by Bruce Cabell
Teacher/Author/Creator
My philosophy of writing is defined by the 5M’s. I know it looks and sounds simple and there’s more to writing than what I’m sharing below. However, view the following steps as a foundation to help your children feel positive and energized about writing. I hope you enjoy reading about the 5M’s!
1) Model numerous times!
Make sure you model a specific writing skill or strategy repeatedly. It's been said that children need to watch and practice many times before proving mastery. There are exceptions, but this is imperative! We know children of all ages are visual learners. Through explicit teaching and modeling, they will acquire the skills and background knowledge to write. When you feel your children are ready and capable, let them compose.
2) Motivate your children to write!
Children need to feel excited about writing so there are several ways to develop enthusiasm at home. First, try role-playing. Before young children write, they should have many opportunities to visualize and role-play stories. This can be taught at an early age so begin as soon as you can. Through a favorite book, children can engage in these types of activities with family members to increase reading, writing, and speaking skills.
In addition, storytelling is an art form that builds excitement toward writing. How exhilarating it is to share stories through words, sounds, and visual images. Entertaining and capturing the attention of your audience is such a powerful skill. Moreover, storytelling fosters many abilities. Besides writing, storytelling strengthens imagination, confidence, vocabulary, listening, and oral skills. Many skills that are developed and mastered through storytelling are required in writing so become a storyteller and utilize storytelling as a weekly ritual. Then, have your children practice. Just think, as children develop into creative thinkers and speakers, their writing skills begin to blossom too.
Next, ask your children to share their writing interests. Have them brainstorm a list of topics. Additionally, children can create a special "writer's notebook." Let them decorate the notebook cover. They can use pictures of family members, friends, sports, favorite hobbies, animals, etc. Children can make a "writer's toolbox" too. This may be enough to encourage the hesitant writers to write. Also, it's vital that parents are part of this writing process so create your own writer's notebook and toolbox to use throughout the year.
Furthermore, children need exposure to different writing genres. You may discover that they prefer nonfiction over fiction, memoirs over book reports, or historical fiction over mysteries. How about POETRY? Children who struggle with writing found poetry less threatening and enjoyed the chance to write without restrictions.
Last, praise your children for their effort during and after a writing activity. Record comments or compliments on post-it notes and place them in their writer's notebook to read. The more positive children become, the more determined they are as writers, but keep in mind that children learn and progress at different rates.
3) Mentor your children to believe!
From time to time, you may encounter children who view themselves as poor writers. Don't be surprised if they shout out, “I can’t write.” or “I don’t know how to write.” Usually, it's due to frustration, lack of confidence, or a specific writing skill. Be patient with them. You may need to spend more time on modeling and motivation.
Since your children have a writer's notebook, show them how well their writing has improved from month to month. Point out the following: capitalization, punctuation, grammar, handwriting, complete sentences, details, writing in sequence, etc. At times, children may be able to show or explain their own progress. It may be slow, but let them know you are proud of them and they are making growth as writers.
4) Ask for More!
During the time I was a first grade teacher, a number of my students were able to write one sentence at the beginning of the school year. To increase expectations, I would tell them to include an additional sentence each month. By June, many students had a written story, book report, or letter that consisted of 10 complete sentences. Now, there were students who exceeded my expectations, however, there were students who did not due to their writing abilities. If I observed any progress during the school year, I would commend my students for their hard work. I knew that quality, not quantity, was important in my classroom and I had to make sure I was creating capable and confident writers.
When I was a third grade teacher, I would gather a baseline of my students' writing and then move forward. From week to week, I would determine what students needed to include in their writing. During conferencing, I would advise each student to add another detail, a simile, an extra fact, a strong closing, etc. My comments were based on the genre and each individual student. In addition, there were times when I asked each student what he/she had to include. My main objective was to motivate my students to elaborate. To put it simply, I was asking for more.
5) Maintain the time for sharing!
Children need to CELEBRATE so make sure you have ample time for sharing. Allow time for them to read a piece of writing from their writer's notebook. Have an author's chair for children to sit in. Invite family members and friends to listen. When done, this is the perfect time for you to share compliments, comments, and feedback with your children.
In conclusion, as you journey through the 5M's, the key is to build a love for writing. More importantly, continue to learn and grow together to strengthen the parent-child bond.
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 unique 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, Bruce enjoys writing poetry for teachers, parents, and children. He has written over 80 poems. Bruce sings too! Please visit Bruce's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/justsimplywrite to read and learn more.
Please note that Bruce is looking for 10 families to try and review his fold-outs. Please email him at success@justsimplywrite.com if you are interested.
Teacher/Author/Creator
The 5M's- Writing Tip #1
My philosophy of writing is defined by the 5M’s. I know it looks and sounds simple and there’s more to writing than what I’m sharing below. However, view the following steps as a foundation to help your children feel positive and energized about writing. I hope you enjoy reading about the 5M’s!
1) Model numerous times!
Make sure you model a specific writing skill or strategy repeatedly. It's been said that children need to watch and practice many times before proving mastery. There are exceptions, but this is imperative! We know children of all ages are visual learners. Through explicit teaching and modeling, they will acquire the skills and background knowledge to write. When you feel your children are ready and capable, let them compose.
2) Motivate your children to write!
Children need to feel excited about writing so there are several ways to develop enthusiasm at home. First, try role-playing. Before young children write, they should have many opportunities to visualize and role-play stories. This can be taught at an early age so begin as soon as you can. Through a favorite book, children can engage in these types of activities with family members to increase reading, writing, and speaking skills.
In addition, storytelling is an art form that builds excitement toward writing. How exhilarating it is to share stories through words, sounds, and visual images. Entertaining and capturing the attention of your audience is such a powerful skill. Moreover, storytelling fosters many abilities. Besides writing, storytelling strengthens imagination, confidence, vocabulary, listening, and oral skills. Many skills that are developed and mastered through storytelling are required in writing so become a storyteller and utilize storytelling as a weekly ritual. Then, have your children practice. Just think, as children develop into creative thinkers and speakers, their writing skills begin to blossom too.
Next, ask your children to share their writing interests. Have them brainstorm a list of topics. Additionally, children can create a special "writer's notebook." Let them decorate the notebook cover. They can use pictures of family members, friends, sports, favorite hobbies, animals, etc. Children can make a "writer's toolbox" too. This may be enough to encourage the hesitant writers to write. Also, it's vital that parents are part of this writing process so create your own writer's notebook and toolbox to use throughout the year.
Furthermore, children need exposure to different writing genres. You may discover that they prefer nonfiction over fiction, memoirs over book reports, or historical fiction over mysteries. How about POETRY? Children who struggle with writing found poetry less threatening and enjoyed the chance to write without restrictions.
Last, praise your children for their effort during and after a writing activity. Record comments or compliments on post-it notes and place them in their writer's notebook to read. The more positive children become, the more determined they are as writers, but keep in mind that children learn and progress at different rates.
3) Mentor your children to believe!
From time to time, you may encounter children who view themselves as poor writers. Don't be surprised if they shout out, “I can’t write.” or “I don’t know how to write.” Usually, it's due to frustration, lack of confidence, or a specific writing skill. Be patient with them. You may need to spend more time on modeling and motivation.
Since your children have a writer's notebook, show them how well their writing has improved from month to month. Point out the following: capitalization, punctuation, grammar, handwriting, complete sentences, details, writing in sequence, etc. At times, children may be able to show or explain their own progress. It may be slow, but let them know you are proud of them and they are making growth as writers.
4) Ask for More!
During the time I was a first grade teacher, a number of my students were able to write one sentence at the beginning of the school year. To increase expectations, I would tell them to include an additional sentence each month. By June, many students had a written story, book report, or letter that consisted of 10 complete sentences. Now, there were students who exceeded my expectations, however, there were students who did not due to their writing abilities. If I observed any progress during the school year, I would commend my students for their hard work. I knew that quality, not quantity, was important in my classroom and I had to make sure I was creating capable and confident writers.
When I was a third grade teacher, I would gather a baseline of my students' writing and then move forward. From week to week, I would determine what students needed to include in their writing. During conferencing, I would advise each student to add another detail, a simile, an extra fact, a strong closing, etc. My comments were based on the genre and each individual student. In addition, there were times when I asked each student what he/she had to include. My main objective was to motivate my students to elaborate. To put it simply, I was asking for more.
5) Maintain the time for sharing!
Children need to CELEBRATE so make sure you have ample time for sharing. Allow time for them to read a piece of writing from their writer's notebook. Have an author's chair for children to sit in. Invite family members and friends to listen. When done, this is the perfect time for you to share compliments, comments, and feedback with your children.
In conclusion, as you journey through the 5M's, the key is to build a love for writing. More importantly, continue to learn and grow together to strengthen the parent-child bond.
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 unique 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, Bruce enjoys writing poetry for teachers, parents, and children. He has written over 80 poems. Bruce sings too! Please visit Bruce's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/justsimplywrite to read and learn more.
Please note that Bruce is looking for 10 families to try and review his fold-outs. Please email him at success@justsimplywrite.com if you are interested.
