Education
See all education
American children must be ready to learn from the first day of school. And of course, preparing children for school is a historic responsibility of parents.
Should you help your child with writing?
Yes, if you want your child to:
- Do well in school
- Enjoy self-expression
- Become more self-reliant
You know how important writing will be to your child's life. It will be important from first-grade through college and throughout adulthood.
Writing is:
Practical. Most of us make lists, jot down reminders, and write notes and instructions at least occasionally.
Job-Related. Professional and white-collar workers write frequently--preparing memos, letters, briefing papers, sales reports, articles, research reports, proposals, and the like. Most workers do "some" writing on the job.
Stimulating. Writing helps to provoke thoughts and to organize them logically and concisely.
Social. Most of us write thank-you notes and letters to friends at least now and then.
Therapeutic. It can be helpful to express feelings in writing that cannot be expressed so easily by speaking.
Unfortunately, "many schools are unable to give children sufficient instruction in writing." There are various reasons: teachers aren't trained to teach writing skills, writing classes may be too large, it's often difficult to measure writing skills, etc.
Study after study shows that students' writing lacks clarity, coherence, and organization. Only a few students can write persuasive essays or competent business letters. As many as one out of four have serious writing difficulties. And students say they like writing less and less as they go through school.
That's why the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) suggests that you help your child with writing. OERI believes you, a parent, can make a big difference. You can use helping strategies that are simple and fun. You can use them to help your child learn to write well--and to enjoy doing it! This leaflet tells you how.
Things to Know
Writing is more than putting words on paper. It's a final stage in the complex process of communicating that begins with "thinking." Writing is an especially important stage in communication, the intent being to leave no room for doubt. Has any country ratified a verbal treaty?
One of the first means of communication for your child is through drawing. Do encourage the child to draw and to discuss his/her drawings. Ask questions: What is the boy doing? Does the house look like ours? Can you tell a story about this picture?
Most children's basic speech patterns are formed by the time they enter school. By that time children speak clearly, recognize most letters of the alphabet, and may try to write. Show an interest in, and ask questions about, the things your child says, draws, and may try to write.
Writing well requires:
- CLEAR THINKING. Sometimes the child needs to have his/her memory refreshed about a past event in order to write about it.
- SUFFICIENT TIME. Children may have `stories in their heads' but need time to think them through and write them down. School class periods are often not long enough.
- READING. Reading can stimulate a child to write about his/her own family or school life. If your child reads good books, (s)he will be a better writer.
- A MEANINGFUL TASK. A child needs meaningful, not artificial writing tasks. You'll find suggestions for such tasks in the section, "Things To Do."
- INTEREST. All the time in the world won't help if there is nothing to write, nothing to say. Some of the reasons for writing include: sending messages, keeping records, expressing feelings, or relaying information.
- PRACTICE. And more practice.
- REVISING. Students need experience in revising their work-- i.e, seeing what they can do to make it clearer, more descriptive, more concise, etc.
|
