Writing Fun Together

Overview

This 45-minute lesson is designed for preschool (Year 0–1) students in New Zealand to develop early writing skills aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum "Te Mātaiaho English" framework. It focuses on building confidence in oral and written language using a fun, scaffolded whole-class writing activity and individual creative follow-up. The lesson centres on learning to write simple sentences using a limited set of phonemes/sounds (s, a, t, m, i, p, c) that the students already know. This pace and structure reflect the developmental readiness of preschoolers and build foundational literacy skills in line with curriculum expectations.

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Curriculum Links

Learning Area: English (The New Zealand Curriculum - Te Mātaiaho English, Years 0–1)
Strands:

• Writing processes: Drafting simple sentences based on oral language with support
• Phonemic awareness: blending and segmenting sounds in words, connecting phonemes to letters
• Communicating ideas: expressing themselves orally before writing

Key Competencies:

• Thinking: Using knowledge of letter-sound relationships to compose sentences
• Using language, symbols, and texts: Writing to convey simple meaning
• Relating to others: Participating collaboratively in shared writing
• Managing self: Following writing routines and expressing ideas independently

Specific Curriculum Goals:

• Write sentences using known sounds and letters (e.g., s, a, t, m, i, p, c)
• Orally plan and repeat simple sentences before writing
• Use spacing and leave margins when writing
• Draw and write to communicate a message
• Begin to leave spaces between words and write left to right

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Understand how to orally compose a simple sentence using familiar sounds.
2. Participate in a shared writing activity to write one simple, supported sentence together.
3. Independently draw a picture and write a simple sentence underneath using known letters/sounds.
4. Use spacing and print directionality (start at margin, left to right) when writing.
5. Feel confident to communicate meaning through drawing and writing.

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Lesson Structure (45 minutes)

Time	Activity	Detail/Notes
5 mins	Warm-up & Oral Language Focus	- Gather students on mat. - Review sounds: s, a, t, m, i, p, c. - Play sound blending game (e.g., snap sounds together to make words like "cat", "map").
10 mins	Whole-Class Shared Writing – Modelled Sentence	- Using a fun prompt, e.g., "A cat sat" or "I am a cat". - Teacher models planning the sentence orally. - Use magnetic letters or a whiteboard to write each word together. - Scaffold spacing between words, starting at the margin. - Verbalise thinking (‘I’m writing “A cat sat”. I can hear s-a-t. I leave a space...’).
5 mins	Read & Repeat	- Read the sentence together aloud several times. - Encourage students to repeat the sentence clearly. - Discuss the meaning of the sentence briefly, linking to a familiar image or toy.
20 mins	Independent Drawing and Writing	- Children each draw a picture of something related to the prompt (e.g., a cat or a map). - Then they write their own simple sentence underneath, using only the letters/sounds s, a, t, m, i, p, c. - Teachers provide individual support and encouragement. - Emphasise leaving spaces, starting at margins, and trying to write from left to right.
5 mins	Sharing and Reflection	- Invite volunteers to show their picture and read their sentence if able. - Reinforce positive feedback on effort. - Brief recap of how we made our writing together today. - Praise use of sounds and sentence spacing.

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Teaching Tips & Considerations

• Use explicit modelling and think-alouds during shared writing to support metacognition and sentence construction.
• Provide visual cues such as spacing rulers or finger spaces to support independent writers.
• Encourage emergent bilingual and multilingual learners by affirming diverse pronunciations and incorporating familiar vocabulary where possible.
• Be responsive and scaffold according to students’ writing ability; some may copy parts of the sentence, others may write phonetic attempts.
• Use multisensory strategies: magnetic letters, sand trays for letter shapes, and verbal repetition.
• Celebrate all attempts to communicate meaning, fostering confidence and positive identity as writers.
• Maintain a playful, low-pressure atmosphere to engage young learners and build their self-efficacy.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation during the shared writing and individual activity: Note if children can segment sounds, connect them to letters, leave spaces, and write left to right.
• Provide immediate, positive feedback and gentle correction during the activities (e.g., "I love how you left a space there! Well done!").
• Use student drawings and sentences as artefacts of learning progress.
• Record notes on individual student ability to orally compose and write simple sentences with known phonemes.

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Sample Writing Prompt and Sentence

Prompt: "Let’s write about a cat!"

Modelled sentence: "A cat sat."

• (Words use only the known sounds: a, c, t, s)
• During shared writing, break down each word into sounds and write together.

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This plan aligns closely with the New Zealand Curriculum’s “Te Mātaiaho English” guidance for early writing development, phonological awareness, and composition as detailed in the recent 2024 curriculum update, particularly the focus on phase 1 writing processes for Years 0–1. The use of a limited phoneme set fits well with teaching systematic synthetic phonics and explicit oral sentence modelling recommended in the curriculum for emergent writers.

By ensuring structured, scaffolded, and playful engagement with both oral and written language, this lesson supports foundational literacy growth and prepares preschoolers to experience success as confident young communicators.