Tools Preschool visit: Intentional mark-making leads to confident writing

From her classroom in Denver, Colorado, February Tools PreK Teacher of the Month Grace Wingard develops a new generation of writers—starting with the physical movements they use to create figures.

Talking through movements

In Ms. Wingard’s classroom, children talk out loud as they draw to music, making intentional shapes, and eventually letters, and describing each motion to help them remember the mark and the movement they use to make it.

Pictured below, children learn to write the capital letter “R,” saying, “down, around, stop, down,” as they move their markers on their whiteboards accordingly.

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“V” for Valentine’s

Ms. Wingard weaves seasonal and theme-related events into her classroom’s letter practice, connecting writing to other activities on her preschoolers’ minds. Amid February’s Valentine’s buzz, children concentrate on forming the letter “V,” in both its upper- and lowercase forms.

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Writing in action

Writing practice happens throughout the day. During one of her favorite activities, Play Planning, Ms. Wingard’s children practice their fine motor and letter formation skills, while strengthening other early literacy skills and developing self-regulation. Children map out the center they will go to and the role they will play there, starting with drawings. As simple sketches grow to include letters, words, and eventually sentences, children grow into increasingly capable and confident communicators.

“While children are at many different developmental levels, they all feel successful when drawing and writing their Play Plans. Seeing 4- and 5-year-old children motivated to write a sentence every day is amazing!”
- Tools PreK Teacher Grace Wingard

Below, one child uses a Sound Map to identify the sounds in the words he will use, then applies what he knows about letter formation to write his plans.

Though she witnesses their growth each year, Ms. Wingard remains “amazed” by the progress of children in her Tools classroom!

Thank you to Ms. Wingard and her preschoolers for sharing their writing activities with us.

To see more from Ms. Wingard’s class and other Tools PreK Teachers of the Month, check out recent posts.