MODULE TEACHING ENGLISH IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES

CHAPTER 3: TEACHING OF WRITING IN ELEMENTRAY GRADES

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
a.) define the meaning and use of writing in everyday life;
b.) identify the strategies and methods of reading;
c.) design strategies in teaching writing in elementary grades;

What is writing?

Writing is a form of communication that allows students to put their feelings and ideas
on paper, to organize their knowledge and beliefs into convincing arguments, and to
convey meaning through well-constructed text. In its most advanced form, written
expression can be as vivid as a work of art. As children learn the steps of writing, and
as they build new skills upon old, writing evolves from the first simple sentences to
elaborate stories and essays. Spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and organization come
together and grow together to help the student demonstrate more advanced writing
skills each year

Writing Skills – What are they?

At first, many parents think that “learning to write” is primarily a question of grammar.
They first think of teaching proper sentence construction, appropriate use of tenses, and
punctuation. It is true that grammar is an important component of teaching writing. But
after a little thought, we find that while grammar is an important part of writing, effective
writing requires much more. When a writing process is used to teach writing, students
begin to understand writing as a form of communication. Furthermore, writing helps
students recognize that they have opinions, ideas, and thoughts that are worth sharing
with the world, and writing is an effective way of getting them out there!

There are many types (or modes) of writing such as descriptive writing, persuasive
writing, informative writing, narrative writing, and creative or fiction writing. Many
students are familiar with the basic writing assignments such as book reports, social

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studies reports, short stories, and essays on topics such as: “What I did on my summer
vacation”. But these writing assignments should be thought of as applications of basic
writing modes. For instance, a book report is usually a type of descriptive writing, and
an essay on dinosaurs might include both informative and perhaps persuasive writing.

THE WRITING PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, REVISING, AND

PROOFREADING

The four steps of the writing process are: prewriting, writing, revising, and proofreading.

PRE-WRITING – whatever type of writing a student is attempting, the prewriting stage

can be the most important. This is when students gather their information, and begin to
organize it into a cohesive unit. This process can include reading, taking notes,
brainstorming, and categorizing information. Prewriting is the most creative step and
most students develop a preferred way to organize their thoughts. Stream of
consciousness writing, graphic organizers, outlines, or note cards are popular
techniques. Often this stage is best taught by a parent modeling the different methods,
perhaps a different one each week until the student finds which one works best for him.

WRITING –the actual writing stage is essentially just an extension of the prewriting
process. The student transfers the information they have gathered and organized into a
traditional format. This may take the shape of a simple paragraph, a one-page essay, or
a multi-page report. Up until this stage, they may not be exactly certain which direction
their ideas will go, but this stage allows them to settle on the course the paper will take.
Teaching about writing can sometimes be as simple as evaluation good literature
together, and exploring what makes the piece enjoyable or effective. It also involves
helping a student choose topics for writing based on their personal interests. Modeling
the writing process in front of your child also helps them see that even adults struggle
for words and have to work at putting ideas together.

REVISING OR EDITING –is usually the least favorite stage of the writing process,
especially for beginning writers. Critiquing one’s own writing can easily create tension

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and frustration. But as you support your young writers, remind them that even the most
celebrated authors spend the majority of their time on this stage of the writing process.
Revising can include adding, deleting, rearranging and substituting words, sentences,
and even entire paragraphs to make their writing more accurately represent their ideas.
It is often not a one-time event, but a continual process as the paper progresses. When
teaching revision, be sure to allow your child time to voice aloud the problems they see
in their writing. This may be very difficult for some children, especially sensitive ones, so
allow them to start with something small, such as replacing some passive verbs in their
paper with more active ones.

PROOFREADING – This is a chance for the writer to scan his or her paper for mistakes
in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Although it can be tempting for parents to
perform this stage of the writing process for the child, it is important that they gain
proofreading skills for themselves as this improves a student’s writing over time. And
because children want their writing to be effective, this can actually be the most
opportune to teach some of the standard rules of grammar and punctuation. When
students learn the rules of mechanics during the writing process they are much more
likely to remember to use them in the future.

For more knowledge about Teaching Reading in Elementary Grades please check the link provided:
https://www.time4learning.com/teaching-writing.shtml

SIX KEY AREAS OF FOCUS IN TEACHING READING IN ELEMENTARY GRADES

A local policeman recently explained to an elementary school class, “In 20 years, I have
shot my gun twice. I use my pen every day. If you want to be a cop, you have to learn to
write.”

This was good advice. Today, more than 90% of white-collar and 80% of blue-collar
workers’ jobs involve writing. Writing also enhances our lives beyond the workplace.
Capable writers have a powerful tool for learning and personal development, compelling

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communication, social and political engagement, self-expression and self-advocacy,

and more.

Skilled writing is complex, requiring extensive self-regulation of a flexible, goal-directed,

problem-solving activity. Becoming a good writer takes time and development, but what
should elementary students know, believe, and be able to do on their path to becoming
thoughtful, effective, and fluent writers? State and national standards, as well as the
research we have on writing and its development, pinpoint six critical goals for all of our
students when it comes to developing their identities as writers.

