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P.O. Box 6094
Chesterfield, MO 63006
636-527-2822
1-888-641-5353
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© 2000-2011 Portico Books
All rights reserved.
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Labeled with ICRA |
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First published by The Old Schoolhouse, LLC in
the Winter 2010 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
Top 10 Tips for Teaching Writing
Printable Version
Writing provides an opportunity for us to communicate with
people we may never meet face to face. Helping children become
effective writers will equip them to share their ideas and their
feelings—and perhaps even influence others.
However, many people—adults and children alike—find writing to
be a stressful challenge. Writing instruction can loom
as an even more daunting task.
Writing can be distressing because it is an extremely complex
process in which people must tend to many tasks simultaneously:
form an idea, put the idea into words, spell the words
correctly, capitalize and punctuate appropriately, and shape
letters (or find them on a keyboard). In addition, while working
on one sentence, the mind is probably racing ahead to consider
the next one! A key to successful writing—and to
successful writing instruction—is to break the writing
process into manageable parts in order to focus on one step at a
time. This dispels the panic or confusion that may have
paralyzed the overburdened brain. The process approach provides
a way to complete the writing task with a minimum of
frustration. A word of caution regarding writing
instruction: Teachers often replace the challenge of writing
with the security of worksheets. Completing a worksheet is
quicker and easier than writing a composition, and the worksheet
is easier for a parent or teacher to evaluate. However, in the
vast majority of cases, completing a worksheet is not
writing. A worksheet may help to hone a particular skill,
but unless it allows students to express their own ideas, it
does not require them to write. The bulk of
language arts time should be spent in genuine
communication—listening, speaking, reading, writing, or
thinking. The best way for young people to improve their writing
skill is to write. They should practice all steps of
the writing process; however, they might not go through the
entire process with each writing experience. The
following tips for writing instruction apply to writers of all
ages and abilities. Most of the tips relate directly to the
writing process. Tips #1–3, which may not appear to involve
writing instruction, in fact establish a vital foundation on
which to build. 1. From the time your children
are toddlers—or even before—show them that you value
communication. Listen attentively when they talk to
you. Expect them to listen attentively when you talk to them.
When you are communicating something important, be sure you have
eye contact with them. Be sure you are looking at them, and be
sure they are looking at you. Your children's perception of your
attitude toward communication will carry over from listening and
speaking to reading and writing. 2. Do some
writing yourself. This serves a dual purpose. First, it
provides experience with the writing process so that you can be
a more effective guide for your children. Second, it gives you
the opportunity to model writing. If your children see you write
for a variety of purposes, they will understand that you value
writing, and they will begin to identify situations in which
writing will work for them as well. 3. Expose
children to a variety of genres—stories, poems,
non-fiction articles, essays, plays, etc.—both for reading and
for writing. Read to your children, and read with your
children—even when they are able to read independently.
Reading provides excellent preparation for writing. Sometimes a
piece that has been read serves as a direct model for writing.
Other times the influence is subtler. All aspects of material
read—content, structure, sentence patterns, imagery,
sound—remain in the storehouse of the mind, often below
consciousness but available for use, perhaps in a composition.
Students should write in every subject, not just in English
class. Writing provides a chance for students to demonstrate
their knowledge, expand their understanding, and clarify their
thinking. Following the same writing process in all subjects
will help students see writing not as a meaningless drill but as
a tool that will serve them well in a variety of situations
throughout their lives. 4. Help children think
of—and keep track of—their ideas for writing. Thinking
of something to write about often becomes a writer's first
difficulty. Writers can bypass this obstacle if they capture
ideas when they occur instead of waiting until ideas are needed.
When something sparks your child's interest, you might say, "You
might want to write about that sometime." Your child
needs to keep track of these ideas. They can be kept on separate
note cards or listed on a sheet of paper. A loose-leaf notebook
is perhaps the ideal format, allowing ideas to be categorized
yet easily moved. A loose-leaf notebook also easily accommodates
pages that have been printed on a computer or acquired from
other sources. In addition to lists of possible writing
topics (perhaps with a few notes for development), an "idea
book" may include intriguing questions, observations,
descriptions, conversations, opinions, etc. Keeping an idea book
sharpens writers' awareness of the world around them, records
thoughts and experiences, and preserves ideas for future use.
5. Help children find an audience for their
writing. Writing is more meaningful when it is genuine
communication rather than a mere exercise. There are many
opportunities for children to share their writing with their
family and their community. They can write letters, stories for
younger children, contest entries. They might write some pieces
on special paper, enhance them with a drawing or photograph,
and/or frame them or bind them into a book. Such treatments show
high regard for the work and invite a larger audience.
On occasions when writing is "just an assignment," have children
write with a specific audience and purpose in mind so that they
at least imagine an audience beyond the teacher.
