Writing Letters

11/30/2018

Gemma Fagan, Preschool Teacher

Over the past few weeks the class as a whole has started to feel more confident about their letter – sound knowledge and how to use this knowledge in their reading and writing efforts.

Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind.

J ohann Wolfgang von Goethe

We strive to create a safe environment throughout the first trimester, allowing the class to trust that we are all here to learn, that we all practice everything multiple times, that we all don’t worry it and just try our best – there is no wrong or right. The post office is always a big hit during this process, as the children love to write letters to their friends almost as much as they like licking envelopes, stamping things, and putting stickers on parcels. 😊

When we changed the Dramatic Play area, we also revamped the Art Center and added a new “Writing Desk.” The first week we wrote letters to a family member, Miss. Kertesz, and a fellow classmate. We wrote thank you notes for all the lovely new books from the book fair, a recipe card for our cooking class, and an apology letter for some poor choices made in the library (don’t worry, what happens in preschool stays in preschool).

When children write with a purpose, it makes a huge difference to what they produce and how they feel about it. They are excited, motivated, and incredibly proud of their efforts, so much so that we decided to start recording our weekly efforts in a “Writing Sample Binder.” Each day the children bring me their writing samples, both teacher initiated and spontaneous, we decode and decipher them together, celebrate their efforts, and then they make me photocopy everything so that they can take a copy home immediately as well as save one for their binders.

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Boulder Country Day School 4820 Nautilus Court North • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • Phone - 303.527.4931 • info@bouldercountryday.org

Boulder Country Day School, where academic distinction meets education with character. BCD is a top rated, accredited private school in Boulder, Colorado where every child has the opportunity to discover their own unique excellence. Distinguished by small class sizes, outstanding faculty, engaging academics and a focus on community, our preschool, elementary and IB middle school teachers strive to create a well-rounded educational environment that balances traditional subjects with the arts, world languages, athletics and knowledge based units.