Sharing the Pen, by Mary Rubadue

A strategy that gives kindergartners the confidence to write and spell on their own

These examples of students' journal writing show that they are willing to take risks and to try and spell on their own.

Many of my kindergarten students come to school able to recognize their own names as well as being able to write them. Some can even write a few other words. These children acquire knowledge about print through experimentation with written language – drawing, scribbling, writing with invented spellings or copying conventional spelling.

Hesitant writers.
However, when it came to journal writing, my students either wanted to draw or wanted me to tell them how to spell words. Many were unwilling to make an attempt at spelling on their own. I became frustrated trying to encourage them to become risk takers on their journey to becoming "writers." After six years of kindergarten teaching, I needed to try something different. I needed a way to make the learning personal and social.

An engaging solution.
I knew that research shows children learn best in a whole, meaningful, interesting and functional atmosphere. And I knew that concepts about written language are best acquired in the context of meaningful activities – activities that engage children. So when I attended a workshop on Interactive Writing in the spring, I thought that I might have found a solution.

Interactive Writing was developed by Ohio State University educators as part of an early literacy program that would provide rich experiences for young children, particularly those who are at risk. Ihoped that the use of Interactive Writing in my classroom would encourage my students to try to write on their own.

From transcribing to writing.
Interactive Writing is like a group Language Experience Approach (LEA), in which children's oral language and thinking are used as a foundation for reading instruction. Children's language and personal experiences are used to create reading materials that help show the relationship between written language and already-familiar oral language.

In LEA, the teacher writes the children's words and, in doing so, provides instruction in reading, writing and letter formation. Like LEA, the Interactive Writing Process uses an experience that the children have shared – a field trip, a book that has been read often or any other class activity.

However, unlike LEA, in which the teacher does the writing, in Interactive Writing the teacher and children "share the pen" in recording the text. The teacher focuses students' attention on the conventions of print: capital letters, spacing between words, left to right and top to bottom directionality as well as punctuation. While giving the pen to specific children at points in the transcribing process, the teacher involves the children not only in composing the text but also in producing the written artifact. As the teacher guides the class, the piece of writing is read and reread as each new word is added.

Sending messages.
When I tried the Interactive Writing Process with my kindergarten students this past year, my goal was to see if it helped to improve and increase journal writing. By June, many of my students wrote words and sentences that conveyed a message. Many students used invented spellings when they were unable to write conventionally. They were not afraid to take a risk; they were willing to "try and spell the word."

My students were also paying attention to the conventions of print. They were starting sentences with a capital letter, left to right and top to bottom, leaving a space between words and using a period. Some children even titled and dated their writing pieces. Of course, not all children made this much progress. I had a few students who moved from picture writing to writing random letters to convey a message. But they had the confidence to write it on their own!

Something came up.
I was pleased to find that Interactive Writing provided many opportunities for "teachable moments." These included some things that are not necessarily taught in kindergarten, but which came up during our Interactive Writing sessions. I was able to explain things such as capitalization (days, months), punctuation, silent letters, digraphs, 'y' making the 'e' sound, bossy 'r,' 'er' sound, endings (-ed, -ing), 'z' sound for 's', plurals (-s, -es, change the 'y' to 'i' and add -es), possessives, compound words and letters having the same sound (g/j and c/k).

One activity, individual learning.
The use of Interactive Writing in my classroom also gave me the opportunity to individualize instruction. The students achieved at their own rate, while engaging in one activity. While some children needed me to model how to write a particular letter, some independently wrote letters whose sounds they wanted to represent, and yet others wrote complete words. Individual children were successful in what they were ready to do.

Another bonus of using Interactive Writing, I believe, was an increase in students who became "readers." I usually end the school year with four or five children classified as readers; last year I had 14!

The power of the pen.
I believe that the use of Interactive Writing – "sharing the pen" – made a big impact on my students this past year. It gave them the opportunity to associate letters with sounds. They were "doing" more of the writing; they were engaged in the activity which helped them to become better at segmenting sounds in words. It also gave them ownership and encouraged the possibility of re-creating "writing" independently on their own. As they wrote in their journals, they were constantly experimenting with written language. They were motivated, they wanted to write. It was "sharing the pen," I believe, that made the difference.

Mary Rubadue has been teaching kindergarten for 11 years. She is currently the kindergarten teacher at Hanby Elementary in Westerville, Ohio.