Entries Tagged 'Elementary Ages' ↓

Did you know that you can help prepare your child to write by reading a picture book together? A good picture book exposes children of all ages to quality literature, enhancing learning and teaching them a great deal about writing.

• How words hook the reader at the beginning of the story.
• How words form sentences and paragraphs and, finally, an organized story with a beginning, middle, and end.
• How precise word choices show actions, descriptions, and feelings.

A Springboard to Writing

Before beginning to work on a new writing project or lesson, read a related picture book aloud to your child. Be sure you read during this time, not your child. She can practice reading skills another time.

Talk about the book with your child. Here are some ideas.

• What words or sentences grabbed you at the beginning and made you want to hear or read more?
• What happened at the beginning of the book? The middle?
• How did the story end?
• What are some of your favorite words?
• How did the story make you feel?

Choosing Picture Books

We know you will want to take care in choosing just the right picture book for each lesson. There are so many wonderful read-alouds with delightful story lines and engaging illustrations. Start with your own bookshelf!

You can also scour used book stores, yard sales, online stores like Amazon, and the library in your search for the “perfect” book. For guidance, ask your local children’s librarian, read book reviews online, or seek out the recommendation of friends. Keep in mind that others’ recommendations may not always match your family’s criteria for acceptable reading. So the final decision, of course, is yours.

Though your child may love superheroes, Disney princesses, or other cartoon characters, you’ll want to avoid these mass market-type picture books for pre-writing times. Instead, look for high-quality, timeless books that play with language and use unique artwork. You know which ones I mean—the books you don’t mind reading again and again because you love them too!

A few lists of top picks:

• Five in a Row’s Book Lists 
• Classical Christian Education’s 1000 Good Books List (K-3) 
• New York Public Library 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
• Kids Online 100 Best Picture Books

If your child is older, and especially if she’s already reading, you may believe she is beyond picture books, but that’s not true! You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that many picture books are actually geared toward older children.

Begin your search here:

• Using Picture Books to Teach Writing to Middle Schoolers
• Picture books for older readers
• Cerritos Library picture books for older readers

Looking for a painless way to provide your family some with fun language-building activities? In just a few minutes, you can be sitting around the kitchen table enjoying a variety of printable word games that challenge you and your kids to use vocabulary in different ways.

• Word twists and find-a-word puzzles help young readers develop speed and skill by quickly spotting letters and letter clusters.
• Available at all proficiency levels, crossword puzzles offer clues and definitions to help students identify words.
• Games like Mad Libs® help everyone better understand and use parts of speech.
• And just about every word game helps improve spelling skills.

You can find hundreds of free, printable word games online. Most websites allow you to reproduce them for classroom or home use. Some websites even let you sign up to receive daily word puzzles by e-mail.

Getting Started

Here are a few handy places to get started. Have fun!

• Puzzles features challenging word searches, hidden messages, and easier puzzles specifically for kids. Solve each puzzle with pen or pencil and paper. 
• The Kidz Page offers learning games such as mixed-up words, fill-in puzzles, and word searches (some with holiday themes).
• Mad Glibs lets you create Mad Libs-type stories right on the computer. But for printable versions to use at home or on the road, each puzzle offers a “Printer Friendly” link that takes you to a free download.
• Word Search Puzzles: Here you’ll find puzzles by theme as well as by level of difficulty, from easy to hard.
• A bit more challenging, Printable Daily Crossword Puzzles offers seven new puzzles every day.

So sharpen those pencils, print out a few puzzles, and start the year off with some fun new writing games!

 Looking for a few last-minute writing activities to occupy your antsy children? Try some of these!

