Writing
Kids write a lot. Just think about it...they write stories, persuasive papers, informational pieces, journals, letters, Power Point presentations, and e-mails. Some students, however, find it hard to find the words to put their thoughts on paper. Others are self-conscious about their writing or think they have nothing of value to say. They have read great books and think that they too must write a great novel to be a writer. Writing is everywhere in a great variety of forms and venues. Let's help our kids take notice of all the writing that surrounds them!
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WRITE IN YOUR DAILY LIFE: EMAILS, MEMOS, LETTERS, TEXT MESSAGES! All of these are practical ways we write to communicate with others.
LET YOUR CHILD KNOW HOW PEOPLE USE WRITING IN THEIR JOBS. Doctors write. Computer programmers write. Landscape artists write. Athletes write. Encourage adult friends and family members to point out how they use writing at work.
INVOLVE YOUR CHILD IN PRACTICAL WRITING. Have the child write shopping lists, instructions for babysitters, directions for visitors to your house, plans for birthday parties, telephone messages, or posters for yard sales.
ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO WRITE LETTERS. An old-fashioned, hand-written letter to a grandparent or a pen pal is a non-threatening way to put thoughts into words. It's often a treasured keepsake for the recipient.
KEEP A FAMILY SCRAPBOOK! This is another wonderful keepsake. Take pictures of major and minor family events. Have your child write a caption or a paragraph describing the event.
READ YOUR CHILD'S WRITING. Praise your child's efforts. Focus on what the child says, that is, the content of writing, rather than the spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Remember that writing is hard. There's a lot to remember. It gets better and better over time.
Check out these sites for more information:
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/helping-young-children-develop-strong-writing-skills
http://childparenting.about.com/od/familylearningactivities/a/writingfun.htm
http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/
Below are additional websites for students in grades 3 to 5
(To open the file, right click and then choose "Open link in new window")
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WRITE IN YOUR DAILY LIFE: EMAILS, MEMOS, LETTERS, TEXT MESSAGES! All of these are practical ways we write to communicate with others.
LET YOUR CHILD KNOW HOW PEOPLE USE WRITING IN THEIR JOBS. Doctors write. Computer programmers write. Landscape artists write. Athletes write. Encourage adult friends and family members to point out how they use writing at work.
INVOLVE YOUR CHILD IN PRACTICAL WRITING. Have the child write shopping lists, instructions for babysitters, directions for visitors to your house, plans for birthday parties, telephone messages, or posters for yard sales.
ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO WRITE LETTERS. An old-fashioned, hand-written letter to a grandparent or a pen pal is a non-threatening way to put thoughts into words. It's often a treasured keepsake for the recipient.
KEEP A FAMILY SCRAPBOOK! This is another wonderful keepsake. Take pictures of major and minor family events. Have your child write a caption or a paragraph describing the event.
READ YOUR CHILD'S WRITING. Praise your child's efforts. Focus on what the child says, that is, the content of writing, rather than the spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Remember that writing is hard. There's a lot to remember. It gets better and better over time.
Check out these sites for more information:
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/helping-young-children-develop-strong-writing-skills
http://childparenting.about.com/od/familylearningactivities/a/writingfun.htm
http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/
Below are additional websites for students in grades 3 to 5
(To open the file, right click and then choose "Open link in new window")
interactive_websites_for_writing.pdf | |
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