How to Teach Writing to Elementary School Children
Learning to write at the elementary level usually involves making lots of mistakes and experiments. Teachers need to address the basic writing "tools" of grammar, spelling and vocabulary. It is a bonus if writing can become fun and relevant to the elementary student. Teachers need to try to encourage elementary students to tackle a range of writing styles, including creative writing and factual writing. As students grow more confident about their writing skills they will begin to write more fluently.
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Instructions
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Focus on the writing building blocks of punctuation and grammar. The main skill for elementary children is knowing how to recognize a sentence. Many students have problems with putting in full stops and commas. Use interactive white board activities and worksheets to practice writing sentences and paragraphs. Make the examples real and relevant. Dictation is a good method of assessing students' understanding of grammar and spelling.
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Make an individual spelling book for each student. Writing with lots of spelling errors makes a piece of work difficult to read. Compile a list of words that the student finds difficult to spell. Enlist the help of a parent or older student and test the student.
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Make time for handwriting practice. Elementary students need to master the techniques for handwriting because it becomes trickier to change once the student is older.
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Teach the importance of planning writing, working on a rough draft and then editing at the end of the work. A good idea is to let students "mark" each other's work. This develops a critical eye and improves self-editing.
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Provide plenty of examples of good writing. This can be short extracts from selected adult literature as well as from children's books, as long as the writing is engaging and relevant. Discuss the writing with the class and watch them develop their critical skills.
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Ask the elementary students to tackle a different form of writing each session. Examples include writing: a letter; a biography; a newspaper report; a book review; a set of instructions and a short story/poem. Show good examples, model the format and structure for each type of writing and then get the students to write.
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Encourage the development of creative writing. Give the students a 10-minute timed piece of writing and a theme such as "If birds could talk what would they say?" Give the students a range of story openings and get them to choose one and complete it. Teach the importance of a compelling opening, a coherent middle and a satisfying or exciting ending.
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Invite a local poet or author to the classroom to discuss his work with the students. Ask the guest to suggest a writing task and then to judge the students' efforts. Make it into a fun competition.
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Get the elementary class to work on a joint piece of writing for an "audience". This could be a book of short stories or a newspaper project with news stories about the school and neighborhood. Sell it to raise funds for the school.
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Tips & Warnings
Try to make your writing tasks relevant to your students' lives. For instance, writing a letter to the principal, when the school has introduced a uniform, is meaningful.
Some students might start falling behind with the tasks. Identify them and give them extra help with literacy if possible.
References
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