• List. Make a list of things you’re thankful for.
• Thank-you note. Think of a special person in your life. Write a thank-you letter and tell him or her why you value your relationship.
• Silly story. Pretend you are a turkey who does not want to end up on someone’s Thanksgiving table. Write a plan for how to escape.
• Sensory description. At first glance, a leaf is just a leaf. But when you study it closely, you can discover many small details that make it one-of-a-kind. Choose a colorful autumn leaf and brainstorm a list of phrases or sentences describing its unique features—including colors, shape, size, texture, veins, blemishes, or spots. Older students can then write a paragraph describing their leaf.
• Instruction manual. Write a paragraph explaining a simple process, such as how to make mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, or pumpkin pie. If possible, have someone take pictures of you during each step of preparing the food so you can decorate the pages with photos.

Looking for a holiday activity? Divert your kids with a Thanksgiving acrostic poem!

1. Write the word THANKSGIVING vertically on a sheet of lined paper. Using each of the letters, make a fun acrostic.
2. Each line can be one word, a phrase, or a sentence. See how creative you can be!
3. Poems can be left-aligned or centered.
4. Afterwards, illustrate your acrostics or decorate the page with photos cut from a magazine.

I’ll start you off with a couple of examples.

First Thanksgiving

Thanking the Lord
Honoring Him
Abundant blessings
Needs met
Kneeling Pilgrims
Squanto’s help
Gifts of food
Indian corn
Venison
Indeed we are blessed
Neighbors have shared 
God has provided

Thanksgiving at Home

T urkey time (I love the dark meat best!)
H oping the weather will turn cold
A untie’s apple pie—the best!
N ine plates around the table
K eeping family traditions
S tuffing my tummy with—what else?—stuffing!
G iving thanks for my family
I nviting our neighbor so he won’t be lonely
V egetables that I love (corn and green beans—yum!)
I think I am about to burst!
N aps for babies (and tired grandparents!)
G ames and laughter after dinner

From geography jingles my children learned over 17 years ago, I can still remember, among other facts, the states that comprise the eastern border of the U.S.

There’s just something about poems, songs, and mnemonics that can make learning facts—and remembering them—so much easier. That’s why I’ve always liked this little poem, as it defines and illustrates many common grammar concepts.

          Grammar in a Nutshell

The articles are, oh, so wee,
     These little words are A, AN, THE;
The nouns are names of anything,
     Like BOOK, COMPUTER, FAITH, or RING.
Pronouns are used for nouns instead—
     I run, HE flies, SHE wished, THEY said.
Adjectives simply tell the kind
     of everything that we may find,
Like BLUE and ROUGH and SOFT and SWEET,
     RUDE and PLEASANT, WISE and NEAT.
Adverbs will tell “how,” “when,” “where,”
     Like SWEETLY, NEATLY, OFTEN, THERE.
The prepositions help each day
     IN our work or AT our play,
UNDER, OVER, AROUND, and THROUGH,
     AMONG, ABOUT, ABOVE, and TO.
Good conjunctions join together
     Man AND woman; plume OR feather.
Interjections always claim—
     OH, NO! ALAS! AH, what a shame!
The verb—it helps us get along
     In conversation or in song,
Since it explains the subject’s fate,
     Expressing action, being, state;
You ARE friendly, I LOVE you,
     EAT your breakfast, TIE your shoe.
Grammar may not seem exciting,
     But it will help our speech and writing!

Author Unknown

Narration is a wonderful tool for coaxing stories, descriptions, and letters from a young writer, especially a more reluctant one. Previously (Tip #1), I talked about using a tape recorder to encourage verbal storytelling. Sometimes, though, a child is still not ready or eager to tell entire stories. That’s OK! Just break it down into smaller pieces. Ask your child to describe what she can readily observe without the pressure of turning it into a published piece. 

Let’s describe!

