Writing is a skill, and like most skills, it involves lots of practice and patience. Unfortunately, writing is not one of those subjects known for excitement and activities. There are many reasons for that, but the most prevalent is that most instructors don’t know how to incorporate hands-on, interactive experiences into writing instruction. And that’s the result of viewing writing as a separate subject removed from the content it’s meant to share.
Writing is a form of communication, a skill used to share ideas. Do we often stop to think about where these ideas come from? That’s an aspect of writing that often goes neglected, and teachers try to impart the skill of writing in fabricated contexts when the world is at their fingertips! Writing instruction can and should be dynamic, incorporating an exploration of the senses, ideas, critical thinking, and creativity. This is the best way to get young writers interested in writing for the longterm. Not sure how to go about doing that? I’m here to help.
For many students, today is the last day of school for this term. While many of them are looking for a break, there are a few things parents can do to keep them practicing writing skills without it feeling like homework.
Here are my top five suggestions.
These can also be implemented during the term for maximum benefit.
1. Have conversations with your child.
One of the challenges young writers have, is that they’re not sure how to express themselves effectively. Conversations about a variety of topics is a great way to start working on that. Ask lots of questions and give your child time to respond. Ask them what they think and listen to their ideas. Then help them with vocabulary and expressions from time to time in order to expand what they know.
2. Watch Movies and Shows.
Stories are stories, whether they’re in books or on the screen. So, watching movies with your child is a great way for them to observe storytelling and learn a few things. At the very least, they will have ideas they can draw from to supplement their writing.
3. Explore Your Senses.
Descriptive language is at its most beautiful when it includes imagery. Similes and metaphors are cool, but imagery is king when it comes to vivid descriptions. However, many people aren’t as observant as they could be when it comes to describing how they experience the world around them. So, encourage your child to describe their experiences, in detail. What do they See? Smell? Taste? Touch, Hear? How do they feel? How do things move? Provide them with vocabulary and expressions to help them along the way.
4. Read. Read. Read.
It would be terrible if I didn’t mention reading. If your child loves to read, discuss what they’ve read. If your child doesn’t like to read, try introducing them to comic books, manga, and even picture books. These are available for every age and are great transitions into the written word. The key is to engage your child with what they’re reading. Don’t just leave them on their own. Ask their opinions about the stories, characters, setting, everything in the book. Have them tell you bits of the story and compare it with their own experiences. What would they do if in the character’s place?
5. Journal often.
This is often overlooked, but great writers didn’t start out that way. All of them wrote and wrote and wrote. Whether they wrote several sentences and paragraphs or just words and phrases here and there, writers write all the time. Encourage your child to keep a journal. A guided journal is best so that they don’t have to wonder what to write every day. This type of writing should be free. As long as they write a few words, that’s fine. Just encourage them along the way. Sit with them and journal too, that’s the best way.These points were abbreviated, so if you want any more details about either of these five tips, drop me a message and I’ll be happy to explain further.
Does your child need lessons? That’s a deeply personal question that every parent has to face at some point. And when it comes to creative writing lessons, there are other questions that come up soon after:
1. When do I start with lessons?
2. What should my child be learning at each level?
3. How can I support at home when I’m not a writer or a teacher?
RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS 1 AND 2
Some people believe the earlier lessons start, the better. If your child is meeting and exceeding standards, then there really is no reason for extra lessons. However, if your child is functioning below the expected level, failing classes, or has a challenge, lessons may be necessary. Creative writing is built on good expression, excellent vocabulary, and writing skills (grammar, punctuation, paragraphing). Prior to standard 3, students would have been focusing mainly on writing skills and vocabulary. Standard 3 is an excellent time to start building expression and use of the vocabulary students have been learning. So, a class that encourages the exploration of ideas and developing ways of expressing thoughts would be ideal. Creative Writing lessons before standard 3 are not necessary. Focus before then should be placed on the writing skills, so if your child is having severe challenges with those areas, then language arts lessons would be helpful. Otherwise, practice at home works best. In my next post, I’ll outline a few things parents can do at home to support creative writing learning.
