Elementary Writing
http://childparenting.about.com/od/elementarywriting/Elementary_Writing.htm
here
A Home Learning Plan for Elementary Reading
http://childparenting.about.com/od/learningenrichment/a/learntoread_2.htmhere
Monday, 6 April 2009
Elementary Writing
http://childparenting.about.com/od/elementarywriting/Elementary_Writing.htm
here
here
Often when I read about a day of homeschooling I am reminded of Susan Wise Bauer's postings about some of her days of homeschooling. If you haven't read these, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2004, stop now and go read them. They are wonderful. For awhile my daughters would beg me to read the postings to them once or twice a week.
Memorization and Recitation
Memorization also builds into children's minds an ability to understand and use complex English syntax. The student who memorizes poetry will internalize rhythmic, beautiful patterns of English language. These patterns have become part of the student's "language store," those wells of language that we all use every day in writing and speaking. Without memorization, the student's "language store" will contain only those phrases and patterns which he hears over and over again — the language patterns that your family uses every day. But memorization "stocks" the language store with a whole new set of language patterns.
Recitation — learning to speak memorized pieces out loud, with fluency and expression — helps to "set" memorized pieces in the student's memory. But recitation also develops skills in presentation. When a student learns to stand still (without jiggling, rocking back and forth, picking his nails, rubbing his nose, or twirling his hair) and speak, he's learning the all-important skills he'll need for job interviews (not to mention gracious social interaction). When he can stand still even under the gaze of multiple listeners, he's learned a poise under observation that will serve him in social situations for the rest of his life.
Children's minds work differently in the three stages of classical education. Elementary students have retentive minds; in grades 1-4, a student can memorize a piece of poetry in a week simply by reading it, out loud, three times, every morning. When the piece is memorized, require the grammar-stage student to recite it from memory in front of something inanimate — a stuffed animal, a picture, or a favorite toy. When he can do this, ask him to recite it in front of a mirror. When he's able to do this (without giggling), ask him to recite it in front of you. When he can do this, ask him to recite it in front of several relatives at once — father, mother, siblings, grandparents, cousins.
In the "logic stage" (grades 5-8), students should still read their memory pieces out loud three times every morning. But since their minds will begin to work more analytically, you can also ask them to pull a poem apart and identify such things as rhyme scheme, alliteration, and type of meter. This analysis will help the student's mind retain the poem. Logic-stage students should be asked to recite before family friends and non-related adults. We don't necessarily recommend peer recitations; students in grade 5-8 can be unintentionally cruel (mocking each others' gestures and tones for fun), and you don't want to embarrass a logic-stage student at a time when self- image can be a huge problem.
"Rhetoric stage" students (grades 9-12) can memorize both through repetition and through analysis. They should also progress on to a careful evaluation of the poem's ideas. Why did the writer choose certain words? What would the contemporary audience have thought of the work; would it have been revolutionary or old-fashioned? How do the writer's words and rhythms manipulate the audience's emotions? Does repetition draw attention to certain words or phrases? Why? Is the poem or speech an appeal to reason or to emotion? How does this change its method of delivery? Rhetoric stage students should take part in public speaking or drama presentations whenever possible; at this age, recitation should take place for peers, as well as for family and friends.
It is often easier to find poetry resources for older students than for younger students. Older students can often commit to memory those works which they are reading in literature. For younger students, however, funny, rhythmic, memorable poems can be hard to locate! The following list is especially useful for grades 1-6. As always, parents should use discretion; we haven't read every single poem in every single book! But these titles should provide plenty of appealing poems that students will enjoy memorizing and reciting.
basic skills of writing
Elementary-school writing consists of copywork, dictation, and narration,
Years One and Two: Practicing Narration
Before requiring the student to write, teach him to narrate. Narration happens
when the student takes something he’s just read (or heard you read) and puts it
into his own words.
This begins on a very simple level: You read to the student and ask him
specific questions about what he’s heard, such as “What was the most interesting
thing in that story?” or “Who was that history lesson about?” You then require him to answer you in complete sentences. As the student grows more familiar with
the process of narration, you can move on to more general questions such as
“Summarize what we just read in your own words.”