Take a closer look. Begin to prepare your child for a lifetime of observation. Start by helping her describe familiar objects and foods. The key? Ask lots of questions about:

• Color, shape, and size
• Texture (how it looks and how it feels to the touch)
• Sound
• Smell
• For a food, also add questions about its taste and feel when eaten

Suppose you’re enjoying cinnamon rolls for breakfast. As your child eats her treat, keep a pad and pen nearby and write down her observations. Ask her questions to prompt her. ”Tell me some words to describe your cinnamon roll. What color is the bun? Is it soft and squishy or dry and stale? What smells and flavors do you notice? Take a bite and tell me how it tastes and feels. Does the roll have frosting? Is it a hard glaze or is it soft and creamy? Any raisins or nuts? What textures do they add?”

Describe a person. Suggest that your youngster describe family members, friends, and pets. If she tells you that Grandpa has gray hair, ask, “Is it gray, or is it closer to silver or white?” Have her tell you about his hair length and texture, too. Next, ask her to tell you about his face, eyes, and smile. What about his clothes? His personality? His posture? With younger children, it helps to describe people and pets they can observe firsthand. But a photo also works well to draw responses.

Study your world. It’s so much fun to describe a place with a young child. Even now, as I type with the window open, I can see grass, trees, bushes, and flowers; mountains topped in low clouds; my neighbors’ houses and cars; and fences, rocks, and telephone poles. In addition, I can hear birds chirping, a dog barking, a car horn honking, a lawn mower humming in the distance. Since it rained recently, the air has a fresh, sweet smell.

If you’re doing this exercise with your child, wander out into the front or back yard so he can touch the roughness of tree bark, the smooth finish of the car in the driveway, the prickle of a thorny plant, and the moist, dewy lawn. Let him crush leaves to release their scent, smell flowers, and observe insects and birds.

In the city, sit on a bench and pay attention to traffic sounds, horns, voices, and other city noises. Look at the buildings. Are they old? New? Made of brick? Concrete? Glass? Do any of the buildings have interesting features? Do you see traffic signals or road signs? Trees or flowers? How about shops, stores, or other businesses? What’s in the windows?

Next, people-watch! You’ll see old and young, tall and short, serious and smiling. Are they walking or hurrying? Talking on cell phones? Alone or with a friend? What colors are they wearing? Are they carrying packages, bags, brief cases, or purses? Wearing backpacks? What kinds of shoes can you see?

Finally, notice the smells. Is that garlic wafting from an Italian restaurant? Do you smell fresh bread from the bakery on the corner? How about fumes from the bus that just pulled away from the curb? The whiff of someone’s perfume as she rushes past?

As your child makes observations, write down what she says in a small spiral notebook.

No composition required

Make this a fun learning experience for your child as you give her a chance to become a keen observer of her expanding world. Sure, there will be times when you’ll want her to develop her observations into a paragraph or story. But for now, focus more on the process of gathering and writing down ideas. The value comes from teaching your child that she really does have a great deal to say about different topics!

Visit Walking Therein to visit this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling (the 150th edition, BTW)!

City photo by Kim Kautzer

Brain freeze, blank paper syndrome, and fear of writing often have their roots in the early elementary grades. Unless a child is taught from a young age that writing is the process—and her story is, in fact, merely the end product of that process—she is well on her way to a lifetime of writing paralysis.

Brainstorming unlocks ideas

A key ingredient of the creative writing process, brainstorming is fundamental to preparing the child to write. With primary students, this is usually a shared experience, guided by mom or teacher. Make this a fun, low-key time for chatting about ideas for writing. And to take the pressure off, let the child talk while you jot down her thoughts.

Before beginning a writing project, brainstorm with your child for ideas related to that day’s topic. You and your child should use brainstorming to:

• Generate possible topic ideas for writing.
• Determine things to write about her chosen topic.

Whether your child wants to write about a favorite toy, yesterday’s visit to the fire station, or a make-believe flying car, brainstorm with her to help her unlock ideas. Even within her small world, she can talk about what she observes around her, what she knows in her head, or what her budding imagination can dream up. You’ll both appreciate this time of brainstorming and jotting down words and thoughts before actually beginning to write.

