Parent Communication - literacy learning...

Dear parents,

As part of my teaching practice I will send an email home regularly to explain what is happening in the learning space. Parents concerns or questions inform the topic, if one parent is asking, then maybe all parents would like to know. 

So a parent recently told me that her six year old was resistant to writing...here are my thoughts...

Our kids have greater wisdom than we give them credit for. If we listen to them they will teach us what they need to know. 
A child needs to be willingly engaged in an activity to make the best connections to the learning. Your daughter is saying she wants to DO and TALK and notice and wonder and think and DO and TALK and not write! Which is all good! Read on. 

The basis for writing is oral language. This comes from the do-ing and talking and thinking and noticing and wondering and talking and questioning and finding out and do-ing some more because this makes the words.  With devices, "these days" parents are not modelling writing as they used to - this is neither good nor bad - it is just how it is. Kids aren’t less intelligent, they just haven’t had the same focus on written literacy learning.

How often do children see authentic reasons to write? How often do we as adults model the behaviour? Six year olds haven't made the connection to the purpose of writing so they will wonder why they need to. There is research to support the idea that teaching children to write should be introduced at the age of 7, the brain is ready then. Nathan Mikaere-Wallis current research - when should a child learn to write. 

So the thank you emails and the get well emails and cards are modelling writing in an authentic and important context. They are not cute, they are important. The digital puppet shows and digital storytelling is their (modern) way of sharing their ideas. They are not cute, they are important.

When it is important and purposeful, the learning is relaxed and your child drives/leads/owns the learning, making deeper connections - just as it was when they learned to talk.  We want your child to NEED to write and read, just like they NEED to speak. (Think of the times your child had melt downs when they couldn't get their message across - it was THAT important to them.)  How and when can we make writing this important to our learners? 

Teaching writing skills are always on offer in our learning space...

Playing letter games and activities are an important part of learning to read and write, they are exposing your child to letters and their sounds. This needs to be deeply ingrained and can be learned anywhere including at home, "I spy" "singing the alphabet" "CVC Hangman" (CVC - consonant, vowel, consonant) videos on a device.

Handwriting...

I don't have a crystal ball - I don't know where the teaching of handwriting is heading, it is always evolving, handwriting will continue to have some profile for today's five and six year olds. 

The basis for all literacy learning is oral language. If children have nothing to say, they have nothing to record, thinking must be developed to create important ideas so that writing can be worthwhile. 

Be assured, literacy is being learned in this learning space in a rich and "doing" way! 

Thanks Therese