Before we continue with specific writing tips and practice, I want to address the issue of how children learn and how that affects writing instruction. Others have shared a great deal of information regarding different learning styles, so I won’t repeat those details. What I’d like to share is about something called Aphantasia.
People with aphantasia don’t ‘see in pictures’ like most of us do. You know how we often say “see it in your mind’s eye”? Well, people with aphantasia are blind in their mind’s eye. When they close their eyes to picture things, they see very little or nothing at all. The impact on learning is that those with aphantasia need more than reading to absorb information. Since they cannot create their own images, they must be presented with images and experiences frequently so that they could memorize and recall what they’re learning.
Typically, students with aphantasia do not enjoy reading because they can’t visualize the story. They still understand the story, but it takes a little more effort and it’s not enjoyable unless there are photos within the story. For some people with aphantasia, artistic and creative endeavors are impacted because they do not have the benefit of mental images to rely on. One of the greatest challenges with aphantasia is that people who have it don’t often know they do. Some may realize they are different but few ever make the connection until much later on in life. In a primary school class, identifying students with aphantasia would be quite challenging.
Currently, research is limited and the condition is not officially recognized as a disability. This is a relatively new area of study, and the condition was only named in 2015 even though documentation of the phenomena goes back to the 1800s. What teachers must do is simply include a wide range of visual stimuli in their lessons to assist these students. And the good news is that students without aphantasia will benefit as well.
If you want to read more about aphantasia, here are two articles to get you started:
Writing report conclusions is sometimes a challenge for young writers. Many of them end their reports abruptly while others add details that are not necessary. Knowing how to end a report effectively depends on a few things.
First, young writers must understand the type of report they’re writing. Second, they must know what the purpose of the report is. And finally, they must be able to put themselves in the shoes of the reader to determine what the reader would need to know.
Accident: an unexpected action that results in damage to property or injury.
The purpose of this type of report is usually to document the various aspects of the accident to determine its cause and to identify what can be put in place to prevent it from recurring.
Conclusions of this type of report must include any systems put in place for similar accidents not to recur. Sometimes there may be punishment for carelessness, but these are likely to be less severe than incident punishments.
Incident: a deliberate deviant action that results in damage to property or injury.
The purpose of this type of report is usually to document the various aspects of the incident to determine who is responsible, and the level of their involvement.
Such reports must include punishments and consequences in the conclusion, including any systems put in place for similar incidents not to recur.
Competition: participative situations during which individuals compete for places and prizes.
The purpose of this type of report is often to document the activity from the perspective of the person writing the report, and to outline process (if everything went smoothly) and outcome (winners).
Conclusions for this type of report should include winners of the competition and prize giving activities.
Activity: participative situations during which students engage in learning, such as field trips or projects.
The purpose of this type of report is often to document observations of students to determine if they are receiving the correct information and if the activity is educational.
Conclusions for such reports should include what learning took place. Usually, that is stated as reported speech of the teacher or other students. Outcomes, such as whether the activity will be repeated, are also often included.
Presentation: an event in which there is a speaker-audience type of situation.
Quite often there is some type of performance.
Sometimes young writers will be in the audience observing the event unfold, sometimes young writers will be one of the speakers participating in the presentation.
The purpose of this type of report is often to document the event from the perspective of the young writer, quite often being written to individuals who were not present for the event.
Conclusions for this type of event usually include closing ceremonies and how successful the event was. These ideas can be written as reported speech of presenters or other attendees.
Regarding the impact of the audience, the main thing to consider is what the audience needs to know. In many cases, reports are to individuals who would be determining the outcomes or at least evaluating the outcomes. As such, careful attention should be taken in writing conclusions.
Also, consider the timeframe between the situation and the report. Was there sufficient time for any consequences to be implemented? If not, young writers could indicate that teachers or other participants indicated punishments and consequences or other outcomes would be coming.
In the end, completing a report in a satisfactory way depends on a careful assessment of the prompt, so young writers should be vigilant.