As the young student narrates out loud, he is practicing the first part of
the writing process: putting an idea into his own words. He is practicing a new
and difficult skill without having to come up with original ideas first; because
his narrations are always rooted in content that he’s just read or heard, he can
concentrate on the task of expressing himself with words.
He is also practicing this new skill without having to worry about the
second part of the writing process: putting those words down on paper. As he
narrates, you—the teacher—write the words down for him as he watches.
He can simply concentrate on the task at hand, without worrying about the
mechanical difficulties of wielding a pencil. (For students whose fine motor skills
are still developing, this is essential; they cannot focus on narration if they’re also
contemplating how much their hand is going to hurt when they have to write the
narration down.)
Years One and Two: Copywork and Dictation
Separately, and preferably at a different time during the day, the student
begins to master the second part of the process: putting words down on paper.
This is not a simple task. It requires physical labor, fine motor coordination, and
an understanding of the rules that govern written presentation: capitalization,
punctuation, spacing, letter formation.
This skill is developed through copywork and dictation. Copywork and
dictation allow the student to master the second step of the process without
having to worry about the first, difficult task of putting ideas into words.
The beginning student doesn’t even know yet how written language is
supposed to look. Before he can put words down on paper, he must have some
visual memory of what those words are supposed to look like. So during first
grade, he’ll copy out sentences from good writers, practicing the look and feel of
properly written language.
Once the student has become accustomed to reproducing, on his own paper,
properly written sentences placed in front of him as a model, you’ll take the
model away. Now that his mind is stocked with mental images of properly written
language, he needs to learn how to visualize a written sentence in his mind and then put it down on paper.
Years Three and Four: Putting the Two Steps Together
Around third grade, most students are ready to begin putting the two skills
together. In third grade, students will begin to use part of their own narrations
as dictation exercises. They will tell you the narration; you will write it down for
them, and then dictate the first sentence back to them. Eventually they will learn
that, in order to write, all they need to do is put an idea into words (something
they’ve practiced extensively through narration), and then put those words down
on paper (which they’re accustomed to doing during dictation).
They will begin to write.
Years One and Two: Practicing Narration
Before requiring the student to write, teach him to narrate. Narration happens
when the student takes something he’s just read (or heard you read) and puts it
into his own words.
This begins on a very simple level: You read to the student and ask him
specific questions about what he’s heard, such as “What was the most interesting
thing in that story?” or “Who was that history lesson about?” You then require him to answer you in complete sentences. As the student grows more familiar with
the process of narration, you can move on to more general questions such as
“Summarize what we just read in your own words.”
As the young student narrates out loud, he is practicing the first part of
the writing process: putting an idea into his own words. He is practicing a new
and difficult skill without having to come up with original ideas first; because
his narrations are always rooted in content that he’s just read or heard, he can
concentrate on the task of expressing himself with words.
He is also practicing this new skill without having to worry about the
second part of the writing process: putting those words down on paper. As he
narrates, you—the teacher—write the words down for him as he watches.
He can simply concentrate on the task at hand, without worrying about the
mechanical difficulties of wielding a pencil. (For students whose fine motor skills
are still developing, this is essential; they cannot focus on narration if they’re also
contemplating how much their hand is going to hurt when they have to write the
narration down.)
Years One and Two: Copywork and Dictation
Separately, and preferably at a different time during the day, the student
begins to master the second part of the process: putting words down on paper.
This is not a simple task. It requires physical labor, fine motor coordination, and
an understanding of the rules that govern written presentation: capitalization,
punctuation, spacing, letter formation.
This skill is developed through copywork and dictation. Copywork and
dictation allow the student to master the second step of the process without
having to worry about the first, difficult task of putting ideas into words.
The beginning student doesn’t even know yet how written language is
supposed to look. Before he can put words down on paper, he must have some
visual memory of what those words are supposed to look like. So during first
grade, he’ll copy out sentences from good writers, practicing the look and feel of
properly written language.
Once the student has become accustomed to reproducing, on his own paper,
properly written sentences placed in front of him as a model, you’ll take the
model away. Now that his mind is stocked with mental images of properly written
language, he needs to learn how to visualize a written sentence in his mind and then put it down on paper.
