Publishing What You Wrote
A 35-minute Kindergarten lesson on preparing a piece for somebody else to read, and using a device to share it.
Publishing What You Wrote is a free 35-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard W.K.6 — use a computer or tablet, with help, to make and share a piece of writing. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 35 minutes
- Standard:
- W.K.6
Kindergarten · Writing
W.K.6
With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Objective
Students will be able to prepare a short piece of writing for a reader who is not in the room, using a device with adult support.
Students are successful when they can
- Reads their writing aloud and fixes one thing a reader who was not there could not follow.
- Types or records one sentence on the tablet with help, with spaces between words.
- Says who the reader will be.
What you need
- A tablet or a computer, one between four
- A real audience — another class, a display, a family newsletter
- A paper boat (or the object from the class activity being written about)
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — who is going to read this?
5 min- Say: "The class next door is going to read our writing on their tablet tomorrow."
- Ask: "Were they here when we made paper boats? Will we be there to explain when they read it?" Fish for "no."
- Say: "So our writing has to make sense all by itself. Publishing means getting it ready for a reader who was not there."
Teach — writing for somebody who was not there
11 min- Show your writing: "We made it. It was fun." Read it, then pretend to be the reader from next door, scratching your head: "Made what? Where?"
- Ask the class what to add. Change it: "We made a paper boat. It floated in the water tray. It was fun." Read it as the visitor again: "Oh, now I know!"
- Open a simple writing app on the tablet with the screen shared. Type the first sentence while the class watches, saying each word as you type it.
- Point to the space bar: "This is my finger space. After every word, I press it." Type one word without a space and let the class spot it: "Wemade."
- Take a photo of the paper boat and add it. Say: "Now the reader can see it too."
- Say: "Publishing is: check it makes sense, type or record it, add a picture, and send it to the reader."
“Your reader was not here. Does your writing tell them enough without you?”
Guided practice — read it to a stranger's ear
9 min- Children read their writing from the boat lesson to a partner, who pretends to be from the class next door and says "What do you mean?" at anything unclear.
- The writer fixes one thing, usually a missing word like the name of the thing they made.
- In groups of four with an adult, children take turns typing one sentence, saying each word aloud and pressing the space bar after it, or recording themselves reading it.
- The adult checks: "Would the class next door understand this?"
“Pretend you were not here today. Does it make sense?”
Independent practice
8 min- While groups rotate on the tablets, the others use the printable to plan their next published piece: draw first, then write words a reader can picture.
- Read the frames on the sheet aloud: "It was ___.", "It had ___."
Close
2 min- Show one published piece on the screen. Read it in the voice of a visitor.
- Ask: "Will the class next door understand it?" and send it.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Writes "We did it and it was good" and expects the reader to know what "it" was.
Why: The child was there and cannot yet imagine what it is like not to know; to them, "it" is obvious.
Fix: Be the reader from next door: "Did what?" Let them hear the gap and add the missing word themselves.
Types with no spaces: "Wemadeaboat."
Why: On paper they use a finger space, but on a keyboard the space bar does not look like a space.
Fix: Call the space bar the finger-space key. Say each word, type it, press space, then say the next word.
Thinks publishing just means typing it out.
Why: Typing is the exciting new step, so it feels like the whole job.
Fix: Before anyone touches the tablet, they read their writing to a partner. Say: "Publishing starts with checking it makes sense for the reader."
If they are not there yet
- Record the child reading their writing aloud instead of typing it.
- An adult types while the child dictates and presses the space bar.
- Publish one sentence plus a photo.
If they finish early
- Add a photo and type a caption that explains it.
- Type two sentences independently, with spaces and a period.
- Read another class's published writing and send back a question about it.
Exit ticket
Who will read your writing? Read me one sentence. Will they understand it without you there?
What to look for: Names the reader and reads a sentence that makes sense alone. "We did it" means the child is not yet thinking of the reader. Not knowing who will read it means the purpose of publishing is not yet clear.
Printable practice for W.K.6
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Plan Before You TypeDraw in the space, then write on the lines.
Questions about Publishing What You Wrote
How long does the Publishing What You Wrote lesson take?
35 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 11 min, guided practice 9 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Publishing What You Wrote teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.6 — W.K.6, Writing for Kindergarten: “With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.” In plain terms, use a computer or tablet, with help, to make and share a piece of writing.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A tablet or a computer, one between four, a real audience — another class, a display, a family newsletter, a paper boat (or the object from the class activity being written about) and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: writes "We did it and it was good" and expects the reader to know what "it" was; types with no spaces: "Wemadeaboat." and thinks publishing just means typing it out. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Who will read your writing? Read me one sentence. Will they understand it without you there?.” Names the reader and reads a sentence that makes sense alone. "We did it" means the child is not yet thinking of the reader. Not knowing who will read it means the purpose of publishing is not yet clear. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Publishing What You Wrote?
Yes — 1 printable W.K.6 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Publishing What You Wrote free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to W.K.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.