Ayla S Writing Samples

Ayla Data Set

Ayla’s Writing Samples

<INSERT FIGURE 4.1 AYLA MEMOIR>

Memoir: I am sorry for disobeying my mom.

<INSERT FIGURE 4.2 AYLA BIOGRAPHY>

Biography: My aunt lives in the mountains.

Ayla’s survey

Our interview with Ayla, a kindergartner and writer, informs us that she is emerging in her understanding about what writing can do for her. In response to the question, “Where do you get your ideas for writing?” she says, “I get my ideas because I think about them.” Ayla knows that her thoughts can become not just the words she says, but words that she can write, and she can use these written words to communicate to others. This is a key piece of development for emergent writers and one that every teacher of young children ought to emphasize. Once children have this concept, they are eager to begin writing their stories. Ayla notes that the easy part about writing is “sounding out words,” echoing Elbow’s (2004) notion that young writers are “beautifully positioned for writing: They can write all the words they can say” (p. 9). Conversely, Ayla notes that what is hard about writing is, “When you don’t know what sound it makes.” This, too, underscores Ayla’s understanding of what writing is and illustrates her emergent and growing control of both phonics and vocabulary. She knows it is important to spell the word so her audience can read it. Perhaps there are some words she is just learning to say; therefore, it is tricky to spell these words.

Additionally, Ayla reports that she likes to write “At my house in the living room.” This is encouraging. Now we know that Ayla sees writing as something done beyond the boundaries of school. Our hunch is that she is using writing to communicate and share with her family. Ayla’s response to, “What makes someone a good writer,” provides insight into her sense of writing as a learning process. She says, “Practice and practice a lot!” So far, Ayla seems willing to practice writing, since she is experiencing what writing can do for her. Finally, when asked, “What kind of writer are you?” Ayla responds, “A left hand writer.” This is interesting. Children notice and name differences among themselves quickly; Ayla has noted this difference and this is what defines her as a writer. We hope that with time, Ayla will identify herself as writer of a specific genre or one who draws good illustrations to go with her stories. This may be a signal to us that Ayla needs to be affirmed in her abilities as a good storyteller.

Insights from Ayla’s parent survey

Ayla’s parent survey confirms our hunch that Ayla not only writes at home but also is supported in this endeavor by her parents. We learn that “Ayla has had an interest in writing since an early age, spelling her name when she was only two years old.” Writing one’s name is perhaps the earliest form of writing and Ayla is doing this successfully. Her parent reports that “Ayla draws pictures for her Mom. She draws people, sceneries and whatever else her imagination allows.” Her parent notes, “She often labels her pictures and asks how to spell words she is not sure of.” Making “cards” is Ayla’s latest writing passion, along with discovering new vocabulary like “awesomest.”

Ayla’s parent survey provides us with a picture of the rich literary home life she enjoys. Ayla is becoming aware of her writing audience in being mindful of spelling, by paying attention to design (the creation and look of cards), and in learning new vocabulary to communicate her thoughts. Her parent notes that she helps Ayla in learning the difference between capital and lower case letters and how they appear on the paper, and that she is beginning to understand sentence structures and letter spacing. If Ayla is doing this at home, then we certainly want to build upon this in school! We can partner with her parent in teaching, noticing, and naming these skills. And, we want to make sure and ask Ayla about her home writing, inviting her to bring it to school to share with others. This will support her growing identity as a writer.

Ayla’s parent informs us that she “is very creative and makes up poems daily. It would be neat for her to be able to competently translate her poems to paper.” This is excellent instructional information for us. Ayla can be encouraged at school to say her poems and to write those poems during the Writing Studio. Partnering with her parent in a poetry writing project would build upon the best of both worlds.

Finally, Ayla’s parent writes:

I believe that parents play a very important role in their child’s learning particularly at this young age. I would like to be as involved in her education as I can. It is important to me to be updated on her needs for improvement. Please understand that I am willing to participate in whatever capacity necessary to ensure the success of the student.

This is an exciting opportunity and we want to communicate to Ayla’s parent our intent to partner with her. Already, she has provided key information that we can use in planning instruction for Ayla.

Observations of Ayla

Observational data confirm what we are coming to know about Ayla as a writer. Ayla is an attentive and interactive listener during modeled writing lessons. She often uses the skills taught in her writing during independent writing time. Ayla is a risk-taker when it comes to word choice and spelling. This observational data confirms Ayla’s own response about what is easy about writing (“sounding out words”) and her parent’s notes about Ayla’s increasing vocabulary and spelling skills and interest in new words like “awesomest.” The data indicate that Ayla is willing to try and fail, reflecting Ayla’s response that good writers, “practice and practice a lot!” Furthermore, observational data show that Ayla is able to write for the entire independent writing time without getting tired or giving up. Ayla is developing stamina as a writer that allows her to “practice and practice a lot!” The data show that Ayla is holding her writing tools comfortably and positioning the paper well for use with her left hand.

Analyzing Ayla’s writing sample

We have two pieces of writing from Ayla (see below), representing memoir and biography; Ayla is already writing in multiple genres. The memoir is touching. Ayla writes, “I am sorry for disobeying my mom.” As a writer, Ayla knows she can express her feelings. In the biography, Ayla writes, “My aunt lives in the mountains.” It is informative that Ayla is writing about someone else, since many young writers tend to write personal stories of self or their imagination only. We note that Ayla’s name is written and spelled correctly in the space provided on her writing paper. Her drawings fill the spaces for illustrations and are complete with details. Ayla’s sentences are complete; upper and lower case are not clearly delineated on these writing samples but she is doing some spacing between words.

In the memoir, Ayla takes a word risk—“disobeying” (spelled “disobaine”) is a sophisticated word choice, and Ayla applies her phonics skills well in spelling this word. This piece has voice: it is a personal moment and Ayla is expressing this through writing. In the biography, Ayla primarily writes the beginning and ending sounds of words (e.g., at = aunt, lz = lives).

Ayla’s writing is completed on paper provided by her teacher with lines and a box for a drawing. We wonder how this might compare with writing she does at home on blank paper. Would more open space produce a different kind of writing? Remember, Ayla’s parent reports that she is writing and designing “cards” at home.

Planning for Ayla’s next steps as a writer

Kindergarten writers thrive in a rich literate environment where they are encouraged to take risks and discover what writing can do for them. Ayla enjoys this context both at school and at home. Ayla knows what writing can do for her; her memoir is evidence of this. Ayla’s parent is already working with her on upper and lower case letters and the spacing of letters—so is her kindergarten teacher. Her risk-taking through writing unknown words shows evidence of her desire to use a growing vocabulary. A logical next step may be to teach Ayla to say each word slowly to listen for all the sounds in her words in order to communicate better with her audience. This may be frustrating to Ayla because she has something to say (quickly), but if connected with making her story more readable to others, we think she will have a purpose for slowing down and writing more of the sounds she hears in her words.

Ayla’s parent mentioned poetry. Poetry is a delightful genre for children! Ayla is already producing oral poetry according to her parent, so it makes sense to move her toward writing poetry. Immersing Ayla in books of poetry with delightful illustrations we think will further engage her intrigue with interesting vocabulary. We also suggest bookmaking for Ayla, using blank paper and different colors of markers, to encourage her to write more than one sentence and give her creative license to design a poetry book like one she may read.

Our plans for Ayla include key areas for young writers: developing genre awareness through selecting a purpose for writing; developing writing craft, conventions, and process; and developing a writer’s identity through the discovery of what writing can do for each young writer.