by Bruce Cabell
Teacher/Writer/Author/Educator
Writing Tip #8- Strategies for the Struggling Writer
Children range from non-writers to fluent writers. This is simply a fact. As young authors, they may experience writing challenges such as weak stamina and fine motor skills, poor phonics and spelling skills, writer's block, or lack of background knowledge. It's the parent's responsibility to hand them the tools to support and strengthen the skills they need for successful writing.
The following ideas are to enhance the writing skills of the struggling writer. Whenever the opportunity arises, model before your children attempt it independently. Remember, you want your children to be confident and capable writers. I hope you find the ideas helpful and successful!
Writing Stamina
As parents, we know that writing stamina is a huge concern during the school year. Why? This may be due to:
1) Lack of interest or motivation.
2) Poor fine motor skills.
3) Lack of background knowledge.
4) Age/inexperience.
But writing stamina may be due to lack of practice too. Many children may not be engaged in daily writing activities during the summer months or school vacations. To be able to sit, focus, and write daily for a period of time is imperative. In addition, coming back day after day to complete a writing project from prewriting to publishing is vital.
Below, are a few tips to increase writing stamina as well as alleviating the dreaded comment, "I'm done."
Note: Depending on the age of your child, use your best judgment when applying the following tips. For example, six and eight year old writers are quite different.
Tip #1: Model! Model! Model! Show your children how to be a writer and show your writing stamina too.
Tip #2: Decrease your writing expectations for the child who is struggling. When following the steps of Writing Workshop (see below), spend more time with modeling and sharing (many children love the spotlight) and less time with independent writing. Remember, you want to create successful writers!
Components of Writing Workshop:
Mini Lesson: You model the skill or strategy- 15-20 minutes
Independent Writing/Guided Writing (Conferring): Your child writes independently. Then, talk about the writing. - 30 minutes
Sharing: 10 minutes
Tip #3: Increase a child's writing time from week to week by 3-5 minutes. If you have time, create a visual for him/her to monitor writing stamina (create a bar graph). Continue to do this until you feel your children have met the expectations of independent writing.
Tip #4: If you can, pair a weak writer with a strong writer. We know that children learn from each other. Have children share in the writing process. It's important to have your children engaged (independently or in pairs) during their writing time.
Mom... Dad, how do you spell…? Is this a question that's heard in your home? It's quite common especially at the beginning of the school year. Children expect to spell every word accurately and this may bring on spelling anxieties for some. It's your role to teach that spelling comes with time and practice. As parents, your main goal is to produce confident and independent spellers.
Below are tips that will assist you with this goal:
Tip #1: Provide many resources to support spelling. Make sure you model how to use these resources.
Language-Rich Home- an environment full of language that aids in reading, writing, and spelling.
Quick Word or Words I Use Book- a child resource to search for words. Found at Curriculum Associates.
Word Journal/Notebook- A notebook/journal that consists of spelling words.
Tip #2: Ask a Spelling Buddy. Children who need spelling support should have a spelling buddy. He/she can remind the speller where to look for words. Additionally, if the speller is a poor reader, the spelling buddy can assist in finding the word. You may want to limit the number of times the spelling buddy can be used during the day.
Tip #3: Post a visual near the child's writing place. List directions to remind what steps to follow when having spelling difficulty.
Tip #4: Parent's Spelling Rule. Inform each child that you'll help with one spelling word a day (you can decide on the number of words). You can point it out in one of the home resources or record it in their Quick Word Book or Word Journal for future use. Any additional spelling words would have to be written independently.
At times, writers struggle with writer's block. This means they have no idea what to write next. It can last for a while and can be frustrating to many young writers. Make sure you tell your children that writers suffer from writer's block from time to time and many will use a variety of strategies to help them.
Below are a few suggestions to help with writer's block:
1) Check to see if there are any distractions in your home.
2) Find out if it's a topic where children may lack background knowledge. It's quite possible they may need new experiences to gather ideas.
3) Have children choose a different topic/prompt to write about or have them switch back and forth from one writing project to the next.
4) Children can reread their piece of writing. This may help them think of more ideas as they read.
5) Give your children a list of ideas to keep in their writing journal/notebook. They can refer to these ideas when they have writer's block.
6) Ask your children questions to generate more ideas. Then, they can do some additional brainstorming to help with writing.
7) Children can list questions related to whatever they're stuck on. This may make them aware why they have writer's block.
8) Children can share their writing with a brother or sister. Other writers may be able to brainstorm ideas to use in the child's piece of writing.
9) Finding a different writing place in the home may help children with writer's block.
Writer's Block Poem
by Bruce Cabell
Numerous authors receive writer's block
So if it happens to you don't be shocked.
Just stop and think and begin to say
"Why is writer's block a problem today?"
The answer you seek to the question you asked
Will soon be answered extremely fast.
So when you're ready your mom's equipped
To rid this problem with strategies and tips.
Now let me end this poem I wrote
And try to close on a happy note.
"A true detective will surely unlock
The mystery of Writer's Block!"
Bruce Cabell is a teacher, author, and creator. He was a classroom teacher for over 27 years. He taught kindergarten, first, and third grade in Connecticut. Bruce has mentored numerous young teachers as well as modeled many writing strategies and skills for classroom teachers. His passion for writing has resulted in his first published creation, Writing Organizer Fold-Outs for grades 2-5. Visit Creative Teaching Press at www.creativeteaching.com to view these wonderful all-in-one resource writing tools.
In addition, to learn more about Bruce, visit him on LinkedIn.