6. Provide opportunities for children to get feedback
throughout the writing process. Professional writers
regularly consult others, yet adults often make the writing task
more difficult for children by requiring them to "do it all
themselves." The flow chart below shows four points at
which a writer would benefit from feedback. The "responder" in a
writing conference could be a parent or teacher, a sibling, a
peer. Writers should learn to select people who would be most
helpful in specific situations.
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A key to successful writing—and to successful writing
instruction—is to break the writing process into
manageable parts in order to focus on one step at a
time. Each pair of vertical arrows represents a loop
that may be traveled repeatedly. A writer may confer
many times—with several people—before he or she is ready
to move on to the next stage of the writing process. |
The process for
obtaining feedback differs at various points of the writing
process. In the planning stage the main job of the
responder is to listen and question. The writer should do most
of the talking, since talking provides excellent rehearsal for
writing. The responder's questions show the writer which parts
of the composition need further development or clarification.
After the first draft has been written, the responder helps
the writer know what comes across from the composition. It works
well for the writer to read the composition aloud and for the
responder to "tell back" what he or she has heard. This keeps
the focus on content rather than mechanics. A reader's feedback
is invaluable in helping the writer improve the composition. A
writer who asks open-ended questions about specific parts of the
composition will encourage additional feedback; however, a
writer who becomes defensive will discourage suggestions. A
writing conference is likely to be most productive when the
writer knows what specific help he or she needs at that time.
Although a writer may confer with many people, ultimately he or
she is the one who must decide which changes to make. 7.
Free children to write their first draft without
worrying about correctness of anything—spelling, capitalization,
punctuation, sentence structure, vocabulary. They
should write their first draft very quickly, and that draft can
be very rough. The important thing is to unleash the flow of
ideas. Some writers find it helpful to dictate their first
draft.
Remind your children that a first draft need not be written
in sequence. The introduction, in fact, is often one of the most
difficult parts of a composition to write. Encourage students to
write any section they feel ready to write. Using a different
sheet of paper for each part (or using a word processor) will
simplify assembly of the finished piece.
Young writers—like professional writers—may prefer to write
at a certain time of day or in a particular place. They may
prefer a certain kind of paper (small pages, for example, may
seem less intimidating). They may prefer a particular kind of
writing implement, or they may prefer to compose directly on a
word processor. Encourage young writers to experiment with
various techniques in order to find what works best for them.
8. Help children succeed with editing. After
the content of a composition is established, a writer's focus
turns to editing (making mechanical corrections, such as
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling). Have realistic
expectations. Hold young children responsible for applying basic
rules they have studied, such as capitalizing the first word of
a sentence and using appropriate end punctuation. Add new
responsibilities as children learn new concepts. Provide
resources, such as a dictionary, an
English handbook, and
thesaurus, so that young writers can easily find the information
they need in order to use English correctly. Remind them to use
their computer's spell-check feature—but not to rely on it
completely. Many writers—especially those who find
mechanical correctness challenging—may benefit from subdividing
the editing step, focusing on one skill at a time. For example,
a writer may start by checking to see if each sentence is
complete. Then he or she may check to see if each sentence
starts with a capital letter. Editing may continue with checking
end punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and spelling—checking
each skill throughout the composition. Editing should
continue until the writer has checked the composition for each
skill and has gone through the composition at least twice
without making any changes. 9. Respond to
children's writing as a reader before you respond as a teacher
or critic. Respond to the content of a composition so
that writers know their message was received. For example, if
the writer has described his or her grandmother's kitchen, you
might say something like "I can tell that Nana's kitchen is a
very special place to you." As you begin to evaluate the
writing, again respond first to the content rather than the
mechanics. Take time to tell the writer what was done well.
A natural way to do this is to be specific about what made the
content effective. You could say, for example, "You've described
the sights and sounds—and smells!—so vividly that I felt I was
there myself." After pointing out several things that have been
done effectively, point out two or three aspects of content that
the writer seems ready to learn. Don't try to point out
everything that could be improved. The writer won't remember all
you say and will only become discouraged. Follow the
same pattern for mechanical skills: Point out things that were
done well, focus on a few skills for instruction, and point out
additional strengths. Sometimes your questions can help the
writer find and correct errors. You might say, for example, "You
have this word spelled two different ways. Which one is right?"
or "Which word in this line should you capitalize?"
Keeping a list of writing skills taught will help you remember
which skills you can expect the child to apply correctly and can
also help you and the child see progress.
10. Make writing enjoyable for both you and your
children. Children are more likely to enjoy writing
when they understand the value of communication and can share
ideas they care about. They are more likely to enjoy writing
when frustration is minimized. Think about
activities that you enjoy. The more you enjoy them, the more you
do them—and the better at them you become. Writing works this
way, too. Students who enjoy writing will be caught in an upward
spiral of writing success. They will have a tool that will serve
them well throughout their lives.
Hands-On English
Hands-On English
Activity Book
Hands-On Sentences
Hands-On Icons
For Teachers
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