Debbie's Intro

Denise Dabisch (vol 4 2001) says teacher research is a welcoming way for us teachers to ask questions about our students, our practices, and our material. It provides a way for us to figure things for ourselves, rather than depending on outsiders to tell us what we should or shouldn’t do. I like knowing how to do things rather than what to do things and also getting to know my students and how they learn to help them learn.
For many young writers writing seems to be a nightmare. Even when students are asked to just draw a picture of a small moment they still seem to panic about writing. I want students to be encouraged to draw that small moment out as if trying to peep into their minds. The nuts and bolts of writing by Lucy Caulkins says, “think of something important to you and draw it. “ while conferencing with the student the teacher says, “what more can you tell me? Detail, an issue with young writers and also a process to help them see the big picture in what they are thinking. So we start with an art class to create a picture. Triangles are found on the roof of houses and squares are the body of a house with smaller squares for windows. George Deboer (2002) wrote that the current trends toward standards-based education have decreased the opportunities for child-centered teaching and reduced the autonomy of teachers. The NCLB have changed teacher’s curricula, pedagogy and schedules in ways that do not always support best practices. Deboer found that when content standards are more general and teachers more flexible then teachers can teach to the interest of their students to maintain on task behavior. Rebecca Stout wonders if she needed to incorporate some of the balanced literacy practices in order to help her students. She found the most noticeable difference between the programs was the emphasis that balanced literacy placed on teaching the writing process. Rebecca seems determine to emphasize her literacy centers as a vital part of writing and how reading and writing went hand in hand.
I began to think that this too could work for kindergarten with hands on approach of a way to write. Rebecca also suggested to make her literacy centers very structured and with deeper meaning to help student emphasize their love for writing. Everyone has a story but couldn’t write it down. Literacy centers can offer hands on approach to writing.
I would like to post my challenge to my kindergarteners on how the use of structured literacy centers intrinsically motivate student writing? How can students become better writers by using the activities in the literacy centers? Where will the evidence show their growth in their writing from using the literacy centers? What are some age appropriate activities to put into a literacy center to motivate writing?
Story telling for a literacy center helps students to express a way of writing orally. Like some adults we record our stories students should have the same opportunities too. Kathryne Macgrath Speaker (2002) “Children involved in storytelling programs exhibit improved listening skills, better sequencing abilities, increased language appreciations and more thoughtful organizations in their own writing. At kindergarten it seems to be just this kind of process that will kick start a young writer. Scaffolding and interacting with learners help support learners to complete activities which they might not be able to carry out by themselves.
Aside from the drawing students learn that print also conveys a message. In order for children to benefit from formal reading instruction, they must have a certain level of phonemic awareness. Children can learn phonemic awareness through a process of language play; word play, listening to rhymes, songs and poetry; and engage in shared reading of predicable literature.
Reading and writing at this young age go so much hand in hand. Students use scribbles to represent their thoughts and ideas. How do we support this journey that shows growth over time to show a story that is recognizable to another reader? How will literacy centers enhance and encourage the writing process to intrinsically motivate the thoughts and ideas of young writers? Everyone has a story to tell even the infant child sitting in his chair and making faces at you as if trying to get the words out.