More Answers To Your Questions About Kindergarten Writing:

1st, let me thank you for your orders!

I have been filling orders all week for my Writing Bundle.

Click the image above to see more info about each set.Order by leaving a comment below or email me at kfundamentals@gmail.com .

You can still order (& get FREE shipping) during April.

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The entire bundle of 71 templates is $25. (Shipping is FREE.)

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Now, to answer some of your questions:

Sally, from Belen, New Mexico asked -How do I improve handwriting without causing anxiety to the student? (1st grade)

Besides developing fine motor muscles through activities such as working with small legos, clay, and other manipulatives, I asked my students to circle there “best letter” or “best sentence” based on neatness. I also had several kinds of tropical scented lip balm, like mango, papaya, pineapple, etc. I used these to rub a tiny scented spot on the back of the children’s hands if they improved their handwriting or if they wrote all of their letters on the line or whatever criteria you are working on. 

Danielle, from Sacramento, California asked -What materials are must haves to begin? How do you use your word wall? 

Wow, Sac! I live less than an hour from there! 

Must have materials:

-Start collecting 3-ring binders (the wider, the better) to use as writing easels so students will be less likely to write their letters from the bottom up.

-fine tip markers for tracing the dotted fonts on my writing prompts (Month-to-Month Writing) because it’s easier to trace with a marking pen than a pencil and it’s oh, so much more fun!

-Lined Post-its so you can write a word or two for students to copy.

-Lined Dry erase contact paper applied to laminated sheets of construction paper so you can write on them with a dry-erase pen and students can copy or for students to practice writing on a dry-erase surface.

-Lots of sharp pencils, erasers, and lined paper with room for an illustration.

You can find lined dry erase paper on Amazon.

-Plain, unlined paper, folded and stapled into mini books. You can use cute party napkins for even potato chip bags (Doritos and other chip and cracker bags work well too) so students can begin to draw and write (drite) without the confinements of lines. 

You can use these to write stories or to use as Academic Vocabulary Books where students copy a word and illustrate it such as “rain”. You can create books of weather words, science words, verbs, math words, etc. 

As far as my word wall, I created T-shirts out of white construction paper. I laminated them with the capital and lower-case letters glued to them. I also included an animal craft that began with each letter. I hung sight words that began with each letter from the t-shirts. Since they were laminated, I could use a dry-erase pen to write any seasonal words or words my student liked to use right on the t-shirts. 

I also had a chart for each sight word where students dictated sentences using each sight word in context. These charts stayed up all year too.

Kristen, from Annville, Pennsylvania asked -When do you start writing? 

In kindergarten, I start modeling writing on day 1. They also get to illustrate to match the words, trace the dotted font, and attempt to complete a writing prompt with one or more words such as:

At school, I like to ______________.

I like ____________________ apples.  

(insert a color)

For Halloween, I will be                        .l

Morgan, from Bellview, Michigan asked -How long do you teach writing for everyday? 

I see you are a 1st grade teacher, so I would spend at least 33 min each day in 1st teaching directed writing or journals each day in 1st and about 25 min each day in K. In addition, I would run a “Writers Workshop” once a week and spend about 80 min on it for 1st and about 60 min in K. Writers Workshop requires time for writing, editing, re-writing, and sharing. It is important to write every day even if it’s for a short period of time. Keep in mind that at the beginning of the year in K, writing lessons may consist of illustrating and labeling, pre-writing with graphic organizers, and re-telling stories to develop oral language skills. In 1st, it might look like students using graphic organizers, identifying a topic with supporting details, and composting a complete sentence.

Kylie, from Whyalla, Australia, asked -Is there a reply available for this session?

Wow, Australia! There should have been a chance to type questions and comments during the webinar and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have too. You can leave a comment on any blogpost at fundamentals.blogspot.com or you can email me at   kfundamentals@gmail.com.

I'll answer more questions in a day or two! :)