng

2320 22 21 22

1823

Leprechauns ________Cloze Sentences

Series1

Overall the children do the best with this type of writing as far as the mechanics are concerned. This is probably due to the fact that they are writing less than they do in the other writing lessons. There are fewer opportunities for mistakes.

What does all of this mean?

To answer this question I need to refer back to my original questions.

How do I get kindergarten children to feel more confident with their writing ability?

After doing my research this is what I found gets kindergarten children to feel more confident with their writing ability:

1. Children need to be praised when writing.

2. Children like to write about themselves.

3. Children like to share what they write with others.

4. I need to model and conference with children about their writing, but not with each lesson.

5. I have to learn to back away from the children when they are writing, and give them the opportunity to write on their own.

6. Display everyone’s work.

7. I need to encourage and remind children to write down the sounds that they hear and to use the word wall and other word charts in the class.

What topics are kindergarten children motivated to write about?

After doing my research these are the topics kindergarten children were motivated to write about:

1. Children like to write about themselves.

2. Children like to write about subjects they are interested in.

Do they enjoy one style of writing more so than others?

After doing my research the style of writing that was most popular with my class was journal writing.

1. 35% of my class selected journal writing, but I believe after doing this research that as long as they enjoy and understand the topic they will write.

I have sincerely enjoyed doing this research project. I think it has helped me to become a better writing teacher. I plan on sharing my results with the other teachers on my grade level. We are attending a writing workshop next week called Writing Without Tears. I am eager to see what suggestions we are given to help our children succeed when writing.

Future Plans:

I am going to let the children select their own writing topics more often. Beginning next year I am going to let my children start journal writing earlier in the year. I am going to continue using a variety of writing styles when teaching. I will also model and conference with my students but not after ever lesson. The children need to have the opportunity to work on their own.

Next year I am going to introduce wordless picture books to my class. I am going to research to see if this is another writing technique that will motivate the children to want to write.

References:

Craig, SharonThe Effects Of An Adapted Interactive Writing, Intervention On Kindergarten Children’s Phonological Awareness, Spelling, And Early reading DevelopmentReading Research Quarterly2003October/November/December438-440

Dyson, Anne HaasThe Emergence of Visible Language: Interrelationships Between Drawing and Early WritingReports – Research/Technical Speeches/Conference Papers1983April143-150

Sulzby, Elizabeth; Teale, William H.; Kamberelis, GeorgeEmergent Writing in the Classroom: Home and School ConnectionsInternational Reading Association198975-91

Nelson, KimberlyMrs. Nelson’s Class Teaching WritingMrs. Nelson’s Class2004-20072009, February, 10th

http://www.mrsnelsonsclass.com/teacherresources/teachingwriting/teachingwriting.aspx