Blog 2

Conversations with Kiri:

One of the suggestions was to do up a writing rubric for my tamariki. While it doesn't quite fit with the AOV goal, I thought it might actually address the issues around cognitive load, and also build a skillset that might benefit them next year. I designed a rubric at their level which I figured they would be able to manage with the visuals and the emojis. 

Why rubrics?

Rubrics help children's writing by transforming abstract, intimidating goals into clear, manageable steps. By breaking a writing assignment down into specific criteria (like organisation, word choice, trying to sound our words and so on) a rubric takes the guesswork out of the process, allowing young writers to understand exactly what is expected of them.

Rubrics empower emergent writers by:

Demystifying expectations: Children often struggle with vague prompts like "write a good story." Rubrics define exactly what "good" looks like by separating it into clear categories. OR: in our case a good sentence, maybe two sentences.
Encourages independence: This is where I am really trying to head with my top group and it has been a rollercoaster with what they can do on any given day, but again I think this rubric will help. A rubric acts as a self-made checklist. Instead of constantly asking a teacher if they are finished or what is needed, children can look at the rubric to self-assess their own work.
Provides a clear roadmap: Knowing what they need to have in their "story" they will be able to plan their writing before they even start, leading to better structure and fewer structural mistakes. All the time I get, do I need a space? So the rubric is a good checkpoint.
Promotes a growth mindset: When a child receives a rubric back with feedback, they don't just see a random letter grade. They see exactly which areas need improvement.