Years Three and Four: Putting the Two Steps Together
Around third grade, most students are ready to begin putting the two skills
together. In third grade, students will begin to use part of their own narrations
as dictation exercises. They will tell you the narration; you will write it down for
them, and then dictate the first sentence back to them. Eventually they will learn
that, in order to write, all they need to do is put an idea into words (something
they’ve practiced extensively through narration), and then put those words down
on paper (which they’re accustomed to doing during dictation).
They will begin to write.
essence of good teaching
the student masters the new and unfamiliar process of writing: putting ideas into words and putting those words down on paper. He will begin by pulling apart the two steps of writing and practicing them separately.
This is the essence of good teaching: breaking tasks down into their component elements and teaching students how to perform each element, before putting the elements back together.
The pianist practices first the right hand, and then the left hand, before putting the two together; the young writer practices putting ideas into words, and then putting words down on paper, before trying to do both simultaneously.
Good writing requires training. It demands one-on-one attention.
This is the essence of good teaching: breaking tasks down into their component elements and teaching students how to perform each element, before putting the elements back together.
The pianist practices first the right hand, and then the left hand, before putting the two together; the young writer practices putting ideas into words, and then putting words down on paper, before trying to do both simultaneously.
Good writing requires training. It demands one-on-one attention.
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/copywork.php
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/copywork.php
Why should you use copywork and dictation in the early grades? The purpose of copywork is to get into the child's visual (and motor) memory the look and feel of a sentence that is corrrectly composed, and properly spelled, spaced, and punctuated. The purpose of dictation is to have a child practice transferring his knowledge of the rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation to actual writing.
So you should do copywork as long s the child is still struggling with the basics of writing conventions: spaces between words, capital letters, punctuation, spelling. (Generally, this is first grade, although it should extend into second grade or as long as the child seems to need it.) You move on to dictation when these basics have been mastered. Now the child is ready to dispense with the visual model and depend more on memory, working from his or her knowledge of the rules.
The final step of each exercise of dictation—comparing what the child wrote with the written model—acts as a "check," so that the child knows whether his mental image of the sentence is correct. Generally this is most useful for second and third grades, but whenever I hear from a parent with an older child who can't punctuate or spell, I encourage them to return to dictation twice a week, because even if the child has memorized rules he obviously isn't applying them to his own writing.
To do dictation, simply read the selection aloud as the child writes what he hears you read. If he has not been used to doing this, it will take some practice on his part. At first, he might be able to do only one sentence at a time. The goal is to gradually lengthen the amount he is required to "hold in his mind" and then write down. This is excellent training for note taking in college!
Young children start with 2-word sentences (The early pages of Phonics Pathways have good starter sentences. Phonics Pathways suggests that you do dictation of sentences all the way through to the end of the book for spelling.) When you have gone all the way through Phonics Pathways, you can then select sentences from good literature that the children are reading. A favorite author to do this from is E.B. White (Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan). Then around 4th or 5th grade you might use some sentences/paragraphs from C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. You can use any literature they are reading.
Be patient with them if you have never done this before! However, don't give up if they complain — maybe shorten the amount they have to do at one "saying" of the material—and just keep practicing and lengthening gradually. As a general guide, Susan suggests to aim for one dictation per week in second grade, 2-3 per week in third grade, and 3-5 per week in fourth grade.
What does this do for the brain? It trains the mind to retain what is heard. It increases concentration. These are valuable practical skills for any learning situation, and especially for notetaking in a college classroom.
Help Your Child Learn Writing Skills
Most kids just aren't that into writing, and it shows in their school work through the years. We save our children's cute early writings; but, except for homework assignments, writing isn't a big part of our kids' everyday life at home. So, what can parents do to help their child develop good writing skills during the elementary years?
Start Writing Early
Educational technology advances have taught us that reading and writing development are intertwined in early learning. The physical act of writing letters and early words enhances the child's ability to read. The complementary relationship between reading and writing continues long after these early efforts, so parents enhance their child's skills dramatically by encouraging the writing habit in childhood. Follow the lead of early childhood educators by allowing phonetic writing rather than worrying about proper spelling in preschool and kindergarten. We get a kick out of trying to figure out my five-year-old nephew's writings to grandmother, but he knows just exactly what it says!
