A Few Rules I've Learned to Promote Success
- Have fun! Like all school activities, writing should be presented with enthusiasm and excitement. Find a way to make the writing experience fun, so students continue to want to do it.
- Attribute Meaning to Everything: When using an accessible alphabet with an emerging writer find a way to connect the letters/symbols they chose to the topic. For example: h could be happy, help, hello, hard, hippo. The more we attribute meaning, the more connections the will make.
- Try lots of tools: Show writers there is more than one way to convey a message. If something isn't working, or you're not seeing progress, revise and try again.
- Write for a tangible purpose: Letters and Notes have immediate feedback when they are delivered. That's very exciting to most students. Emailing is another exciting way to get feedback.
- Find lots of opportunity to write: Try to get the person writing at least 1 time per day for 10 minutes. Let them explore, play and get their ideas out.
- Share writing with everyone: Show off your student's writing by sharing with everyone around. Parents, teaching assistants, nurses, peers, secretaries, other teachers etc. Put your student's work into a digital format and make an online presentation Grandma's and Grandpa's, Aunts and Uncles can see. Students will love seeing their work be popular amongst people they love.
