In the bustling school of Casa Azafrán Early Learning Center, some of Nashville’s youngest learners are beginning their writing journey. It’s not just about pencils and paper; it’s about capturing moments, sharing stories, and igniting a love for writing in our youngest students.
In Metro Schools’ Pre-K classrooms, we believe in nurturing emergent writing skills in our students. Emergent writing is the beginning attempts at putting thoughts into words, laying the foundation for a lifetime of literacy.
The Photo Writing Project
Casa Azafrán is supporting emergent writing through The Photo Writing Project, which uses digital cameras to help students tell a story. The project is part of a research-practitioner partnership between the MNPS Early Learning Department and Peabody College: Early Literacy Partnership. The partnership showcases how experienced Pre-K teachers support emergent writing in the classroom while teachers work with researchers to design photo-writing activities related to Creative Curriculum thematic studies.
“Through this experience, Pre-K students engage in photo-writing activities which involve children in writing about photos that have been taken in the classroom or at home with cameras sent home from school. Students take photos at home and in the classroom and create stories on an iPad that can be shared with the other students. Photos are especially helpful for children who are learning English as a new language when they come to Pre-K and enable students to create and share stories in multiple languages” said Dr. Debbie Rowe, Lead for the Vanderbilt/Peabody College Research Team.
Alexandra Wood, one of our dedicated Pre-K teachers, has witnessed the transformative impact of the project firsthand.
“Since having Ms. Debbie and her guidance in our classroom, the students are writing more than any class I have ever had before. They love to draw and dictate their thoughts and ideas independently. Their confidence has soared.”
Wood, as well as other teachers at Casa Azafrán, have extended the project to other writing opportunities in the classroom, “Our students are much more interested in their own writing; our small group writing experiences are much less challenging and more engaging.”
How Writing Inspires Learning in Pre-K
Dr. Rowe shared, “Writing is one of the best activities for children to apply the literacy skills they are learning in Pre-K.
When Pre-K students write they are learning:
- The alphabetic principle: that alphabet letters represent the sounds in words
- They use and practice identifying alphabet letters and the sounds they make
- They practice holding and using pencils, markers, and other writing tools.
- The learn that they can use their own writing to record their ideas
- They learn to listen to the sounds in spoken words and to segment a word into its sounds
Through initiatives like The Photo Writing Project, MNPS is empowering our youngest students to become creators, confident communicators and lifelong learners.
Apply for Pre-K in Three Easy Steps
Families who apply by 3:30 p.m. April 1, 2024 will be included in the initial application selection process. Apply today in three easy steps.
If you need help, you can call our Family Information Center at 615-259-INFO.
Families who submit applications before April 1, 2024, 3:30 p.m. CST will be included in that initial application selection process. If families miss that deadline, we still encourage families to apply.
