Writing Skill
Teaching Writing Skills
Writing, while natural talent helps, is primarily a learned art, with students being taught all the formal and technical aspects and relying primarily on their own creativity to create. Teaching writing skills can be difficult for any teacher, since the approach will be different for almost every student. Some will learn quickly, while others will need some encouragement and more attention to ensure they understand what they are being taught. There is a general learning arc that most students will go through, regardless of their age.
Learning Basic Sentence Structure
You have to crawl before you can walk, so this is where every student will begin, giving they know how to read and write. Start with basic sentences, then advance to longer, more complex sentences. In order to make sure they will have it easier down the road, students should know the parts of a sentence forwards and backwards. Grammar, one of the most complex parts of writing, is learned much easier if this is understood. Make sure your students know;
Subjects and Nouns- be able to identify the subject of the sentence. Also, they should know formal nouns and pronouns.
Verbs and adverbs- the actions words and the words that modify them.
Adjectives- words that modify nouns.
Predicates- the part of a sentence where the action occurs.
Prepositions- a word that comes before a noun to help explain action.
Conjunctions- words that join other words together.
Interjections- a phrase that shows surprise.
If students can identify these easily in a sentence, you are ready to move them on. Make sure they have all of these correct, otherwise you will develop issues later in their teachings.
Increase Vocabulary and Spelling
This is where you start to build them up from the basics. Teaching them new words, including proper spelling rules and definitions will make them more versatile writers, and will help them to develop their craft on their own. Don't just teach them how to properly spell words and what they mean, but teach them how to find it themselves. People learn new words everyday, no matter how old they are. Teach your students how to use a dictionary and thesaurus at this point in time, both online and offline.
At this point in time, they should be writing more complex sentences. Start getting them to write small projects, including short stories, essays, letters, and poetry. This will provide them will an application for their knowledge, and will also teach them how to put their ideas and thoughts logically on the page. Do not overwhelm them though, start small. Make their first projects easy, like a letter to their mother, a few paragraphs on what they did yesterday, or even just a quick story t hey can make up. Anything to help them develop structure in their writing.
Practice with them, and get them working on developing longer form ideas, showing them where things don't make sense and how to improve them.
Increased Knowledge of Grammatical Rules and Introducing New Writing Forms
Grammar, much like spelling, is something everyone will learn as they grow as a writer, but they will need guidance in this process the ensure they learn things write. Grammar is the most difficult part of writing to learn. Introduce rules slowly while helping them to develop the range of their writing.
You should also be introducing them to other forms of writing, and showing them the differences. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, letters, notes, narratives, book reports, and even e-mails all have a different structure and purpose. They should be taught about these and many other writing styles and when to use them. This will make them all well-rounded writers who are prepared for any situation. Everyone should at least understand the basics of these to be able to function in most walks of life, including upper level education.
Have them work on project with each style, and the more they work with a specific writing style, the better they will get. Start them off easy, then increase their requirements.
Tips For Teaching Writing Skills
Learning how to write can be difficult, especially if you are trying to learn both the rules of writing, writing styles, vocabulary, and grammar all at the same time. These tips can help you to both teach writing skills and help your students to learn.
Have students write about familiar subjects. Things like what they did over their Christmas vacation, about the pets they own, and what kind of food they like are great ways to start. Over time, start making it more specific. Things like what Native Americans lived in Montana or what did you do for Christmas last year will start to help them develop analytical thinking skills while still developing their writing skills.
Teach them brainstorming techniques early. This will help them to develop clear thoughts and stay organized in their writing.
Have students write letters and stories to each other. Note passing may become a problem, but if you build it into your lesson plan, where's the issue. This will show students how others are writing and bring give them new ideas on how to develop their writing.
Revision is the best way to learn spelling and grammar. Those who can edit writing can write, and the other way around.
Start to introduce different styles of writing and tones, giving young writers a more dynamic range they can build on later.
Encourage Reading. This is very important. Students will gain a more diverse pool of examples they can draw from in their own writing. Students who read will become students who write well.
Be patient with students. If you become frustrated with them, they will become discouraged. Some people learn faster than others, but all students will learn more from a calm teacher than and angry one.
Writing does not just include one medium. Make sure your students are familiar with both electronic writing and handwriting. Even with the advances in computer technology, handwriting is still a key skill to have.
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