The standards in this strand include three kinds of writing: opinion, informative, and narrative. Opinion and informative writing will likely start with kids reading one or more books and responding to what they’ve learned. In an opinion piece, your child
introduces the book or topic he’s writing about, states his opinion or preference about it, gives a reason or two to support his opinion (e.g. Goldilocks was wrong to go into the home of the 3 bears.) The kindergarten writer is also
learning to use conclusions.
In an informative piece, your child names what he’s writing about and gives some information, facts, or details about it (e.g. Dogs bark and come in many sizes).
Writing a narrative is like writing a story, and your child’s story may be inspired by books, experiences, or pure imagination. Your child's story should describe an events with some details about the event (e.g. I went to the circus and I saw a
clown) and give some sense of the story coming to an end (It was fun).
In kindergarten written language skills are emerging. Students will be using thier inventive spelling as they emerge as writers (bunny may first be spelled with the beginning sound "b" or spelled "bne"). Written language skills are addressed in
the Language standards strand.
How can I help my child at home with the writing strand standards?
Let your child see you write - notes, letters, memories. Read aloud what you have written.
Establish a place to leave messages for each other such as a wipe-off or cork board (your child may draw you a picture message to begin with)
Talk with your child about their opinion about a topic or book by stating the opinion and giving a reason for his/her thinking. “My favorite book is … because …”.
Model this by giving your own opinions about topics or books.
Have your child write/draw about a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and find a way to close/end the piece.
Help your child see that order is important in writing about a story or happening, using a proper sequence of events.
Help your child to use the computer, pens, crayons, paint, etc. to produce and publish what he/she has written/drawn. Have them read aloud what they have written.
Do simple research about a given topic together – write down the facts and details you find about the topic
Help your child to recall information about his/her own experiences, or what he/she has read or researched, to answer questions
Strands are larger groups of related standards. The Strand Grade is a calculation of all the related standards. Click on the standard name below each strand to access the learning targets and proficiency scales for
each strand's related standards.
Kindergarten
