10 of 21

Write now Article Tools

Writing is really an abstract concept to many, which is normal, as it was once revered as a fine art, similar to sculpture, music, and dance. The fine arts are not the natural inclination of all and more often than not are seen as a talent that a person either possesses or does not. Is this to say that writing can't be taught? The topic has been argued repeatedly, and my teaching experience looks favorably upon the idea that it can be. While your child's proclivity to write may not be as strong as another's, writing does follow certain formats and procedures, almost as algorithms do in the math world. So where does one begin? Exposure.

Reading is something that all parents stress about...I need my child reading, sounding out words, blending, phonics...the whole bit, with writing generally taking a back-burner. Reading and writing are closely connected and writing should really begin as a spin-off to reading comprehension, letter recognition, and sentence development...skills that are all part of beginning reading. I tend to think of the writing instruction in phases. Children begin with writing letters and then move on to words, sentences, complex sentences, a paragraph, multiple paragraphs, and then compositions, essays, reports and onward. This should be done with regard to age-appropriate standards. Asking a 1st grader to write a story before they know how to formulate a cohesive sentence defeats the purpose and ultimately discourages the child. It's too much, too fast and very overwhelming to a young mind. I feel this sort of over- zealous attitude of adults is what makes most children detest writing.

For younger children, beginning with fact-based sentences before moving onto more imaginative, detailed sentences is the best route. Starting with: "The dog is brown" "The cat meows," and then moving toward adding subtle details like: "The little dog is brown" and "The striped cat meows," is a natural progression and is not overloading the child. Extending these sentences to become more complex; "The little dog barks because he is hungry," and "The striped cat meows because he wants milk," cohesively teaches kids how to transgress and add on to what they already have. It's like building blocks. What about spelling, as it is a huge part of writing? My best advice is to not allow it to interfere with the writing process itself. Even best-selling authors will tell you they don't edit their work while writing it, as the tedious process

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about How to get kids excited about writing?
We want to hear your view. Write now!