Writing Curriculum - Information and Help

Writing is essential to a literate society. Writing can be an act of discovery, of communication, of joy. It connects us to work, to culture, to society, to existing knowledge, and to the meanings of our lives. Redmond Elementary School is teaching handwriting using the D’Nealian Manuscript.

Curriculum Information

Adopted Curriculum is D’Nealian
http://www.dnealian.com/

Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
http://www.k12.wa.us/CurriculumInstruct/Writing/default.aspx

Essential Academic Learning Requirements
http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct/writing/ealrs.aspx

Testing

WASL
WASL performance tests measure how well students are able to apply knowledge and skills in writing and are administered in grade 4.

Writing Assessment
http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/WASL/WritingAssessment.aspx

WASL Practice/Sample Tests
http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/WASL/testquestions.aspx

Tips for Helping Students

Through reading aloud, providing print materials, and promoting positive attitudes about reading and writing, you can have a powerful impact on children's literacy and learning.

In helping your child to learn to write well, remember that your goal is to make writing easier and more enjoyable.
Provide a place. It's important for a child to have a good place to write--a desk or table with a smooth, flat surface and good lighting.
Have the materials. Provide plenty of paper--lined and unlined--and things to write with, including pencils, pens, and crayons.
Allow time. Help your child spend time thinking about a writing project or exercise. Good writers do a great deal of thinking. Your child may dawdle, sharpen a pencil, get papers ready, or look up the spelling of a word. Be patient--your child may be thinking.
Respond. Do respond to the ideas your child expresses verbally or in writing. Make it clear that you are interested in the true function of writing which is to convey ideas. This means focusing on "what" the child has written, not "how" it was written. It's usually wise to ignore minor errors, particularly at the stage when your child is just getting ideas together.
Don't you write it! Don't write a paper for your child that will be turned in as his/her work. Never rewrite a child's work. Meeting a writing deadline, taking responsibility for the finished product, and feeling ownership of it are important parts of writing well.
Praise. Take a positive approach and say something good about your child's writing. Is it accurate? Descriptive? Thoughtful? Interesting? Does it say something?

Things to do

Make it real. Your child needs to do real writing. It's more important for the child to write a letter to a relative than it is to write a one-line note on a greeting card. Encourage the child to write to relatives and friends. Perhaps your child would enjoy corresponding with a pen pal.
Suggest note-taking. Encourage your child to take notes on trips or outings and to describe what (s)he saw. This could include a description of nature walks, a boat ride, a car trip, or other events that lend themselves to note-taking.
Brainstorm. Talk with your child as much as possible about his/her impressions and encourage the child to describe people and events to you. If the child's description is especially accurate and colorful, say so.
Encourage keeping a journal. This is excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for venting feelings. Encourage your child to write about things that happen at home and school, about people (s)he likes or dislikes and why, things to remember or things the child wants to do. Especially encourage your child to write about personal feelings--pleasures as well as disappointments. If the child wants to share the journal with you, read the entries and discuss them--especially the child's ideas and perceptions.
Write together. Have your child help you with letters, even such routine ones as ordering items from an advertisement or writing to a business firm. This helps the child to see firsthand that writing is important to adults and truly useful.
Use games. There are numerous games and puzzles that help a child to increase vocabulary and make the child more fluent in speaking and writing. Remember, building a vocabulary builds confidence. Try crossword puzzles, word games, anagrams and cryptograms designed especially for children. Flash cards are good, too, and they're easy to make at home.
Suggest making lists. Most children like to make lists just as they like to count. Encourage this. Making lists is good practice and helps a child to become more organized. Boys and girls might make lists of their records, tapes, baseball cards, dolls, furniture in a room, etc. They could include items they want. It's also good practice to make lists of things to do, schoolwork, dates for tests, social events, and other reminders.
Encourage copying. If a child likes a particular song, suggest learning the words by writing them down--replaying the song on your stereo/tape player or jotting down the words whenever the song is played on a radio program. Also encourage copying favorite poems or quotations from books and plays.

PTSA Enrichment Activities

Reflections

Links

ABC's of the Writing Process: This is an easy-to-use introduction to help students improve their writing by using different steps in the writing process.
www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/

National Council of Teachers of English: Parents Page: This site provides tips for parents on helping students become better writers.
www.ncte.org/parents