Family Writing Night

Last Tuesday I invited families to come in and join me for a family writing night. I began the evening sharing how I approach teaching writing in second grade, struggles young writer's face (choosing a meaningful topic to write about and moving out of their comfort zones) and a little about my own journey as a writer. I read aloud RalphTells a Story by Abby Hanlon and modeled creating a Heart Map. Students and parents then worked together to create a heart map for the student. I asked parents to help with spelling so students would have those words spelled correctly when they referred back to their heart map during writer's workshop. Parents then participated in a writing activity with me. You can see an example of the type of writing they did here. Afterward we talked about how they felt about the writing (uncomfortable for some) and made connections to how their little ones feel when we ask them to put themselves "out there" as writer's. I shared some tips with them on how to comment on their children's writing and took time to answer questions. I am looking forward to connecting and learning with families at our next family night!