Focus on the Building Blocks of Good Writing
A rich language environment is the foundation for good writing. Learn easy ways to build your child language foundation in this article. Games and activities that build vocabulary increase the range of words your child will know to write with depth. Word games are classic and fun for families. Now, you can find fun word games online. We like Wheel of Fortune and, for the little ones, Between the Lions shockwave games.
Checking your child's homework for spelling and punctuation errors will reinforce the skills your child is learning at school. When she has a report to write at home, help her take the time to write a first draft that you can check. Then, mark the spelling, capitalization and punctuation errors for her to correct. Most middle elementary children are able to use a word processing program to write reports. Teach your child to use the spellchecker, perhaps using the Scholastic Keys program for Microsoft Office.
Provide Tools and Opportunities for Writing
Mechanical pencils and gel pens are fun for kids; and plenty of paper, both lined for your child's grade level and unlined, should be available for spontaneous writing play and projects. Cute note cards and stationery make writing letters and notes to friends and relatives a regular writing habit. Let your child write the shopping list before a trip to the store. Encourage journal keeping for special times such as a family trip. If your child has a creative streak, gifts of writing activity books will encourage that talent.
Learn Easy Strategies for Elementary Writing
Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, authors of The Well-Trained Mind, talk about the two-step writing process for elementary students. The first step is to practice oral composition. First, encourage your child to talk about what he is going to write. The second step is dictation practice. Children learn to put words on paper by copying sentences from books or from story dictaion. This step teaches sentence and paragraph structure.
Julie Bogart at Bravewriter.cobegin m offers great tips for helping elementary children develop writing skills. She makes the point that elementary-age children are very poor writers because it takes at least ten years of writing practice to to write well! With Bogart's advice in mind, don't be discouraged by your elementary child's lack of writing skill. Encourage practice, build his fund of language, talk and talk about everything, don't be critical of creative writing efforts, and make it fun to encourage a love of writing from an early age.
Practice Exercises Index
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Pink for Polar Bear
by valerie Solis
[for my children]
Nanook the polar bear was not like her brother and sister.Her fur was pink.
Some of the big polar bears said that Nanook was different because she had been born at sunset. They thought the sun's pink rays had coloured her fur. Her family calles her Nanook, the "daughter of the setting sun".
"Who was ever heard of a pink polar bear?" said a very large and curious bear. The other bears laughed.
Nanook felt sad and lonely. She very much wanted to be a white polar bear like all the others.
"Maybe, I am not a real polar bear at all?" She thought sadly.
"Polar bears love to chase seals,swim and catch fish. I don't like chasing the poor seals, and I'm not much good at swimming or catching fish."
One day a terrific snowstorm blew up as Nanook and her family were coming home after a day's fishing.
The wind howled and raged all over the north pole. The snow fell so thickly that Nanook couldn't see a thing as she struggled to keep up with her family.
"I'm so tired. The wind is far too strong. Perhaps I should rest and catch up with the others later," she thought.
Nanook curled up in the snow and before long she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Nanook awoke to find herself covered with snow.
"Oh dear! I must have slept for hours.!" she thought.
Then she realized that she was all alone on an iceberg floating out to sea.
"Oh no! My family will never find me now!" she exclaimed.
Nanook floated further and further out to sea. Soon she began to feel very hungry.
She thought for hours about jumping into the sea to catch a fish, but the rough waves frightened her.
Suddenly, Nannook heard a cry above her.
A beautiful plump fish dropped out of the sky at her feet.
Nanook looked up and saw Gullak, the seagull.
"Oh, thank you a million times, Gullak , thank you!" shouted Nanook.
"You're welcome," replied Gullak.
Every day, Gullak caught the biggest and best fish for Nanook.
Gullak was a great storyteller as well as a great friend.
Nanook loved to listen to his tales about mermaids, flying fish, singing humpback whales, shipwrecks and many other fantastic things he had seen in his lifetime.
