"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much"
- Helen Keller
How can I help my child in writing?
By the end of second grade, students will be able to write a basic story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. They will also be able to edit and revise their writing to make it clearer, correcting errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Making writing a normal part of your family routine will have significant impact on your child; Here are some ideas to encourage writing at home with your child
1. Help your child make his/her own book by folding pieces of paper in half and stapling them in the middle. She/he will love writing her/his own story and drawing pictures to illustrate it. 2. Ask her/him to help write the grocery list, thank-you notes, or letters to relatives, and read it aloud. 3. Keep a family journal of trips, weekends and special times spent together. Your child can write and illustrate the journal. Pick a favorite entry from the journal and use it to expand your child’s writing. You and your child can write a longer piece or story about that event together and illustrate it with photographs or drawings. 4.Research and Report: Pick a topic your child is passionate about and research it. Go to the library or look online together for information on that topic. Then work together to create an informative collage or article about that topic, using illustrations or photographs from magazines or online. 5. Write What You Think: Kids have very strong opinions! Ask your child to express his/her opinion about something through writing and be sure to explain reasons why he/she thinks this. Your child can then read the piece out loud to family members and take questions from the “audience.” 6.Read Other People’s Writing: Second grade is a great time for your child to start reading magazines made especially for kids, such as Scholastic News. These often have many types of texts including narrative, fiction, non-fiction and opinion pieces. Read the magazines together and talk about the articles. Reading these pieces will help your child become a better writer. |