Teaching+Writing

As with reading, there are five methods of teaching writing. The first is Modelled Writing. The teacher has the whole class in front of them and models the process of writing. He/she also models the thinking process which goes along with the writing process. They may think aloud, forming ideas for the text and discarding them, or changing a word so the sentence, spelling, or punctuation makes sense. The second method is Shared Writing in which the teacher records the text, but the children are 'invited to contribute ideas for the writing' (Hill 2006, p.300). In this manner the children are more involved in the process. A similar method is Interactive Writing in which the children contribute ideas, as with Shared Writing, and also do some of the writing themselves. The teacher writes the easy words or phrases and asks the children to problem solve the harder or unfamiliar words or sentences. Guided Writing is the fourth method of teaching writing. Children can write in pairs, small groups or by themselves and can work together to finish a section of a class project. It is usually the case that the topic is given to them or they can finish a text created in the Interactive Writing lessons. The teacher may circel between the groups to check on their progress (Hill, 2006). The fifth method of writing is the Independent Writing 'where children write on topics of their choice' (Hill, 2006, p.301). The teacher will give them minimal support. There is also a concept termed Roving Conferences, in which the teacher will sit next to the child writing a piece of text and encourage the child to discuss their writing. This gives the child the opportunity to clarify their ideas and to think about the meaning they are trying to convey. It also gives the teacher the opportunity to assess and observe the child's progress in the ideas section of the writing process.