Teacher and Homeschool Writing Blog » Writing Tips

Writing Every Day

Judith Darling — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:29:32 +0000

The application of grammar, punctuation, and parts of speech into writing is a long and often arduous task for teachers and parents alike. The most important thing to remember in motivating children to apply these skills is in having them do it often. It will not be learned by having one writing assignment a semester, or month, or week. Children need to be writing every day. How do you do that?

As I mentioned in my last post, have a daily practice that includes a fun writing assignment.
Have a creative writing assignment every week.
Assign a long term essay or research paper to be worked on over time.
Have students tell you about the book they are reading in a weekly letter.
Do a quick speed writing lesson for fun.

These are some suggestions on how to get your student writing every day so they become comfortable with writing and begin applying the skills they have learned or are learning.

Self-Directed Learning

Judith Darling — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:06:30 +0000

I am winding down from a whirlwind of summer home school conferences. Parents from across the country have expressed their frustrations about teaching the reluctant child writing. One way of motivating reluctant writers is to empower them by giving them freedom to write when and how they want, as long as the assignments are turned in on time. This can be done by giving the student or students their assignments on Monday with due dates for each assignment. Also on Monday, teach any new skills that will be used in assignments during the week, then allow the students to work when and however they choose, as long as they turn the work in when designated. An example week’s worth of assignments might look like this:

Assignments and due dates for week of September 7 – 11

Daily Dazzle: Week #1 – due Friday
Creative Writing: Lesson #1 – Brain storm and break into paragraphs – due Tuesday; Edited rough draft – due Wednesday; Final paper with grade on scoring guide and rough drafts attached – due Friday
Vocabulary: Lesson #1 – Worksheets – due Wednesday; Study for test; Test – Friday
Expository Writing: Reading Friendly letter – Log your reading and write a letter describing what you are reading using the elements of fiction – Due Friday
Expository Writing: Research Paper – Form critical question and brainstorm topics – due Wednesday; Begin research and have at least one source with notes – due Friday

This is an example of what a week’s worth of language arts assignments might look like. Of course this is just an example, so there may not be as many assignments as I have shown due to age, ability, or skill level of students. Just remember that if you set the expectations and bar high, students will meet it. If your students are already motivated and want to be independent then just give them the assignments on Monday and say it is all due by Friday.

Writing Tip: Emphasize Content Rather Than Mechanics

Judith Darling — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:15:23 +0000

The emphasis placed on grading a student’s paper directly reflects on how much writing they will do and on the quality of the writing they produce. If what is being said in the paper becomes more important than the mechanics, the student will be much more willing to write and the key is to get the them to write. Take the emphasis off of the mechanics and spend more time working on elaboration, and content. Help by providing a good dictionary and thesaurus and discussing how the student can make their writing more interesting and understandable. The student will feel more comfortable about writing and want to write more, which translates into a better writer. Practice really does make a difference.

Writing Environment Is Important

Judith Darling — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:51:32 +0000

Students will respond more positively to writing if the atmosphere/surroundings/environment is conducive to writing. How can you set up an area that makes the young writer feel like thinking and writing?

Have quiet music playing that goes along with the theme of the writing assignment. Use music with a faster beat for exciting adventure stories. Use soft classical if the story is poignant or sad. Funny stories work well with upbeat fun songs such as “Yellow Submarine”.
Make sure there is plenty of lighting and have as much natural light as possible.
Have a comfortable area for thinking. The student should be able to pre-write in this space. A bean bag or soft cushion by a window or the fireplace in the winter and even outside when it is warm enough.
Once the pre-writing is completed the student either sits at a computer, desk, or table to do the actual writing. Make sure they have all the materials needed for the job. Paper, pencils, pens, eraser, markers, crayons, etc.
If there are several students or a classroom, encourage quiet discussion and peer editing. Feedback is a very good thing.
Young brains need nourishment and a healthy snack, readily available, keeps the neurons snapping.

The more comfortable, inviting, and conducive to writing the environment is, the more successful the young writer will be.

Writing Tip #1 – Picking a topic to write about.

Judith Darling — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:03:01 +0000

Picking a topic that is within a child or student’s bank of knowledge is key in motivating them to write. If there is not a bank of knowledge, then the parent or teacher ends up doing all the thinking for the student and that is not the goal. This is especially crucial when working with elementary students or a reticent writer, so you must try to think of topics that the child knows something about and is interested in. This alleviates the “I don’t know what to write, or I can’t think of anything,” response when the student is asked to write. If you are having trouble coming up with topics or prompts and don’t know quite how to proceed once you have the prompt, it might be worth your time to take a look at our creative writing book. It is designed to make writing an independent and fun experience that does not require parental guidance, because the entire writing process is explained to the student in such a way that it is easy to understand and do.