Writing at Home...
There are many ways in which you can help the learning process of writing at home. When your child is practising their writing at home, try to create the right setting and atmosphere. Set a place where table and chairs are available, that will be used each time you practise writing with your child. Try to have a quiet environment so that your child can have full concentration. Below are some activities that can be used at home to help your child in their learning to write process:
Use computer software:
Most children will enjoy writing on the computer than writing on paper. This is a fun and exciting way for children to practise their writing at home. Software such as PowerPoint is a good option. Children are able to create stories and then add photos and customise their slides to suit their story. This way, children are interacting and enjoying their learning.
Interactive writing:
Interactive writing is where both you and your child take turns in writing. Together, you come up with ideas of what to write, and then you share the writing. In order to guide your child, you can ask questions to prompt their thinking, such as:
· What will our story be about?
· What do we need to write first?
· Who are the characters in our story?
· What problems will our characters come across?
This process of learning is both interactive and creative. It involves letting your child control their writing, however gives you the opportunity to step in when needed and take over, allowing your child to learn off you.
Model writing:
Whenever the opportunity arises, demonstrate good, clear and concise writing to your child. Examples of times when this can be done are:
· Creating shopping lists
· Writing an e-mail
· Filling out applications
· Completing forms for school
A good strategy to use here is letting your child help you. This experience will not only be enjoyable for your child, but it will also give meaning to their writing.
Look-cover-write-check:
Spelling is an important aspect of learning to write. It is an area many children struggle with, as each letter can have different sounds. Look-cover-write-check is a visual strategy that can be used at home for building on your child’s vocabulary and spelling. It is a common method and is known to be very successful.
Look – Encourage your child to take mental photos of the word. They need to look at the word carefully and study it.
Cover – You can then cover the word after they have finished looking.
Write – Your child should then try to write the word. Encourage them to sound it out while saying the word aloud.
Check – With your child, check if they have spelt the word correctly.
Language experience:
In this activity, your child should tell you a personal experience, it can be about anything they like such as something exciting that happened in their day. As they tell you their story, you write down what it is they’re telling you. After that is completed, you read back their story, and then encourage them to also read it themselves. Your child can then illustrate the story. This is an excellent activity in learning to write as it shows your child three things:
1. They can communicate what they are thinking
2. What they are communicating can be written down
3. What is being written down can then be read
Individual conferences:
Individual conferences involve discussing your child’s writing with them, as they write. In doing this, you are guiding your child while they are independently writing. It also gives you the opportunity to encourage your child to think deeply about what they are writing. There are three types of questions you can ask; opening questions, following questions and process questions.
· Opening questions – these questions encourage your child to think about what it is they are writing and why they are writing it
(eg. What is your favourite part?)
· Following questions – these questions encourage your child to think deeper into their writing and to give more information than what they have already provided. When doing this, you should re-phrase what has already been written. (eg. So the little girl accidentally walked into the bathroom instead of the kitchen to get her lunch?)
· Process questions – these questions get your child to think about where their story is going and how it may end. It also allows them to think about what has already been written, and what type of ending would make sense along with the story line.
(eg. Is this story believable?)
Most children will enjoy writing on the computer than writing on paper. This is a fun and exciting way for children to practise their writing at home. Software such as PowerPoint is a good option. Children are able to create stories and then add photos and customise their slides to suit their story. This way, children are interacting and enjoying their learning.
Interactive writing:
Interactive writing is where both you and your child take turns in writing. Together, you come up with ideas of what to write, and then you share the writing. In order to guide your child, you can ask questions to prompt their thinking, such as:
· What will our story be about?
· What do we need to write first?
· Who are the characters in our story?
· What problems will our characters come across?
This process of learning is both interactive and creative. It involves letting your child control their writing, however gives you the opportunity to step in when needed and take over, allowing your child to learn off you.
Model writing:
Whenever the opportunity arises, demonstrate good, clear and concise writing to your child. Examples of times when this can be done are:
· Creating shopping lists
· Writing an e-mail
· Filling out applications
· Completing forms for school
A good strategy to use here is letting your child help you. This experience will not only be enjoyable for your child, but it will also give meaning to their writing.
Look-cover-write-check:
Spelling is an important aspect of learning to write. It is an area many children struggle with, as each letter can have different sounds. Look-cover-write-check is a visual strategy that can be used at home for building on your child’s vocabulary and spelling. It is a common method and is known to be very successful.
Look – Encourage your child to take mental photos of the word. They need to look at the word carefully and study it.
Cover – You can then cover the word after they have finished looking.
Write – Your child should then try to write the word. Encourage them to sound it out while saying the word aloud.
Check – With your child, check if they have spelt the word correctly.
Language experience:
In this activity, your child should tell you a personal experience, it can be about anything they like such as something exciting that happened in their day. As they tell you their story, you write down what it is they’re telling you. After that is completed, you read back their story, and then encourage them to also read it themselves. Your child can then illustrate the story. This is an excellent activity in learning to write as it shows your child three things:
1. They can communicate what they are thinking
2. What they are communicating can be written down
3. What is being written down can then be read
Individual conferences:
Individual conferences involve discussing your child’s writing with them, as they write. In doing this, you are guiding your child while they are independently writing. It also gives you the opportunity to encourage your child to think deeply about what they are writing. There are three types of questions you can ask; opening questions, following questions and process questions.
· Opening questions – these questions encourage your child to think about what it is they are writing and why they are writing it
(eg. What is your favourite part?)
· Following questions – these questions encourage your child to think deeper into their writing and to give more information than what they have already provided. When doing this, you should re-phrase what has already been written. (eg. So the little girl accidentally walked into the bathroom instead of the kitchen to get her lunch?)
· Process questions – these questions get your child to think about where their story is going and how it may end. It also allows them to think about what has already been written, and what type of ending would make sense along with the story line.
(eg. Is this story believable?)