A Parents Guide to Writing Berkshire Elementary School

A Parent’s Guide to Writing Berkshire Elementary School May 20, 2016

Today’s Agenda By the end of the session , participants will: • have a deeper understanding of literacy with an emphasis on writing and the writing process. • have strategies to develop writing skills at home. • listen to your children share their writing during the Author’s Tea.

A Literate Home Having a literate home develops in young children a love for reading and writing. As Rasinski and Fredericks put it, "A literate home environment doesn't teach children how to read; rather, it provides children with opportunities to enjoy reading and discover the many ways it can be used to enrich the experiences in their lives. "

Good Reading = Good Writing

Types of Writing • Narrative- to tell a story • Informative/Expository- to explain something • Argument(Opinion)- to state an opinion and support the point of view with reasons

Kinds of Writing Genres the author is working on. i. e. : • ABC books • Biographies • Essays • Mysteries • And a lot more….

Writing Skills Taught in connection with the reading and writing process. Ideas: main message Organization: structure of the piece Voice: the person “behind” the words Word Choice: use of rich language Sentence Fluency: structure and flow of sentences Conventions: spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar Presentation: the overall appearance

The Writing Process Brainstorm Publish Draft Edit Revise

Your Turn… Writing Prompt: Write a paragraph explaining what you would do with a million dollars. F = paragraph A = peers/family T = how to spend $ P = explain Brainstorm Ideas: • Travel • Buy a house • Clothes • Invest • Save • Your ideas

Example: Informal Outline T: Fun ways to spend a million dollars (First) F: Shopping • New summer wardrobe • American Eagle Outfitters (Next) F: Travel • African Safari • Beaches of Martinique C: Exciting ways to spend a fortune.

Example of a Draft I’m in the Money! If I won a million dollars, I would have a fun time spending it. First, I would hit the streets and go shopping. I would focus my time looking for a new summer wardrobe. The best place to start would be American Eagle Outfitters. Next, I would travel. Going on an African Safari has always been a dream. I would also travel to Martinique and enjoy the spectacular sun of the Caribbean. How exciting it would be to spend a fortune!

Be a good model of writing • Let your child see you write and talk with him/her about how you use writing in your life.

Start with Handwriting • Proper posture and pencil grip • Proper formation of letters • Extra practice

Play with Sounds • Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds or phonemes in spoken words. • “Bridge” between oral language to written language. • Leading predictor of reading success.

Provide Writing Materials in Your Home And a place to write! – Paper with lines and without – Pencils and pens -Story Paper Gifts such as shaped tablets, journals, spirals, colored pencils, markers, and erasers are motivating.

Provide Writing Opportunities • Encourage your child to write books. • Help your child write letters and emails to relatives and friends. • Provide a journal or diary to record his or her day. • Have them write lists- grocery, wish lists, etc.

Assist with the Writing Process • Help your child brainstorm ideas and organize them. • Stress the importance of the writing process and not just the final product.

Be Supportive! • Respond to WHAT your child writes rather then HOW they write it. • Praise your child’s writing. Ignore minor errors. • Do not write for your child.

Spelling • Help with spelling as needed, but do not expect your child to spell every word correctly. • “Ear” spelling is developmentally appropriate! Encourage it.

Author’s Tea Now presenting…. Berkshire’s Authors

“If a child can write one sentence, he or she can write two sentences. If the child can write a few sentences on one page, the child can easily move on to a second page. Every child deserves a start where he or she is as a writer and to be challenged to go farther. ” Lucy Calkins