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Writing 41 Online
OpenStudy (anonymous):

I have been told today that my year 5 (grade5) son is really bad in english, such as essay writting. He doesnt write a full page and only writes 5 lines. Also he is not good in applying puntuations, apostrophe, capital letters etc. I am not good myself in english,so i dont help him. He is brillant in maths but not english. How do i teach him or is there a website i can register that can teach him ? He used to go on mathletics website. Any info will be great.

OpenStudy (anonymous):

Key to good writing is reading. Does your son like to read? If you can find ways of encouraging him to read more, that will help to lay the foundation for better writing. Ideally you'd want to steer him eventually to well-crafted fiction for his age group (you can get these titles from any children's reference librarian), but if he's not much of a reader, just getting him reading anything is a start. The better fiction will have stronger and more complex story lines, and the language itself will be more challenging and evocative. But first you have to catch his interest. And if there's a nonfiction subject he's interested in, whatever it might be, steering him to books on that subject is another way to go. Then, if he were to be writing more for himself -- outside of class, outside of the structure of assignments -- he would become more at ease with expressing himself on paper. As a strategy for encouraging this, many teachers require kids to keep journals. The problem there is, will the teacher be reading it or not? Some teachers do, some don't (marking the requirement only as done or not done). Kids tend to write more freely if the teacher will not be reading it. Has your son ever been asked to keep a journal and if so, how did that go? If he's not been asked to do this yet, perhaps you can find a way to get him to start. Of course, if he's not really motivated from within to write, this can be tricky. Some kids turn to writing as a means of expression rather naturally; others do not. Perhaps you can think of some creative assignments that have more to do with his life outside school. Could he write a poem about something that he's interested in? Could he write a paragraph about his family? About his dog or cat? About where he lives? About what he likes to do . . . perhaps you could start a workbook at home of these pieces. In the beginning, you really just want to get him writing, to get him to begin to develop the habit of expressing himself on paper. Maybe if you're not grading it, he will open up and write more. Maybe if no one is *evaluating* it, but just sharing in the enjoyment of it, he will open up and feel better about it. If you're offering suggestions or thinking up topics for him, focus on description and narration. Describing things and telling stories are the easiest forms of writing for kids (for anyone really) to begin with. You might also explore magazines for kids as a source for inspiration. Stone Soup, for instance, is written by and for kids. Then there's Cricket, which is an award winning lit magazine for kids 9 to 14. Stone soup would give him models to follow. Both offer lots of great reading. More info on these magazines -- http://www.stonesoup.com/ http://www.cricketmag.com/CKT-CRICKET-Magazine-for-Kids-ages-9-14 http://www.cricketmag.com/kids_home.asp You said you've been told this about his writing. I assume this means by a teacher? What does that teacher recommend? Are there tutoring centers near you? Are there any summer programs in your area that might offer any sort of writing or reading classes for kids? It wouldn't have to be intensive. In fact, something informal and relaxed would be more fun for him. In our area, the local Parks and Rec depts offer all kinds of fun classes for kids. In addition to all the dance and fitness and sports classes, there are also poetry and lit classes. And they're not just limited to summer. When he gets a little older, you may be able to find something good by way of summer programs through your local community college. We had a couple of nieces and nephews who did that. The classes were more varied and interesting than what the high schools tended to offer. An online class either in reading and exploring literature or in writing, whether essays or stories or poems, is probably not going to be a good bet for a kid his age who already probably doesn't care much for the subject. He needs a good teacher who can see what his interests and abilities are and respond to those -- someone who is knowledgeable and flexible. He needs a teacher who can inspire him. Then, if the classroom atmosphere is good, if there's lively discussion, a couple of eager students, all of this helps foster a better learning environment. Sitting alone at his computer trying to work through a reading or writing program is not likely to get him anywhere. Online learning works best for those who are really motivated, and online learning works better also for subjects where discussion is less central to the learning process. Working with words naturally involves the exchange of ideas, and this happens best in the company of others. (Though, admittedly, a smaller class is generally a better class. If he's one of fifty kids in his classroom, that's bad.) I hope that helps. Getting a kid to write more basically means getting him to learn to like (or at least not to fear) writing. For that, writing should be fun. The more you can make it fun, the better a chance you'll have. And he's at a good age for that.

OpenStudy (anonymous):

thank u.

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