At the early elementary level, brainstorming:

• Helps your child focus her attention on the topic.
• Generates a number of different ideas.
• Encourages your child to share her ideas and opinions without fear of criticism.
• Shows your child that she will have more to say during writing time if she has already given her topic some thought.

Ways to brainstorm with primary children

List of Ideas. The most basic form of brainstorming is to make a list, writing ideas on a tablet or whiteboard. Keep this list handy throughout the rest of the lesson to help spark ideas during the writing stage and extended activities. Brainstorm to create a list of topic ideas, or brainstorm to make a list of things your child can write about her chosen topic.

Story Web. Draw a simple story web with a circle in the middle and five or six lines extending out from the circle to resemble a spider web. In the center of the circle, write the topic. On each of the lines, list the information that supports the topic. Click here to see an example of a story web variation.

Story Idea Card File. This tool helps you and your child brainstorm for topics. Using index cards, glue a small magazine or catalog picture to one side and write the topic on the opposite side. Store cards in a small file box labeled “Story Ideas.” Start by making about 10 cards.

During the brainstorming session, take out the index cards. Look at the cards together and read their labels. Ask your student to choose four cards (topics) she might like to write about. If she wants to write about a topic that isn’t in the box, help her make a new index card by gluing a picture on the front and writing the label on the back. Finally, encourage your child to choose one card as the topic for her next story.

Graphic Organizer. Graphic organizers come in many varieties. When your child is writing a story, it will help her to stay on task if you create a simple graphic organizer to list ideas for the introduction, body, and closing of her story. Label the graphic organizer as follows, leaving spaces for writing as you brainstorm together:

• Title:
• Beginning:
• Middle:
• End: 

Ask your child to think of story ideas about her topic. Ask questions to help her come up with a beginning, middle, and end. Talk about possible titles and write these ideas on your graphic organizer.

. . . . .

Sound like fun? If so, you’ll find these and many, many more ideas in WriteShop Primary, our newest series targeting primary-aged children. The first book, WriteShop Primary Book A, is currently available for early learners in K-2nd grades. Visit www.writeshop.com to learn more!

Publish Your Child’s Stories 

One of the most encouraging and rewarding experiences for a young author is to see her work published. As a second and third grader, I remember how much I loved to find my own little stories and poems published in our school’s newsletter.

WriteShop Primary gives your student the opportunity to publish her writing project as a book or other art form that she can share with others. She might make a story kite to fly around the house as she “reads” it to Daddy; create a paper-plate face book; or turn her story into an accordian-folded train. (Visit our website for more info about WriteShop Primary, our delightful parent-guided writing program for K-3rd graders. It’s filled with fun, engaging activities to promote a love for writing!)

Make a Story Pocket 

Featured in Book A, story pockets make wonderful publishing tools, and they’re perfect for storing and displaying a child’s early stories and drawings. Here’s how to make one.

Advance Prep

Short Pocket: Use one paper plate. Cut it in half. Place both pieces face to face and staple together around the curved edges. The top straight edges remain open to form a pocket.

Tall Pocket: Use two paper plates. Leave one plate whole. Cut the second plate in two, discarding one of the halves. Staple the half plate to the full-size plate to create a tall pocket with a high back.

Directions

1. Allow time for the child to use crayons, markers, paint, or stickers to decorate the paper plate so it matches the theme of the story.
2. Fold the story and store it inside the pocket.
3. (Optional) Have your child draw a picture of each object in the story on cardboard, poster board, or tagboard. Cut out the tagboard pieces and store them in the pocket along with the story.
4. Encourage your child to read her story to family members or a friend, pulling out the corresponding pieces from the pocket and placing them on the table as she shares.
5. These pockets also make great holders for holiday greeting cards!

. . . . .

Copyright © 2008 Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

We often get letters from moms who don’t quite know what to do with their reluctant fourth graders. This email is a pretty typical lament:   

My 9 year old and I haven’t done any routine writing projects together. He hyperventilates (not really but you get my point) when I try to do any kind of writing with him.  I’ve tried story starters, but he just doesn’t want to participate, [or] he comes up with a totally silly story. I know he can do better, but he has this thing about writing.

