writing help for elementary students

writing help for elementary students

Writing Skills for Elementary Students

1. Importance of Developing Writing Skills

In his essay “Writing Strategies for the Primary Grades,” Steve Graham says that when young students write, their goal is to produce text, not to learn how to think, read, and write. In order to improve students’ writing, we as teachers must have a clear understanding of the end vision and then determine specific strategies designed to reach that vision. It is important for young students to understand that writing is a process, not a product. Teachers should also understand that students are to learn through the writing process, just as much as they are learning to write. Both students and teachers must recognize that writing can only be improved through revision and that writing can and should be a means of communication. By understanding these key concepts, teachers and students will have better chances of succeeding.

2. Building a Strong Foundation

B. Invented Spelling Invented spelling is an advanced form of temporary spelling which children use in the initial stages of learning to write. The child attempts to “write” a word by translating the sounds of spoken language into writing. There may be standard ways of writing various sounds, but the child is attempting to represent the spoken word with written symbols. An activity such as a kid’s email exchange can promote invented spelling in a fun way while providing good typing practice for the child.

A. Drawing and Scribbling Children who can hold crayons or chalk should be encouraged to use them. Provide a chalkboard, markers and a whiteboard, colored chalk on black paper, and many other variations. Drawing and scribbling are a prelude to writing, and the tools should not be limited to paper and pencil. The purpose of the activity is not to teach children to write letters or to even associate written symbols with their spoken counterparts – we are not trying to teach them to spell. The purpose is to help children incorporate writing tools and materials into their play without associating them with negativity (‘work’).

The foundation for good writing begins before a child can form letters. It starts with scribbles and drawings, progresses to invented spelling, and ultimately culminates in a child recording his or her thoughts in a series of words that can be read by others. Below are suggestions for building a strong writing foundation using a variety of methods that should be applied before attempting a composition. These methods should serve as precursors to the more formal writing activities which will occur from second grade on.

3. Enhancing Vocabulary and Grammar

Later on, there is much more emphasis on writing with activities aimed at not only developing comprehension and writing skills, but also enhancing vocabulary and grammar. In a structured way, these workbooks outline simple techniques that can be used at various school year levels to construct sentences and write texts clearly. Reading systematic and patterned grammar exercises can also improve the accuracy of students’ writing. A good example of an explicit vocabulary and grammar teaching resource are the series of books “Teaching Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling to Australian Students” by Peter Clutterbuk. These books contain increasingly difficult activities aimed at improving students’ use of grammar in sentences, paragraphs and extended texts, as well as an extensive bank of punctuation and spelling exercises. Although aimed at teachers, these activities can be used individually by students and are made easier with the aid of an adult.

4. Structuring and Organizing Writing

Cause and effect is an updated version of sequence. It is a text structure that explains what happens and why it happens. When explaining, it is important to give concrete examples that are relevant to students. This then leads to an assignment where students list several effects of one cause. This is great practice for a related or later learning of outlining and organizing an essay.

Sequencing refers to the organization of information according to its relative importance. Information should be organized so that it builds to a climax. Learning to use words such as first, next, then, and finally helps students define the organization of a paragraph or essay. Students can write a paragraph using the method of sequencing applied to a diagram introduced by the “idea wheel” or the “idea tree”. This paragraph can then be copied and cut apart so that the information can be arranged into a logical sequence. This activity is most effective if used with ELL students.

After students have organized their information, it is important to ensure that they are expressing their ideas and information clearly and effectively. Teaching students to write a good topic sentence makes it easy to follow the progression of ideas in a paragraph. The topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. It is general and gives the reader an idea of what will be discussed in the paragraph. Then, students are taught to write a closing sentence that is a reflection of the topic sentence. This sentence is usually rephrased in a way that reminds the reader of what they have just read. When teaching how to write a sentence, construct a paragraph, and eventually an essay, teachers can use a graphic organizer. A graphic organizer is a visual aid to help organize information. It can be a diagram, outline, illustration of sequence, cause and effect, or a pattern.

5. Practicing and Improving Writing Skills

5.3 Writing a Blog Blogs are common nowadays. Students may have an interest in writing a blog. Teachers can guide them on how to write a proper blog and the ideas they want to share with others. Get them to create a simple blog and start writing. This will further enhance their writing skills.

5.2 Journal Writing Journal writing is another way for students to practice writing. The idea behind journal writing is that students write to express themselves, show their understanding of a particular topic, and at the same time, show what they have learned. Their feelings, thoughts, and ideas will be reflected in their writing. Teachers can get students to write a journal based on a certain topic or anything the student prefers to write. This can be done individually or in a group. By doing journal writing, students can slowly evaluate and build confidence in their writing. Teachers should provide comments on how to improve their writing in terms of sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary, etc.

5.1 Writing Exercises Teachers can get students to write in the classroom through simple writing exercises. These exercises may vary from writing a simple sentence, a paragraph, or an essay. Give them broad topics with which they are familiar and let them brainstorm ideas. After that, they can start writing using their own words.

This is the most important stage in writing. Practice will really help students to be more confident in their writing. Teachers should encourage and motivate students to write frequently. There are several ways to practice and improve writing skills.