This basic strategy provides a starting point for teachers in writing instruction. Children trace upper- and lower-case letters to get familiar with their shapes while learning how to hold a pencil correctly. Then pupils practice writing letters without tracing lines. Pupils use primary handwriting tablets and worksheets for these activities. Teachers can make each child his own personalized handwriting sheets at the educator website Handwriting Worksheets.
Kindergartenrs learn letter/sound correspondence throughout the year. As they gain phonological awareness, they can begin writing sounds, then words. Teachers should use decoding strategies to teach this writing process and model it for the pupils. For example, the teacher says a word, "cat," then says each sound slowly. As she says each sound, she writes the letter that makes the sound. Kindergarten pupils will be at varying developmental levels. Some will hear each sound. Others will write only the first and last sounds they hear. By the end of the school year, they should be able to write simple CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words independently.
This strategy allows children the freedom to write about topics of their own choosing. They keep a notebook or primary journal for this purpose. Free writing usually begins in the middle of the first semester, after children have learned most letters and sounds. Teachers can suggest ideas or write prompts on the board to help pupils get started. The purpose of this writing is not assessment. Rather, it is a creative endeavor, and teachers can display samples or make portfolios of pupils' writing as a way to track progress throughout the year.
Teachers use this strategy to reinforce kindergarten pupils' comprehension of stories and give them an opportunity to express their feelings about what they read. Activities may include writing vocabulary words from the story, answering questions posed in the story or composing responses to the events or the characters with simple sentences. Teachers pair pupils who can assist each other with spelling and punctuation.