Picture Writing

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 13.01.01

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Objectives
  4. Writer's Workshop and "Kid Writing"
  5. Developmentally Appropriate Practices and Picture Writing
  6. A Brief History of Humankind & Written Language
  7. Kinder-Writer's Workshop
  8. Strategies
  9. Activities
  10. Bibliography
  11. Bibliography
  12. Notes
  13. Internet Sources and Children's Resources
  14. Appendix
  15. Notes
  16. Internet Sources and Children's Resources
  17. Appendix

Picture-Tellers: How to "Write" a Story, the Kindergarten Way

Katie I. Adams

Published September 2013

Tools for this Unit:

Objectives

In my unit, I will help my students produce written work in the form that is most suitable to their age and beginning skill level: picture drawing. I want to take away the stress of knowing what letters are, uppercase vs. lowercase, how to print them and what sound they represent. I want the students to understand that they are storytellers and that they are able to communicate those stories and be writers by drawing images that represent what they are thinking. This three-week unit will be the foundation of a year-long writer's workshop program. I will be establishing the practices and procedures of the program that will let the students grow and progress at their own rate. My unit will be the first step of the writer's workshop, which will help the students understand and see that they have a lot of ideas and stories to share with the world through their drawings, in a safe, esteem-building setting. As Angela Beyhmer explains, "Many kids find drawings to be a safe way to create symbolic representations of what they want to say, what stories they want to tell." 4

My students are so enthusiastic about school and learning, but need the proper encouragement and guidance to bottle that enthusiasm and maintain it throughout the school year. In setting up an environment and writer's workshop that is developmentally appropriate, I am ensuring that they will continue to be excited about learning. Furthermore, an appropriate writer's workshop will allow the students to be successful and to be challenged at the same time. When they are able to meet and conquer these challenges, they become stronger writers and their enthusiasm is limitless. I want my students to feel capable and have a sense of pride in their writing, regardless of their stage in the writing process. This is a huge task in Kindergarten as some students come into the classroom with no experience in a school setting. Others, who have been in preschool, are ready to apply the skills they have acquired to more advanced activities. I find the adaptability and functionality to be the beauty of a thoughtfully developed writer's workshop, and the overarching goal of this unit.

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