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Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten
From the very first chapter of this informative and inspiring book, a clear picture emerges of how even three- and four-year-olds' capacities for serious authorship can and should be supported." - Lillian G. Katz Coauthor of "Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years" By the time they reach preschool or kindergarten, young children are already writers. They don't have much experience, but they're filled with stories to tell and ideas to express - they want to show the world what they know and see. All they need is a nurturing teacher like you to recognize the writer at work within them. All you need to help them is "Already Ready." Taking an exciting, new approach to working with our youngest students, "Already Ready "shows you how, by respecting children as writers, engaged in bookmaking, you can gently nudge them toward a lifetime of joyful writing. Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover guide you through fundamental concepts of early writing. Providing numerous, helpful examples of early writing - complete with transcriptions - they demonstrate how to: make sense of children's writing and interpret how they represent sounds, ideas, and images see important developmental signs in writers that you can use to help them grow further recognize the thinking young children engage in and discover that it's the "same" thinking more experienced writers use to craft purposeful, thoughtful pieces. Then Ray and Glover show you how little ones can develop powerful understandings about: texts and their characteristics the writing process what it means to be a "writer." You'll learn how to support your writers' quest to make meaning, as they grow their abilities and refine their thinking about writing through teaching strategies such as: reading aloud working side by side with writers sharing children's writing. Writing is just one part of a busy early childhood classroom, but even in little doses, a nurturing approach can work wonders and help children connect the natural writer inside them to a life of expressing themselves on paper. Find that approach, share it with your students, and you'll discover that you don't have to get students ready to write - they're "Already Ready.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 2008
19 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 25, 2016
Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten is a great read for teachers who work with these ages or for teachers who want to have a better understanding of the writing process for young learners. From the beginning of the book it lays out the foundation that even preschoolers and kindergartners are writers at a an early age. This book is a great tool that is easy to read which makes it a resource that all teachers of young students should have in their classroom. The sections are broken up in a way that allows you to search for areas that are a concern and review without having to reread the entire book.
The authors do a great job of showing the reader what young writers do during writing time. Students at this age may not be able to write clearly dictated sentences but they all have a story to tell and we must allow students the opportunity to share their stories. Students need teachers that nurture many opportunities for students to share their stories and in return create a confidence in writing for students at a young age.
The book is broken up into two parts. Part one is building understandings about young writers. This is a great foundation for the reader to understand young writers stories. It walks you through the process of what it means to be a writer, making picture books, what writing development is at a young age, and the child’s self image as a writer. Part two is teaching practices that nurture young writers.This part walks you through understanding the teaching context, supporting your young writers using read alouds, understanding side by side teaching, and supporting young writers through the process of share time.
A feature of this book that is very helpful is the images of children’s writing that is shared throughout to allow you to understand what their writing looks like as the authors explain the process. This helps to paint a picture in your mind of what preschool and kindergarten students writing looks like so that you have a better understanding of their skills. The images are also explained in great detail throughout the book and shows you ways to support your students by using read alouds, writing side by side with your students, and sharing the students writing.
Before each chapter starts it shares information about the student authors and illustrators that will be featured in the book. This is such a neat part to the book that helps you to understand the student's background and where they get their inspiration. It gives the name of the student and their writing as well as pictures of their stories. This helps you understand the students who were studied in this process.
Teachers, coaches, and principals will find this resource to be a go to professional development book that every school needs in their library. We have so many pressures to push students to "WRITE" even at the young age of five. What we have to realize, and this book helps support that, is all students are writers even if the words are spelled wrong or if there are no words at all on the page. I myself push my kids to write words, sentences and focus on spelling. This book helped me to step back and see that there is a process for young writers and we have to help them through modeling, support and opportunities to grow at their own pace and in a way that is developmentally appropriate. I have enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it for anyone who teaches younger aged students or anyone who wants to understand the process of how students begin to write. We have to stop pushing so much and giving students unrealistic expectations and support them in their process of development.
Great book and Highly Recommended!
The authors do a great job of showing the reader what young writers do during writing time. Students at this age may not be able to write clearly dictated sentences but they all have a story to tell and we must allow students the opportunity to share their stories. Students need teachers that nurture many opportunities for students to share their stories and in return create a confidence in writing for students at a young age.
The book is broken up into two parts. Part one is building understandings about young writers. This is a great foundation for the reader to understand young writers stories. It walks you through the process of what it means to be a writer, making picture books, what writing development is at a young age, and the child’s self image as a writer. Part two is teaching practices that nurture young writers.This part walks you through understanding the teaching context, supporting your young writers using read alouds, understanding side by side teaching, and supporting young writers through the process of share time.
A feature of this book that is very helpful is the images of children’s writing that is shared throughout to allow you to understand what their writing looks like as the authors explain the process. This helps to paint a picture in your mind of what preschool and kindergarten students writing looks like so that you have a better understanding of their skills. The images are also explained in great detail throughout the book and shows you ways to support your students by using read alouds, writing side by side with your students, and sharing the students writing.
Before each chapter starts it shares information about the student authors and illustrators that will be featured in the book. This is such a neat part to the book that helps you to understand the student's background and where they get their inspiration. It gives the name of the student and their writing as well as pictures of their stories. This helps you understand the students who were studied in this process.
Teachers, coaches, and principals will find this resource to be a go to professional development book that every school needs in their library. We have so many pressures to push students to "WRITE" even at the young age of five. What we have to realize, and this book helps support that, is all students are writers even if the words are spelled wrong or if there are no words at all on the page. I myself push my kids to write words, sentences and focus on spelling. This book helped me to step back and see that there is a process for young writers and we have to help them through modeling, support and opportunities to grow at their own pace and in a way that is developmentally appropriate. I have enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it for anyone who teaches younger aged students or anyone who wants to understand the process of how students begin to write. We have to stop pushing so much and giving students unrealistic expectations and support them in their process of development.
Great book and Highly Recommended!
April 9, 2018
A great read about how to help stubborn children. I loved the idea of children making books as a form of pre-writing and hope to implement it with my children soon!
Read
August 17, 2008This book was a gift from my mom, via Columbia University (where we both studied two summers ago). It's a professional read (can you tell I'm getting ready for a new academic year?)about early writing instruction (pre-K and K).
April 23, 2009
I loved the ideas for creating books with my 3 year old I got from this book. She sees herself as a writer already. I love the focus Ray puts on nurturing that idea of competence in our youngest writers.
May 5, 2008
Important book for anyone, teacher or caregiver, who wants to nuture the youngest writers among us.
Currently reading
March 8, 2009This book has interesting information for our KG1 and KG2 teachers. Jane picked in up in London.
July 13, 2009
This wasn't anything earth-shattering that I didn't already believe in, but it's a nice confirmation of practices I like to use in writing instruction.
September 23, 2010
Book for class. I really enjoyed this one!
March 13, 2011
Wonderful to be reminded that writing starts well before we can actualy "write" words.
January 16, 2013
Loved it! Very helpful for Writers Workshop!
June 1, 2013
The insight Katie Wood Ray offers regarding early writing is phenomenal!
January 10, 2018
I am not a teacher and read this just to get ideas about helping my pre-schoolers to gain skills that will help them to be writers as they get older.
Read
February 24, 2016A must read for early literacy teachers
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews