Principal’s Message
By Daniel Zoller ~In a foot race between a reader and a writer the reader is always a few steps ahead~
Last month I discussed a few steps you can do at home to help your child become a better reader. This month I would like to discuss one of the most difficult skills all students must accomplish: The ability to write.
For almost all students the ability to put down their thoughts in prose is more difficult than the ability to read. For many students who are struggling readers, even the thought of having to write is almost excruciating. But with anything small amounts of practice over a sustained period of weeks, months, and years will turn a non-writer into a fluent one.
Here are a few things you can do at home to support your child as they because a master writer.
1. Just like a family reading night, host a family writing night (to start off at just once a month). Have everyone in your family participate. They can write to each other, to a certain topic (family vacations, family rules, changes they would like…), or even just fantasy stories. When each member of the family is finished (set aside about 30 minutes) their work is displayed on the “Writing Board” at the house for all to read; until the next Writing Night.
2. Create a new family rule for watching TV on school nights. Place a TV log in your TV area in your house and anyone who watches a show during the hours of 3:30-8:30 must log in what they watched and what they learned (I usually state a 2-3 sentence minimum). If they don’t write they don’t watch. I even have seen a “Request for more TV form” if your child’s allotted amount of TV for the night has been used up. Great way to practice persuasive writing!
3. Play the game Write, Fold, Pass. This is a great opportunity for all family members to have a great time and to practice their writing skills.
As with anything the more practice that is done the better you will get. I use to kick and scream that my parents would make me write thank you letters whenever I got anything from anyone. But now I look back at the purposeful practice that it was.
Daniel Zoller
By Daniel Zoller ~In a foot race between a reader and a writer the reader is always a few steps ahead~
Last month I discussed a few steps you can do at home to help your child become a better reader. This month I would like to discuss one of the most difficult skills all students must accomplish: The ability to write.
For almost all students the ability to put down their thoughts in prose is more difficult than the ability to read. For many students who are struggling readers, even the thought of having to write is almost excruciating. But with anything small amounts of practice over a sustained period of weeks, months, and years will turn a non-writer into a fluent one.
Here are a few things you can do at home to support your child as they because a master writer.
1. Just like a family reading night, host a family writing night (to start off at just once a month). Have everyone in your family participate. They can write to each other, to a certain topic (family vacations, family rules, changes they would like…), or even just fantasy stories. When each member of the family is finished (set aside about 30 minutes) their work is displayed on the “Writing Board” at the house for all to read; until the next Writing Night.
2. Create a new family rule for watching TV on school nights. Place a TV log in your TV area in your house and anyone who watches a show during the hours of 3:30-8:30 must log in what they watched and what they learned (I usually state a 2-3 sentence minimum). If they don’t write they don’t watch. I even have seen a “Request for more TV form” if your child’s allotted amount of TV for the night has been used up. Great way to practice persuasive writing!
3. Play the game Write, Fold, Pass. This is a great opportunity for all family members to have a great time and to practice their writing skills.
As with anything the more practice that is done the better you will get. I use to kick and scream that my parents would make me write thank you letters whenever I got anything from anyone. But now I look back at the purposeful practice that it was.
Daniel Zoller