Actually, Yes: All Kids Can Learn to Write!

Hawa, one of my first graders, is an inspiration to me.

When she entered first grade as a six year old, reading and writing were a struggle for her. She knew the letters and could write words, but understanding reading and writing eluded her.

We didn’t realize her struggle in writing until we gave the Vermont Writing Collaborative’s argument prompt to our 22 first graders. Here was a chance to see what our students could do all by themselves, without instructional support.

It was late October, and we’d already written riddle books, stories, short autobiographies, started science and math note booking, and more. But most of this writing and thinking was instructional, which meant Kevin, my ELL teacher who worked with me for 30 minutes, 3 times a week and I would scaffold support as needed for the six year olds.

Hmmmm….

Today, we would begin a totally independent two-day prompt. What could our students write on their own?

“Let’s listen to the text again,” I began, staying with the script in the prompt for day 2. “Think about which pet is best for you, a dog or a cat, and why.   Mr. Cross and I are not going to help you. This is thinking and writing you will do all by yourselves. Good luck.”

The children got right to work. Even Hawa looked like all the other students, busy writing about how a dog or a cat is the best pet and why.

But when Kevin and I read Hawa’s piece during snack, we realized the depth of her misunderstandings. This is what we read:

a dog is a best dog in the word becus it is a best dog in the word why is it the dog is it a best dog in the word why is it in the becus you wot it in the word.

Kevin and I realized our instructional supports had been masking her lack of understanding.   Hawa’s writing didn’t make sense. She had no idea what to do with a prompt, and no evidence from the pet text in her piece.

True, Hawa did know some sight words, she did attempt to choose a dog as the best pet, she knew to fill the page, she could use some of the same words from the prompt in her piece, she ended with punctuation, and her words sat on the line and were formed correctly.

But there was a lot missing.

We got right to work, intentionally helping Hawa help herself.

Instruction focused on understanding.

It wasn’t easy for Hawa those 7 months. She worked hard. She talked and talked and talked, and learned about how penguin fathers take care of their eggs, about predators like leopard seas and killer whales. She used accurate language to compare different kinds of penguins, and when she sat down to write to the prompt about how penguins are good parents, she used evidence to support her claim. She knew about butterflies, solids and liquids, inclusion, story elements, character attributes, and she was learning how to write about what she knew.

Always, we kept the focus on understanding – and writing and reading started making sense to her as she made sense of them.

Next May…..

We gave the pet prompt again in May, and Kevin and I held our breath. What would Hawa do? We followed the two-day script, read the text three times, talked about pet attributes, then handed out the blank paper.

Here’s what Hawa wrote.

Dogs can do trick like jumping back flips roll they sniff tails to meet each other but cats don’t sniff tails to meet each other but most of all dogs like to play together by sharing toys with people Dogs can play with you dogs can sleep with you but dogs love to play with other dog by sharing toys with other dogs dogs can be friends with other dogs If other dogs that don’t share toges with other dogs, nobody won’t get a dog of a cat than they will be sad and won’t be cared and safe.

Kevin and I were so excited, we could hardly stand it. Her piece mostly made sense, there was a focus, and the beginning of a counter argument, lots of evidence, and a conclusion.   Go Hawa!

Understanding!

There was still a lot to do, but this time  understanding was there, and she did this all by herself. Hawa knew we were reading her paper, and she just smiled that secret little smile, rolled her eyes and looked down at her desk, pretending not to care.

It wasn’t easy for Hawa from November to June, and  we were relentless with our focus on her learning. She did extra work other students didn’t have to do, and she didn’t always like it (and neither did we!)  But  her starting place in second grade was much farther along than it was before. She knew she needed to understand what she was writing about, that writing has to make sense.

That’s a pretty powerful understanding for a seven year old.  No wonder she’s my inspiration!

Do you have a story like this? Tell us about it, please – we would all love to hear it!