Writing at Home
Children grow so much as writers in first grade!
If your child tries to write at home or shares writing from school with you, it's important that you understand a little bit about the expectations for First Grade Writers. This will allow you to support the skill and confidence building we are doing at school!
Children grow so much as writers in first grade!
If your child tries to write at home or shares writing from school with you, it's important that you understand a little bit about the expectations for First Grade Writers. This will allow you to support the skill and confidence building we are doing at school!
In early first grade, children are encouraged to write words phonetically – as they hear them.
For example, your first grader may write the word “happy” as “hape.” We encourage this inventive spelling to give children the power to write any words they need in their writing – not just words they know
how to spell correctly. As the year progresses, we will move to more conventional spellings.
Any words that are posted on our Word Wall are expected to be spelled correctly. We will send home flashcards each time we add new words to our Word Wall. We will add many words to this list
as the year progresses!
Remember that when children try out a spelling, they are showing us what they know...not what they don’t know. They are taking risks. Celebrate this time with your child. Praise them for the parts of words they can hear and spell. Encourage them to read and share their writing with you!
For example, your first grader may write the word “happy” as “hape.” We encourage this inventive spelling to give children the power to write any words they need in their writing – not just words they know
how to spell correctly. As the year progresses, we will move to more conventional spellings.
Any words that are posted on our Word Wall are expected to be spelled correctly. We will send home flashcards each time we add new words to our Word Wall. We will add many words to this list
as the year progresses!
Remember that when children try out a spelling, they are showing us what they know...not what they don’t know. They are taking risks. Celebrate this time with your child. Praise them for the parts of words they can hear and spell. Encourage them to read and share their writing with you!