Teacher/Writer/Author/Educator
Writing Tip #8- Strategies for the Struggling Writer
Children range from non-writers to fluent writers. This is simply a fact. As young authors, they may experience writing challenges such as weak stamina and fine motor skills, poor phonics and spelling skills, writer's block, or lack of background knowledge. It's the parent's responsibility to hand them the tools to support and strengthen the skills they need for successful writing.
The following ideas are to enhance the writing skills of the struggling writer. Whenever the opportunity arises, model before your children attempt it independently. Remember, you want your children to be confident and capable writers. I hope you find the ideas helpful and successful!
Writing Stamina
As parents, we know that writing stamina is a huge concern during the school year. Why? This may be due to:
1) Lack of interest or motivation.
2) Poor fine motor skills.
3) Lack of background knowledge.
4) Age/inexperience.
But writing stamina may be due to lack of practice too. Many children may not be engaged in daily writing activities during the summer months or school vacations. To be able to sit, focus, and write daily for a period of time is imperative. In addition, coming back day after day to complete a writing project from prewriting to publishing is vital.
Below, are a few tips to increase writing stamina as well as alleviating the dreaded comment, "I'm done."
Note: Depending on the age of your child, use your best judgment when applying the following tips. For example, six and eight year old writers are quite different.
Tip #1: Model! Model! Model! Show your children how to be a writer and show your writing stamina too.
Tip #2: Decrease your writing expectations for the child who is struggling. When following the steps of Writing Workshop (see below), spend more time with modeling and sharing (many children love the spotlight) and less time with independent writing. Remember, you want to create successful writers!
Components of Writing Workshop:
Mini Lesson: You model the skill or strategy- 15-20 minutes
Independent Writing/Guided Writing (Conferring): Your child writes independently. Then, talk about the writing. - 30 minutes
Sharing: 10 minutes
Tip #3: Increase a child's writing time from week to week by 3-5 minutes. If you have time, create a visual for him/her to monitor writing stamina (create a bar graph). Continue to do this until you feel your children have met the expectations of independent writing.
Tip #4: If you can, pair a weak writer with a strong writer. We know that children learn from each other. Have children share in the writing process. It's important to have your children engaged (independently or in pairs) during their writing time.
Spelling
Mom... Dad, how do you spell…? Is this a question that's heard in your home? It's quite common especially at the beginning of the school year. Children expect to spell every word accurately and this may bring on spelling anxieties for some. It's your role to teach that spelling comes with time and practice. As parents, your main goal is to produce confident and independent spellers.
Below are tips that will assist you with this goal:
Tip #1: Provide many resources to support spelling. Make sure you model how to use these resources.
Language-Rich Home- an environment full of language that aids in reading, writing, and spelling.
Quick Word or Words I Use Book- a child resource to search for words. Found at Curriculum Associates.
Word Journal/Notebook- A notebook/journal that consists of spelling words.
Tip #2: Ask a Spelling Buddy. Children who need spelling support should have a spelling buddy. He/she can remind the speller where to look for words. Additionally, if the speller is a poor reader, the spelling buddy can assist in finding the word. You may want to limit the number of times the spelling buddy can be used during the day.
Tip #3: Post a visual near the child's writing place. List directions to remind what steps to follow when having spelling difficulty.
Tip #4: Parent's Spelling Rule. Inform each child that you'll help with one spelling word a day (you can decide on the number of words). You can point it out in one of the home resources or record it in their Quick Word Book or Word Journal for future use. Any additional spelling words would have to be written independently.
Writer's Block
At times, writers struggle with writer's block. This means they have no idea what to write next. It can last for a while and can be frustrating to many young writers. Make sure you tell your children that writers suffer from writer's block from time to time and many will use a variety of strategies to help them.
Below are a few suggestions to help with writer's block:
1) Check to see if there are any distractions in your home.
2) Find out if it's a topic where children may lack background knowledge. It's quite possible they may need new experiences to gather ideas.
3) Have children choose a different topic/prompt to write about or have them switch back and forth from one writing project to the next.
4) Children can reread their piece of writing. This may help them think of more ideas as they read.
5) Give your children a list of ideas to keep in their writing journal/notebook. They can refer to these ideas when they have writer's block.
6) Ask your children questions to generate more ideas. Then, they can do some additional brainstorming to help with writing.
7) Children can list questions related to whatever they're stuck on. This may make them aware why they have writer's block.
8) Children can share their writing with a brother or sister. Other writers may be able to brainstorm ideas to use in the child's piece of writing.
9) Finding a different writing place in the home may help children with writer's block.
Writer's Block Poem
by Bruce Cabell
Numerous authors receive writer's block
So if it happens to you don't be shocked.
Just stop and think and begin to say
"Why is writer's block a problem today?"
The answer you seek to the question you asked
Will soon be answered extremely fast.
So when you're ready your mom's equipped
To rid this problem with strategies and tips.
Now let me end this poem I wrote
And try to close on a happy note.
"A true detective will surely unlock
The mystery of Writer's Block!"
Bruce Cabell is a teacher, author, and creator. He was a classroom teacher for over 27 years. He taught kindergarten, first, and third grade in Connecticut. Bruce has mentored numerous young teachers as well as modeled many writing strategies and skills for classroom teachers. His passion for writing has resulted in his first published creation, Writing Organizer Fold-Outs for grades 2-5. Visit Creative Teaching Press at www.creativeteaching.com to view these wonderful all-in-one resource writing tools.
In addition, to learn more about Bruce, visit him on LinkedIn.
