All of these say, "Hugs make me feel good."

Some students start kindergarten knowing how to read and write. Many do not. Whatever skills the students start with, I want them to feel that they are writers and that they can tell their stories and ideas on paper. Therefore, I tell the kindergarteners that all of these types of "writing" (pictured to the left) are good kindergarten writing -- as long as they know what it says. Scribbles are not good kindergarten writing if the student doesn't know what they say. As students learn their letters and sounds, they will be able to fill in their writing with "sound spelling" and eventually standard spelling. In the meantime, they are empowered to tell their stories and ideas.