Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Literacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MSD Steuben County presenters outline practical ways parents can support early writing
Summary
MSD of Steuben County Director Jonathan Winslow and first-grade teacher Kiana Bierwalter described how foundational transcription skills and higher-order composition skills work together and offered games, routines and resources parents can use to build children’s writing and reading comprehension.
Jonathan Winslow, director of elementary education for MSD Steuben County, and Kiana Bierwalter, a first-grade teacher at Ryan Park Elementary, told families during a district webinar that writing instruction combines foundational transcription skills with higher-level composition and that both support reading comprehension.
The presenters said transcription — letter formation, spelling and keyboarding — must become fluent before students can focus on composition, organization and critical thinking. "Writing is a form of thinking on paper," Bierwalter said when sharing a Susan Sontag quote she used in the presentation.
Why it matters: the presenters said connecting writing and reading helps students retain vocabulary and think more precisely about text. Winslow described district-wide efforts this year to emphasize the components of what he called the "writing rope," a parallel to the district's reading framework, and Bierwalter showed concrete activities families can use at home.
Practical activities Bierwalter demonstrated include: converting a photo into a caption-writing game; digital "telephone" with recorded audio that children transcribe to compare accuracy; sentence-scramble or "Taco Bell packet" story games to practice syntax and sequencing; shared writing about familiar experiences such as spring break; short persuasive debates (for example, a class discussion about bedtime); journaling and gratitude lists; and using varied writing tools (lined paper, blank paper, sticky notes, crayons or pens) to motivate children. She also recommended setting a calm, designated writing space and turning off distracting background television.
Bierwalter and Winslow emphasized tying writing practice to content-area work: writing about science, social studies and math as well as narrative and persuasive pieces. Bierwalter noted that speech-language pathologists work with children who receive language services to strengthen oral language, which feeds into writing.
Resources and logistics: the presenters said the session slides were available via a QR code shown during the webinar; Winslow told participants the district recorded the session. They also pointed attendees to the Indiana Learning Lab parent hub (presenter text shown as imlearninglab.com during the webinar) as an additional resource for age-specific writing supports.
The presentation ended with encouragement for families to write more with their children and a note that the evening included two additional community presentations on library and coalition summer programming.
