Picture books to inspire writing
Grades K - 3
What is it?
Modelling occurs any time a teacher “thinks aloud” while composing text in front of learners. These moments are brief, intentional, and focused demonstrations of writing and design processes, decision-making and the application of strategies or skills.
Why?
Observing a teacher’s thinking and actions helps students develop an understanding of writing or constructing multimodal text. Modelling demonstrates specific strategies and techniques that learners will come to know, do and understand through supported practice.
During Modelled Writing
| Teachers are... | Learners are... |
| doing the work of creating text | listening and observing a skilled writer’s decision-making process while creating text |
| demonstrating the thoughts and actions that go into creating text | gaining an understanding of what the process of creating text looks like |
| making their thinking visible by “thinking aloud” | making connections to their own processes |
| focusing on one or two key strategies or skills that learners will come to know through practice | observing examples of new writing strategies, approaches or skills that they will try |
| explaining why, when and how a writer would use a specific strategy | considering when and how to use specific techniques and strategies |
| demonstrating composition and conventions, crafts and skills | noticing how writing conventions and composition of text work together to create a message |
