Talk–Draw–Write: An Easy Monday Morning Routine to Support Recount Writing in K–1 Classrooms

 🌞 Monday Morning Magic: Turning Weekend Talk Into Clear, Confident Writing

We all know how much young learners love to talk — especially on Monday mornings! By harnessing that natural excitement, we can gently guide them toward recount writing in a way that feels meaningful, supported, and fun.

⭐ Step 1: Talk With a Friend (2 minutes)

• Invite students to turn and talk to a buddy about their weekend.
• Encourage them to use full sentences and past-tense verbs:
• “On the weekend I went to…”
• “First…, then…, finally…”
• This short conversation gets language flowing and boosts confidence before pencils ever touch paper. It’s amazing how much more students can write when they’ve already rehearsed the sentence aloud.

✏️ Step 2: Draw to Capture Ideas

After sharing, students return to their desks and draw a picture that shows their weekend moment. At this age, drawing is part of the writing process. It helps children organise their thinking, sequence events, and choose the detail they want to write about.

📝 Step 3: Turn Talk Into Writing

• Once they’ve talked and drawn, then we write.
• Remember: K–1 writers can talk a lot, but only write a little — and that’s okay.
• A simple structured worksheet gives them:

1. A clear space to draw
2. A scaffolded line or two for writing
3. Visual reminders of sequencing words or past-tense verbs
4. Less cognitive load = more success.
5. Even confident writers benefit from a visual framework that holds their thinking.

➡️ I use these scaffolded recount sheets because they’re clear, predictable, and give students the structure they need to turn language into text:

Emergent Writing Scaffold Pages
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Writing-Worksheets-Set-2-25-Scaffolded-Pages-for-Emergent-Writers-3457406

These visuals can help too:
Recount Writing Rainbow Display
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Recount-Rainbow-Display-for-Writing-and-Editing-8642217

👩‍🏫 Teacher Model (quick + powerful)

• Model writing a sentence or two on the board:
• “On the weekend I went to the park. I played on the slide.”
• Think aloud while you write:
• “I’m using a past tense verb — went.”
• “I’m adding a detail so my reader can picture it.”
• Students learn so much from hearing you think and seeing that writing doesn’t have to be long to be meaningful.

🇦🇺 Just for Fun: A Seasonal Craft Idea

Here in Australia, Santa is already popping up everywhere for Christmas photos! 

If students are excited about that, you might like to create this adorable Santa Koala Name Craft — each letter of their name becomes a gum tree, with a little Santa Koala peeking out the top. It’s a gorgeous display and students get to practice name recognition at the same time.

🌿🎅 Santa Koala Name Craft
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Santa-Koala-Name-Craft-for-Christmas-8801132