There are four steps to basic writing in Mr. Manley's classes:
- Organize your thoughts. That is, spend some time deciding what needs to be said about a particular topic, then decide what order these things should be said in. Index cards help!... Write down one fact or idea per card, then arrange them logically.
- Write down a sentence or two for each thought on a piece of paper. Add an intro and a conclusion of about one sentence each. This is your rough draft! Your intro should relate the topic to your audience. For example, an essay about tigers that other classmates might read may start, "Pretty much every fourth-grade boy thinks tigers are awesome, but how much do they know about them?" A conclusion should summarize your info and/or make a conclusion. The tiger essay might end, "Tigers are awesome, and I can't wait to learn more about them by going to the zoo and the library. I just hope I never learn what it's like to be eaten by a tiger!"
- Read it back. Do you need to rearrange your thoughts? Do you need to add or remove thoughts? If so, then update your Index Cards, rewrite your rough draft, and read it again. Repeat, if necessary, or go on to the final step!
- Proof for for spelling and punctuation and clarity one last time.
Don't forget to read your child's writing afterward! Praise your child for hard work, show interest in what they have written about, and read the finished product together in a comfy chair! Then play together!
You may wish to proof-read your child's work after each step. If so, tell them in advance -- "Tim, what do we do after picking a topic?" [Come up with about five facts or ideas that we need to learn and write about the topic.] "Right. Get me when you've done that! I'd like to read them!" Then let your child work.
Tips:
- Allow breaks every 5-15 minutes. The break can be for a half hour, or a day -- whatever! Let your child know right away when to expect to resume work, so that he or she will be prepared and less likely to fuss. Praise your child for hard work, if appropriate, and allow your child to watch one TV show, get a drink, chit-chat with you (about things that interest the child, like toys, games, sports, etc. -- anything but school), or have dinner (if the child is pausing that task for the rest of the day). "Great effort. You've been working hard! When you reach a stopping point, let's play catch for ten minutes and then you can make some more progress!"
- When editing: Ask your student to scan for places to add capital letters or periods, and to find misspelled spelling words. Do not over-labor spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Focus only on a few things, such as spelling words from their spelling list and other important, easy words. Say, "I spy a sentence that is missing a final period!" or "Let's fix three words this time. Next time, we'll fix four," or something like that. Over time, as your student becomes faster and more efficient at correcting spelling, he or she can do a more and more thorough job of revision. Foster a fun hunt-like atmosphere around finding and fixing stuff.
- Let your child do the work. Do not write or think or remember for your child.
For example, if your child says, "I don't know what to write," help him or her find a topic; do not pick it. You might say, "Tom, find three toys on the shelf, and bring them here. Now, what are they? Which one would you like to write about?" Or, "You choose: would you like to write about an animal, or what you did today on the playground?" Other categories you might suggest as options are: describing a person, a place he or she would like to go, and something your child likes to do.
For another example, if your child is writing about tigers and there are ideas that are not on an index card that should be written about, you might say, "Hmmm... I know from your cards what tigers eat and what they look like, but what else should I know about them? There must be more to know about tigers..." If your child still struggles, try giving him or her more time, or brainstorm things to say about a similar topic. If all else fails, hint: "Yikes! I wonder if there are tigers in Indianapolis!...?" - Praising effort is better than praising the quality of the work. Praising effort encourages students to love learning. Praising good results sometimes causes children to give up in the future, for fear of not meeting the same high standards. For example, say, "Wow, John. You have been thinking really hard. I am so proud of you." Or, "Are you happy with what you did?" They will know and feel good about their work in an appropriate way if you praise effort. Do not say, "You are so good at writing" or "Now that's a great piece of writing."
- Mix it up -- do related activities before and after writing time, such as playing word games like 20 Questions or reading some favorite books together.
- Keep it short. Three to five Index Cards, one sentence (or maybe two) for each Index Card, plus the introductory and concluding sentences.
