As you know, I have described the Four Blocks Literacy Program as having four distinct sections. I have discussed both the Guided Reading Block and the Self-Selected Reading Block. While both blocks enhanced reading skills, they used two very different teaching styles. Today, I would like to introduce the writing block. This block is often overlooked or misinterpreted by educators. Some teachers treat this block as handwriting. However, writing and handwriting are two very different things.
The goals of the writing block are to allow children to see that writing is a way to tell about things, to learn to read through writing, to learn to write fluently, to apply grammar, to learn about forms of writing, and to motivate writing. This block begins with a ten-minute mini-lesson. In this lesson, the teacher writes and models for the children. The teacher begins by thinking aloud about different topics she can write about. She then begins her writing by sounding out words or reading the room for posted words.
Next, the students begin writing on their own. Most teachers have a journal or writing notebook for their students. During this time, the students may be on very different levels of writing. Some may be beginning a piece; some may be finishing, editing, revising, or illustrating. During the writing block, the teacher conferences with students about their work.
The final step of the writing block is sharing. The student is allowed to share what he/she has written. Many classrooms have a special chair for this sharing called an author’s chair. The sharing builds confidence and gives other students ideas for writing.
One difficult part of the writing block is encouraging children to write even if they are not sure how to spell a word. If too much emphasis is placed on spelling correctly, students will choose to spell easy shorter words. For example, a student might choose big instead of giant. Children must be taught to say the word slowly and use the letters of the sounds they hear. Children also need to learn how to use the room to find words that they need. A lot of teachers do not teach writing as a regular subject because it is usually not assessed on state tests.