Home-School Connection: Promoting Writers Literacy Consultant K-5: Launa Kruithof

How can we help our children with writing?

What does the research say? 70% of students in grades 4 –12 are low-achieving writers (Persky et al., 2003). Every year in the United States large numbers of adolescents graduate from high school unable to write at the basic levels required by colleges or employers (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2006).

What can YOU do? Make writing fun! Don’t make it a chore. Show your child that YOU are a writer Set aside a time to write together Find a place in the home to keep writing supplies Is there a place in the home where you can write together?

Listen to soothing music when you write in a quiet atmosphere Be encouraging Give them praise for what they did well as a writer Find writing opportunities at home and for different reasons

Have a conversation about your writing before you write Ask questions- make it a conversation not an interrogation What did you hear? see? taste? feel? smell? Who was with you? What happened first? After that? At the end? Tell me more.

Focus on the ideas in the writing not the mechanics Keep the flow of writing going Don’t critique every error Help them think about capitalization and punctuation Spelling: “Say the word slowly and write the sounds you hear.” Teach them to circle words that they are unsure about and show them how to use tools to help them.

Keep a Writer’s Notebook Collection of thoughts Be an observer Make lists Quick-writes Reviews of movies & books Feelings Memories

What can we write about? Anything! Make it authentic: Lists Thank you notes Letters Invitations Leave a message for someone Newspaper article Flyers

Quick-write Open up your writer’s notebook to a new blank page. Write today’s date. I’m going to read a story to you and then I’m going to ask you to write.

In your notebook write about- If you had an imaginary friend, what would you do together? Just write, try to keep your hand moving, and don’t worry about the mechanics. Use your best spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Try to fill the page.

Station 1 Decorate your own writer’s notebook to make it personal Today- add stickers to personalize When you get home you can add more! Magazine and newspaper cutouts Photographs Ticket stubs (movies, sports, concerts, etc.)

Station 2 Tape in the photograph that you brought inside your notebook (if you choose) and write about that special time. If you don’t have one, take one that is provided and make up a story. Think about the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why) Try to take yourself back to that moment. Think about your senses. What did you- hear? smell? taste? feel? see? Try to fill the page with your best spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Station 3 Tape in the artifact that you brought inside your notebook (if you choose) and write about that special time. If you don’t have one, sketch the artifact or moment first. Try to take yourself back to that moment. Think about your senses. What did you- hear? smell? taste? feel? see? Try to fill the page with your best spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Questions/ Comments? What’s next? What would you want to see in future workshops? Would you be interested in more workshops to write side-by-side with your child?

Resources Buckner, A. (2005). Notebook know-how: strategies for the writer’s notebook. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse. National Writing Project: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/resources/encourage_writing.csp Scholastic: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/ National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/howtohelpenglish