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Children as Documentors: Authentic writing in Early Childhood Foundations

Children as Documentors: Authentic writing in Early Childhood Foundations

Written by Nellie Gibson, Early Childhood Foundations Teacher

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At ISP, we nurture young learners as they embark on their journey as writers. By encouraging children to document their learning daily, we create opportunities for authentic self-expression and communication.

This process fosters a sense of confidence and curiosity, allowing each child to explore the stages of writing in a safe, joyful environment. Through activities such as labeling, titling, and reflective documentation during learning experiences inside the classroom and outside, children begin to see themselves as capable writers and communicators, laying the foundation for a lifelong love of writing.

 

 

 

We Are Writers!

In ECF 5 at ISP, we aim to help children see themselves as writers. When they embrace this identity, they can take risks and experiment with writing without the pressure of “getting it right.” But what does writing look like for a 5- or 6-year-old? It’s vastly different from the writing of teenagers, adults, or even 8- or 9-year-olds. Early writing might take the form of wavy marks on a page, mimicking their idea of writing. It could also appear as strings of symbols resembling letters or as letters that reflect their growing understanding of letter-sound relationships.

We strongly believe in fostering an environment that celebrates all these stages of writing, ensuring children can begin their journey as writers in a safe, supportive, and joyful space.

Writing is Communication  

After our daily inquiry proposals, we ask the children to record their learning. As the year begins, the children use drawings as a way to reflect and share the morning’s encounters. In this way they begin to experience the purpose of writing, to communicate, in an authentic context. The children are invited to share their documentation with the group.  

 

 

 

Labels and Titles

This daily practice of documenting occurs alongside the children’s learning and their discoveries of the connections between letters, sounds, and symbols. The children begin to add labels and short titles to their  documentation. They write their own names and the names of the friends they were learning with, and titles such as ‘building’ or ‘drawing’.

 

Connections Between Writing and Reading

As the year progresses children deepen their understanding of the connection between reading and writing. They begin to use their knowledge of phonics to sound out words and write short sentences to describe their documentation. Educators support this process with tools like alphabet charts and by teaching the correct formation and direction of letters.

Daily documentation provides an authentic experience to practice writing.

 

Forest Day and Field Trips

This reflective process adds an important dimension to all our thinking and learning. We take our clipboards and document our field trips and forest days.

 

 

 

A Journey to Independent Writing

The documentation routine gives teachers opportunities to support and scaffold every child’s individual writing journey. Teachers can guide children in stretching out new words, encourage them to write more complex sentences or multiple sentences as the year progresses, and model correct letter formation and word spacing. They can also incorporate weekly focuses on spelling patterns or punctuation. The children’s independence grows, gradually requiring less support from their teachers.