Nanook missed Gullak a lot when he wasn;t around. There was nothing much to do on an iceberg except count other icebergs. Sometimes, Nanook saw some seals or walruses but they were either sleeping or too far away to hear her.
One nightm beautiful melodies echoed all over the North Pole, waking Nanook from her dreams.
It was the singing humpback whales! Suddenly, a great spray of water blew high into the air and a family of whales appeared near Nanook's iceberg.
"You must be the humpback whales that Gullak talks about!" cried Nanook. "Your songs are beautiful! I wish I could sing like you and be heard far away. Then I would never be lonely/"
"And so you shall," replied the largest whale called Fluke. "We give you 'the gift of song'. From now on, you will be able to talk to us by singing, no matter how far away we are. You will never feel lonely again. Nanook, daughter of the setting sun."
Then music filled Nanook's heart and she burst into song. Her voice was as sweet as a nightingale.
The delighted whales blew great fountains of water into the air to show their pleasure, and set off to show their pleasure, and set off on their long journey to other sears.
From that moment Nanook never stopped singing.
She sang to the humpaback whales as they travelled to distant seas. The starry skies echoed with her sweet songs.
[for my children]
Nanook the polar bear was not like her brother and sister.Her fur was pink.
Some of the big polar bears said that Nanook was different because she had been born at sunset. They thought the sun's pink rays had coloured her fur. Her family calles her Nanook, the "daughter of the setting sun".
"Who was ever heard of a pink polar bear?" said a very large and curious bear. The other bears laughed.
Nanook felt sad and lonely. She very much wanted to be a white polar bear like all the others.
"Maybe, I am not a real polar bear at all?" She thought sadly.
"Polar bears love to chase seals,swim and catch fish. I don't like chasing the poor seals, and I'm not much good at swimming or catching fish."
One day a terrific snowstorm blew up as Nanook and her family were coming home after a day's fishing.
The wind howled and raged all over the north pole. The snow fell so thickly that Nanook couldn't see a thing as she struggled to keep up with her family.
"I'm so tired. The wind is far too strong. Perhaps I should rest and catch up with the others later," she thought.
Nanook curled up in the snow and before long she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Nanook awoke to find herself covered with snow.
"Oh dear! I must have slept for hours.!" she thought.
Then she realized that she was all alone on an iceberg floating out to sea.
"Oh no! My family will never find me now!" she exclaimed.
Nanook floated further and further out to sea. Soon she began to feel very hungry.
She thought for hours about jumping into the sea to catch a fish, but the rough waves frightened her.
Suddenly, Nannook heard a cry above her.
A beautiful plump fish dropped out of the sky at her feet.
Nanook looked up and saw Gullak, the seagull.
"Oh, thank you a million times, Gullak , thank you!" shouted Nanook.
"You're welcome," replied Gullak.
Every day, Gullak caught the biggest and best fish for Nanook.
Gullak was a great storyteller as well as a great friend.
Nanook loved to listen to his tales about mermaids, flying fish, singing humpback whales, shipwrecks and many other fantastic things he had seen in his lifetime.
Nanook missed Gullak a lot when he wasn;t around. There was nothing much to do on an iceberg except count other icebergs. Sometimes, Nanook saw some seals or walruses but they were either sleeping or too far away to hear her.
One nightm beautiful melodies echoed all over the North Pole, waking Nanook from her dreams.
It was the singing humpback whales! Suddenly, a great spray of water blew high into the air and a family of whales appeared near Nanook's iceberg.
"You must be the humpback whales that Gullak talks about!" cried Nanook. "Your songs are beautiful! I wish I could sing like you and be heard far away. Then I would never be lonely/"
"And so you shall," replied the largest whale called Fluke. "We give you 'the gift of song'. From now on, you will be able to talk to us by singing, no matter how far away we are. You will never feel lonely again. Nanook, daughter of the setting sun."
Then music filled Nanook's heart and she burst into song. Her voice was as sweet as a nightingale.
The delighted whales blew great fountains of water into the air to show their pleasure, and set off to show their pleasure, and set off on their long journey to other sears.
From that moment Nanook never stopped singing.
She sang to the humpaback whales as they travelled to distant seas. The starry skies echoed with her sweet songs.
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