Interactive Writing
Definition and Purpose
Teachers use interactive writing to compose a message with children and write it onto a piece of chart paper. The whole class creates the text, and the teacher guides children as they write it word by word. Children take turns writing letters and words that they know, adding punctuation and marking spaces in between words. Children can actively participate by writing the text that is being created on mini whiteboards. Afterwards, they read and reread the text using shared reading at first, and then reading it independently.
Interactive writing demonstrates how writing works and shows children how to construct words using their knowledge or sound-symbol correspondences and spelling patterns. This instructional procedure is also very powerful for English Language learners, no matter their age.
During interactive writing teachers can ask children to write both letters to represent the beginning sounds in words and familiar high frequency words. As children learn more about phoneme-grapheme correspondences, they will do more of the writing.
Steps
1. Teachers collect chart paper, colored markers, an alphabet chart, magnetic letters and a pointer. They also collect mini whiteboards, pens and erasers for individual children’s writing.
2. Teachers distribute supplies for children to use to write the text individually as it is being written on the chart paper. Teachers can check individual white boards to observe students work.
3. Teachers present an activity. Often they read or reread a trade book, but children also share news or information they’ve learned during a thematic unit.
4. Teachers negotiate the text with children. Children repeat the sentence several times and segment it into words.
5. The children and the teacher slowly pronounce the first word of the sentence, by stretching it out. Children identify the sounds and the letters that represent them and they write the letters on chart paper. The teacher will call on children to write letters and words, depending on their knowledge of phonics and spelling. They use a colored pen, and the teacher uses another color to write words that children can’t yet spell to keep track of how much writing the children are able to do. After each word is written, one child uses his or her hand to mark the spaces between words. This procedure will be repeated to write each word in the sentence.
6. Teachers repeat these steps to write the remaining sentences on the chart paper.
7. After the message is completed, teachers post the chart in the classroom and have the children reread it, first using shared reading and then independently.
Application and Examples
Teachers use interactive writing to compose a message with children and write it onto a piece of chart paper. The whole class creates the text, and the teacher guides children as they write it word by word. Children take turns writing letters and words that they know, adding punctuation and marking spaces in between words. Children can actively participate by writing the text that is being created on mini whiteboards. Afterwards, they read and reread the text using shared reading at first, and then reading it independently.
Interactive writing demonstrates how writing works and shows children how to construct words using their knowledge or sound-symbol correspondences and spelling patterns. This instructional procedure is also very powerful for English Language learners, no matter their age.
During interactive writing teachers can ask children to write both letters to represent the beginning sounds in words and familiar high frequency words. As children learn more about phoneme-grapheme correspondences, they will do more of the writing.
Steps
1. Teachers collect chart paper, colored markers, an alphabet chart, magnetic letters and a pointer. They also collect mini whiteboards, pens and erasers for individual children’s writing.
2. Teachers distribute supplies for children to use to write the text individually as it is being written on the chart paper. Teachers can check individual white boards to observe students work.
3. Teachers present an activity. Often they read or reread a trade book, but children also share news or information they’ve learned during a thematic unit.
4. Teachers negotiate the text with children. Children repeat the sentence several times and segment it into words.
5. The children and the teacher slowly pronounce the first word of the sentence, by stretching it out. Children identify the sounds and the letters that represent them and they write the letters on chart paper. The teacher will call on children to write letters and words, depending on their knowledge of phonics and spelling. They use a colored pen, and the teacher uses another color to write words that children can’t yet spell to keep track of how much writing the children are able to do. After each word is written, one child uses his or her hand to mark the spaces between words. This procedure will be repeated to write each word in the sentence.
6. Teachers repeat these steps to write the remaining sentences on the chart paper.
7. After the message is completed, teachers post the chart in the classroom and have the children reread it, first using shared reading and then independently.
Application and Examples