Narrative Writing
Narrative writing is a
lifelong skill student are able to start developing as early as kindergarten
and even preschool. Developing the skill
of narrative writing starts with language development and learning to share
information orally with others. Oh the dreaded Show and Tell in kindergarten
and first grade where the student simply say, “This is my------------truck” is
often seen by teachers as a waste of time because they feel there are so many more
important skills which need to be addressed. Therefore, this critical language
skill often gets skipped.
One option teachers might
consider when implementing Show and Tell
for language development is to have students share in small groups. There could
be four centers; where the sharer sits in a chair and for two minutes shares
about their object. The other students are divided up and sit on the floor to
listen and ask questions. After 2 or 3 minutes the students who are sharing rotate
to the next group. Then they get to share again. This gives the sharer a chance
to share four times and practice four times. When the rotations are complete
the four students sharing can stand in front of the class while the rest of the
students go back to their workspaces. The students sitting at their work spaces
then share what they learned with the class about the objects brought in for that
day. I guarantee that your students will improve in their language ability and time
spent sharing will actually be shorter. Bring back Show and Tell !
Once children are able
to talk openly about a subject or object they are ready to begin their writing
journey. When writing students are working at one of the highest levels of
Blooms Taxonomy. So, if a student is struggling with writing, step back and
allow them to process using their language skills. They still might not be
ready to do their own writing and additional scaffolding may be needed for them
to be successful, but processing orally fist will help students get their
thoughts in order which is critical.
Below is a chart created
using the Common State Standards for grades k-3 along with expectations,
possible activities and assessments teachers might consider using. Writing is a
transfer skill which is developed from oral language development. If students
cannot talk about it they are not going to be able to write about it.
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