Interactive Writing: How Language & Literacy Come Together, K-2

by Andrea McCarrier, Gay Su Pinnell, Irene C. Fountas

Grades K-2 Children want to make their mark–on paper, on any surface, in life. But the difficulties of transferring words to paper can be daunting enough to drown out even the most enthusiastic voice. Enter interactive writing, a new instructional approach in which teachers and children collaborate to produce a written text. Just as Fountas and Pinnell did in their best-selling Guided Reading , the authors offer powerful first teaching designed to accelerate and support children's critical understanding of the writing process. Interactive Writing is specifically focused on the early phases of writing, and has special relevance to prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade 1 and 2 teachers. In a clear, step-by-step format, the authors show how teachers can use interactive writing to teach a range of foundational literacy skills by sharing the pen with young Important features include a rich array of examples of children's writing, down-to-earth practical advice, suggestions for using children's literature and art in the writing program, numerous photos of children's work, and suggestions for professional development. Additionally, there are thorough descriptions of how interactive writing can be used as a tool for inquiry across the curriculum–in content areas as well as in literature. With this kind of broad application, children can grow to see writing as a lifelong tool for learning–and see themselves as writers, right from the start. The book is filled with practical information on how to get started with interactive writing, with explicit details from specific materials to fine teaching points.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Writing

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1999

Reviews

[Dava Fletter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very detailed book about interactive writing by a duo at the top of the field of literacy. It is most great for kindergarten to first grade. Much of the information is review if you are teaching. I was glad to find ways to expand shared writing into interactive. There are a few philosophies I disagree with personally, but it's okay to disagree. I enjoyed reading and learning some other ways to think about teaching what I already teach.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorite trade books. This book provides inspiration and practical ideas for ways to integrate the teaching of writing, reading, spelling, and phonics into your reading and content curriculum throughout the day. The authors also describe ways to bring children's literature to life, from retelling a story at a level the class can read to making a character map. Several ideas and pictures are provided. This is a perfect book for K-2 primary teachers.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for early literacy teachers. I assigned excerpts from it for the PBS Teacherline course I wrote in 2004, Effective Writing Instruction, PreK-K. Orchestrated a video of Tanya Knight using the method with her kindergartners.

[Jen Munnerlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have this book, but I've not spent much time looking at it.