Teacher and Homeschool Writing Blog » Teaching Writing

The Book On How To Really Teach Writing

Judith Darling — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:55:27 +0000

Yeah! Yeah! Our new book, that has taken a year to write and published, is now on the website and doing well. I am certain that it will help teachers and parents do a better job of teaching writing. That is the goal, and everyone that has seen the book agrees that it really does make teaching writing so much easier.

I am also getting comments like, “Wow! Poetry Too!” Yes, there is a poetry section as well as a reading comprehension lesson that can be applied throughout the year at any skill level, as long as the student can read.

Remember we are not charging shipping on any of our products at this time.

Spring Writing Activity: My Favorite Pair of Shoes

Judith Darling — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:12:29 +0000

I know teachers and parents are breathing a sigh of relief now that spring is here, so I thought it would be a great time to suggest a writing assignment that incorporates art and writing.

My Favorite Pair of Shoes

Have each student pick their favorite pair shoes and draw a picture of one of the shoes. The best view would be from the side, but some students are such good artists that whatever view they pick is fine. I have had students make the picture three dimensional by actually using fabric and leather to make an exact replica of the shoe, but that is the exception rather than the rule, and can be suggested but not expected.

After the picture is drawn, ask the student/students to pick one time or incident that involved the shoes and write a story or a poem about the shoes. Some examples ideas might be: The day my shoes saved me from a bully, or I felt like Cinderella the minute I put the shoe on, or even though these shoes are scruffy, they are still my favorite pair of shoes ever.

Once they have chosen an incident, they may begin brainstorming ideas for the story. When they know what they are going to write, they can break their story into paragraphs. I have included a brainstorming rubric and a paragraphing rubric to help make the whole assignment easier.

It is fun to hang the pictures and essays up for everyone to enjoy when they are completed.

New Book: How to Teach Writing

Judith Darling — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:55:07 +0000

The new book I have been working on is almost finished. It is taking a bit longer because I decided to add a poetry section. It is a genre that children love once they get into it, and is a nice addition. The book discusses the real reasons children hate writing, and why teachers do not like to teach writing. It addresses ways to make teaching writing much easier for parents and teachers, and it provides ideas to make writing fun and challenging for children. We are hoping to get it to the printers soon and have it available by fall.

A fellow teacher and dear friend came for a visit, and read the book in its entirety. She remarked that the book is so needed because it really addresses the problem of teaching writing for everyone involved. She agreed that the poetry unit would be a great addition, and helped me gather materials and write it. It is certainly nice to have a fellow master teacher give feedback and lend a hand.

Holiday Writing Idea

Judith Darling — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:47:02 +0000

I am happy to say I survived H1N1 and lived to tell about it. It wasn’t so bad, but the residual cough is driving me crazy! Our daughter and grandsons also had it and it is much more virulent in children. Our five year old grandson ended up with pneumonia and had to take antibiotics and steroids, so if your children are prone to respiratory problems, such as asthma, they should be watched carefully. Our grandson does have asthma.

During my confinement from the flu and while taking care of the boys I was unable to work on my book, so I am steadily falling behind, so I guess I will have to set aside some serious writing time during the holidays to get back on track. Will I do it? That remains to be seen. Anyway, talking about the holidays brings me to why I am writing this post and that is a wonderful, long term writing assignment.

AN ILLUSTRATED FAMILY TRADITION HOLIDAY BOOK

1. Ask your child or children to brainstorm ideas about holiday family traditions that they enjoy.
2. Have them pick their favorite one.
3. Ask them to write the family tradition in story form including the introduction, body, and conclusion.
4. Edit the story and correct, then break the story down into sections so that each section will be a page in the book.
5. Write each section on a separate piece of white paper. Most students choose to write each story section at the bottom of the page so they have room for their illustrations.
6. Once the story is sectioned out onto separate pieces of white paper the student can begin to illustrate their story.
7. When the story is completely written and illustrated make a cover sheet stating the title of the story and be sure to put: Written and Illustrated by. Then illustrate the cover.
8. Bind the pages together by stapling, putting in a binder, or folder or in whatever manner you and your child choose.
9. My students would give this book as a family present which parents and grandparents loved.

Good luck and enjoy the finished product.

Beginning Of The Year Writing Idea

Judith Darling — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:00:50 +0000

Introduce writing on the first day of school, whether it is in a home school classroom or in the public classroom. Students need to know from the onset that they will be expected to write every day. A good beginning of the year writing assignment would be for students to write something about themselves. To make the assignment much easier for parents and teachers, I have attached a pdf. The pdf includes the brainstorming sheet and the paragraph organizer

Give the brainstorm sheet to the student and ask them to fill it out.

Next give the student the paragraph organizer to fill out.

Once the students have filled out the paragraph organizer have them write a rough draft and have a peer or parent edit it.

Next have them write their final paper.

If you are teaching a group or class of children, instruct them to not put their name anywhere on the story. Once each student has completed their final paper, ask them to draw a picture of themselves in the situation they described. They could also including some clues about themselves and things they are interested in, in the picture. Example: Draw a picture of yourself with a soccer ball or baseball glove and bat, or draw yourself in a mall shopping, or with your favorite musical instrument. Once everyone has turned in their papers with pictures of themselves, hang them up around the room and instruct parents to find their child’s paper from the story they wrote and the picture they drew.

Even if you are teaching one child, ask them to draw a picture of themselves to go with the story including things they are interested in, and then see if family members can remember the event.

Good luck and let me know if the pdf helped. I know this was a favorite assignment with students and parents alike.

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.

An End of Year Writing Assignment

Judith Darling — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:22:32 +0000

I found as a teacher that the last weeks before summer vacation were the most fun because much of the stress of getting everything taught was over, but it was hard to come up with new topics for writing that my students would enjoy. One way that I would do that was to have my students pick their absolute favorite writing assignment of the year and add to it, elaborate more, and make improvements. It was exciting for me to see the changes from the first paper to the second one, and it was especially fun for my students because they got to pick an assignment they had already done and enjoyed, to work on. I encourage you to give it a try and let me know how it goes.

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.