Writing Stories: Too Abstract? 

It’s so normal for a nine-year-old to be a reluctant writer. And believe me, I understand. My son was the same way! I’ve found that often, storytelling can be too abstract for such a child. Even kids who are slightly older (junior high) will do better when asked to write about more concrete topics, such as events they have personally experienced or objects they can observe firsthand. That’s why descriptive writing or personal narratives usually produce better results than made-up stories from the child’s imagination.

Why do such activities bring about success? The child can actually see and touch a toy car, taste and smell a ripe peach, or recall a story that happened to him.

But don’t throw out the baby with the bath water! You might still want to use a story starter now and then. And when you do, know that it’s really OK for the story to take a silly tack. Sometimes writing should be just for fun!

If you need some ideas, you’ll find two inexpensive StoryBuilders card decks in the WriteShop store—World of People and World of Animals. By mixing and matching story element cards, children can create lots of different stories, from serious to silly. Each StoryBuilders set includes activities that will appeal to students of all ages and writing abilities.

Journaling Idea 

With my own reluctant son, we did Journaling…with a twist over and over again. Because this type of “journaling” is based on facts gathered through reading, your child won’t get stuck trying to invent details or a come up with a story line. It’s also much more entertaining to read and write than a report!

Overcoming Writer’s Block

What’s one of the most frustrating assignments you can give a reluctant child? Believe it or not, just ask her to “write about whatever she wants.” While it seems that this should be freeing for her, it actually has the opposite effect: it contributes to writer’s block!

That’s why it’s really important to establish parameters for your budding writers. Just as a sturdy fence helps a child feel safe in a big back yard, clear boundaries and expectations help young writers feel secure about putting pencil to paper. The blank page can be pretty intimidating, so instead of asking her to “just write,” be very specific. For example:

• Write a paragraph of 3-5 sentences
• Describe a __________________ (taco or Tonka truck, for example).
• Do not tell a story about it. Just use your five senses to explain how it looks, feels, sounds, tastes, or smells (as appropriate to the object).
• Use your thesaurus to include one new word.

You can probably see how this sort of guided writing helps inspire confidence. Start small and don’t expect too much at first. If you were teaching a child to play the piano, you’d give her exercises and simple tunes to practice long before you asked her to compose a piece on her own. It’s the same with writing!

. . . . .

If you’re looking for a writing curriculum for your 9- or 10-year-old, a gem of a book is Wordsmith Apprentice. We love to recommend it for the 4th-6th grade set.

Here’s a fun activity to do with your primary-age children (K-3rd) to introduce the concept of nouns.

What are nouns?

Talk about nouns with your kids and discuss the three main noun categories.

Common nouns name people, places and things. Unless they begin a sentence, common nouns are not capitalized. Examples: man, toy, cereal, coffee shop, country

Proper nouns name specific things, and must be capitalized at all times. Examples: President Bush, Legos, Cheerios. Starbucks, United States

Collective nouns (also called group nouns) describe a set or group of people, animals or things. Examples: army, family, audience, flock (of sheep), bunch (of flowers), school (of fish), team (of baseball players)

Note: Making a noun plural does not make it a collective noun. The word cows is a plural noun / the word herd (of cows) is a collective noun.

Make a noun mini-book

1. Fold a 9” x 12” sheet of construction paper in half.
2. On the first page, add a title: “My Book of Nouns.” Below the title, help your child write a definition of common noun, proper noun, and collective noun.
3. Title the inside left page “Some Common Nouns,” the inside right page “Some Proper Nouns,” and the back page “Some Collective Nouns.”
4. Once your child has labeled her mini-book, give her a few old magazines or catalogs. Ask her to cut out five pictures for each category, glue them in place on the appropriate page, and label the picture with its name.

Copyright © 2008 Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng