Writing is fundamental to learning in all subject areas and at all grade levels. We communicate with ourselves in writing to gain insight, to reflect, to question, to remember, to make connections. We write to show what we know about the subject matter and our ability to apply that knowledge to new situations. We communicate with others to use what we know to accomplish a specific purpose.

Writing as a tool for learning and writing as a means of communication must be an integral part of each student’s educational experience kindergarten through Grade 12.

In this video, teacher Jill Myers (Cassidy Elementary, Lexington, Ky.) engages her kindergarten students in multiple writing workshop activities, including interactive writing, meeting time, teacher modeling, independent writing, and sharing stories. She shares her approach to teaching reading and writing: choosing activities that are developmentally appropriate and based on her knowledge of her students, differentiating instruction for the range of learners in her class, and using interactive writing to support independent writing and to inform the next day's instruction.

This video was originally part of the multimedia professional development resource Literacy Strategies in Action produced by KET in 2006 in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education.

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