mistakes are being made repeatedly. The
dictation stage is also a good time for the
student to start keeping a spelling log in
which misspelled words are written correctly ten times, which also happens to
be a great way to practice penmanship.
Those troublesome words should comprise weekly or biweekly spelling tests.
The study of grammar should begin at
this time. Some excellent, inexpensive,
and easy-to-use resources, such as Easy
Grammar and Daily Grams, are available.
In middle to upper elementary grades,
while continuing dictation and occasional copy work, the child should start writing brief summaries about relevant topics, such as a paragraph about something
interesting that he has learned in science
or history, current events, a book, a special outing, and so on. This is harder and
requires a certain amount of creativity on
the part of the student since he is, in fact,
creating something from nothing. In addition, this is the time when the teacher
will really start to see the comprehension
level of the student. The child should be
encouraged to start thinking more deeply
and analytically about everything. Good
thinking precedes good writing.
Some of these steps will overlap, and
the time when a student will be able to
start doing harder work or work that requires analytical thinking will vary. For
instance, it isn’t necessary to completely
abandon copy work once a child is ready
for dictation. There will still be days when
copying is the right choice for that day or
perhaps a better choice if the literature
passage is too difficult for dictation. Also,
grammar, spelling, and editing should
be introduced when the student is ready,
and instruction in these areas should be
kept up, as needed.
Perhaps this is too obvious to mention,
but the importance of reading, on a daily
basis, cannot be overstated, which is why
I need to mention it again. First, read to
your child until that skill is mastered, as
stated earlier. Then, do not stop read-
ing to him, but do make sure that there
is always a supply of books that can be
perused independently. I let my kids read
in bed for at least a half-hour before it is
time for “lights out.” A quiet half-hour
before or after dinner is another great
way to sneak in more reading time.
The more that your child
is exposed to excellent
writing, the more his
literary “ear” will develop
and the more he will be
able to discern what is
well written.
Also, make sure that the books your
kids are spending time on deserve their
attention. Just as it is okay to have junk
food now and then, it is okay to read fun
books once in a while, but they should
not form the foundation of our literary
“diet.” Look up lists of great classic literature for children and take a few titles
along when you visit your library. The
more that your child is exposed to excellent writing, the more his literary “ear”
will develop and the more he will be able
to discern what is well written. This is not
optional: Reading great literature—and
lots of it—is an essential part of becoming a competent writer.
By now, you will probably be able to
guess my last point: The more a student
writes, the better a writer he will be. Do
not overwhelm young children by as-
signing massive writing projects. That is
not my point at all. In fact, a little writing
every day is better than assigning one big
project every few weeks. What is expect-
ed of a child should increase as he is able,
but remember that most children need
to be prodded since it is human nature
to want to do the least amount of work
possible. As deemed appropriate by the
teacher, the child should be given wri-
ting projects that increase in difficulty
and amount as his ability increases.
Nancy Doran is a mother of seven and has
homeschooled since 1992. She is a writer
and editor whose work has appeared in An
Encouraging Word, The Livingston Post,
and The Livingston Parent Journal. In addition, she tutors high school students in
writing and edits college application essays
for Schollegiate College Advisors. Besides
writing and editing, she enjoys knitting and
making whole wheat bread from freshly
ground organic wheat berries. You can find
more of her writing at www.nancygillard
doran.blogspot.com.
