Chart Writing

There is so much to say about writing in Kindergarten. It is such a HUGE task to teach the concepts of word, letter, segmenting, complete sentence, punctuation. In California, our BIG standard for writing is (and this is my version) to write a complete sentence using sight words and phonetic spelling to convey an idea you have in your head. The easiest route is to stick to "I see ____" and "I like _____" and "I can _____" sentences without ever using sentences from inside the students' heads. I use these sentences at times for scaffolding, but my eventual goal is to have the student write down a sentence the way they would say it.
One of the step I use to get them there is a weekly chart of sentences. Each week there is a sentence prompt.... The first one is "I am (name)."
In preparation, before the student's get to class you write the "I am" part of the chart... I use 2 colors and alternate, so the sentences are easier to distinguish.
On Monday you write your sentence at the top of the chart.
"I am Mrs. Bergenske."
You choose students one at a time to tell you their idea (in this chart it's a little silly, as it's only their name) and you do half of your class. For me this is 11 students.
On Tuesday you write the other half of the class. (11 more students)
On Wednesday, you use a special pointer and each child comes up and reads his or her sentence out loud while tracking it on the chart.
On Thursday, you write a few (4-6) sentences on sentence strips then cut the words apart. The students take turns coming up in front of the class and reassembling the sentences. They hold the word in front of their tummy and when I tap them on the head, they hold it up and we all read in unison. The child who dictated the sentence gets to take it home.
On Friday, we make a class book page. Each student has his or her sentence typed out on the computer. He or she cuts the strip in between each word, then glues it onto the top line of the paper. They copy the sentence on the next line, then illustrate it.
This activity is very multi-level. It helps with concept of a word, left to right progression, tracking, starting with a capital, ending with a "stop sign" (period), putting spaces between words, reading and writing sight words,etc. I have developed this from the Four Blocks Guide to Literacy which you can access at this website

http://www.four-blocks.com/kindergarten.htm

Here is a sample of a chart from the week we began studying colors.
Some other topics I use for charts are...
October: I like (color). For Halloween I will be... Bats are.... My pumpkin is .....
November: I am thankful for... I like (food). There are (#) people in my family. I have a (pet).
December: ________ is my friend. I want (gift). My wish for the world is...
January: If it snowed, I would... Penguins.... A _________ lives in the Arctic. I have a dream that....
February: I love... George Washington..... Abraham Lincoln....

For the sentences about penguins, arctic animals, presidents, etc., I try to read at least a few non fiction books on this topic before having them contribute to the chart.

Good Luck and Happy Writing!