1. Facility With the Writing Process and Writing Contexts

Basic components of the writing process include prewriting, drafting, revising, editing,
and publishing. Skilled writers use these parts of the process recursively and
thoughtfully—not as a simple sequence of events! By the end of the elementary grades,
our students need to be engaging successfully in each aspect of the writing process.
The research is clear: students who know and use the writing process well become
stronger writers.

However, students cannot come to use the writing process effectively unless they have
had time and opportunities to write. Our students also need explicit instruction, support,
and experience writing to learn to self-regulate this complex process, including
orchestrating goal setting and self-assessment of both process and product. Our young
writers are learning to focus on factors such as organization, form, and features;
purposes and goals; reader perspectives and needs; and evaluation of whether their
multiple goals are being well met. It’s a lot, but given opportunities to collaborate with
peers and their teachers in a supportive and motivating writing environment, research
shows elementary students can use the writing process effectively.

2. Powerful “Know How”

By the end of the elementary grades, students need to have developed powerful
knowledge and capabilities that enable them to write for multiple purposes. Writing to

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tell a narrative, inform or explain, and persuade are each important to success in and
out of school, although not all that our students need to learn about writing. Each of
these genres has its own structure, conventions, and language. Skilled writers use
strategies appropriate either across genres—for example, an opening that catches the
reader, or good word choice—or specific to a genre, such as use of emotional appeal to
persuade a reader. Further, much as a jazz musician first learns a melody before rifting,
twisting, and improvising, our students come to own the genre knowledge and
strategies they are learning and develop their own voice and approach across writing

tasks, genres, and audiences.

3. Academic Language and Vocabulary

As students become immersed in the writing process and develop “know how,” they
develop powerful academic language that will be invaluable as they continue to develop
as writers in middle and high school—and beyond. By the end of the elementary
grades, our students should have a solid foundation in the language used in discourse
about writing. This foundation should be developed across listening, speaking, reading,
and writing. We know that students who can use academic language effectively are
more likely to succeed in and out of school. Learning how to choose words carefully
when writing to maximize communicating with your reader, and developing word
learning strategies, will set our students on the path to expand and deepen their
vocabulary and their effective use of language when writing.

4. Writing to Comprehend and Learn

Reading and writing are two of the primary cornerstones for building content learning
across the curriculum. Until recently, writing effectively to inform or persuade after close
reading of source texts was not a common expectation in the elementary grades. Many
state and national standards now require fourth and fifth graders to write logical and
compelling informative or persuasive essays based on close reading of source text—
referring to text that can be read to obtain facts, definitions, details, quotations, ideas, or
other information.

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Additional writing activities that teachers use to enhance learning include writing a
summary, writing to apply content learned, using writing to connect content to one’s
personal life, and defending a particular point of view about what has been read.
Creative teachers find many meaningful ways to integrate reading and writing, and
research shows integrating the two leads to improvements in each. Teachers and
researchers have shown that even early elementary grade students can learn how to
write based on what they have learned by reading and discussion!

5. Competence and Fluency With Writing Conventions, Sentence Construction, Digital Tools,
Handwriting, Spelling, and Keyboarding

Skilled writers rarely have to think about handwriting, keyboarding, or spelling. Explicit
development of each of these skills is critical in the elementary grades. Further, by the
end of the elementary grades our students should have a sound foundation in use of
writing conventions, creating effective sentences, and use of digital tools.

6. "I Am a Writer!"

Sometimes writing is hard, but we can help our students develop positive attitudes
about writing, and learn how to deal with emotions and challenges all writers face. Our
students need to leave the elementary grades knowing they can write. When students
have developed as writers in each area addressed here, they will leave the elementary
grades with the knowledge, capabilities, and beliefs needed to learn and grow further as
writers.

TEACHING WRITING FOR BEGINNERS AND ELEMENTARY LEVEL STUDENTS

At this level, students need a lot of help. To start with, it is a good idea to provide
templates with missing words for them to complete. Once they have mastered this
challenge, then they can progress to what is sometimes called "skeleton writing."
An example of this would be where students are asked to write a postcard from a
holiday. They could be provided with the "skeleton" or outline of the card.

For example:

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Dear __________,
(Where are you?)
(What are you doing?)
(Describe where you are staying.)
(When are you going home?)

For more knowledge about Teaching Writing for the beginners please check the link provided:
https://youtu.be/A9gN59W3KyI

THE MULTISENSORY TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING HANDWRITING

Multisensory instruction can help kids who struggle with writing in more ways than one.
That’s because handwriting involves more than just making letters on a page. It requires
strong fine motor and visual-motor skills. Here are some multisensory techniques to try.

USE DARK RULED AND “BUMPY” PAPER

Does your child have trouble staying within the lines when she writes? Download wide-
ruled paper with bold lines at the top and bottom with a dotted line in between. This can
help her see barriers so her letters don’t drift. You can also trace the top and bottom
lines with glue. When it dries, your child’s pencil will “bump” the lines as she writes.
Remind her that tall letters (like T) go to the top line, and that smaller letters (like c)
should fit between the bottom and middle lines.

TRACE AND DO MAZES

Tracing is an effective way to teach handwriting. By having her trace shapes and maze-
like paths from left to right, top to bottom, or through jagged and curvy lines, you can
help your child develop fine motor control. This can also help her learn how to orient her
movements from top to bottom and left to right. Mazes can also help your child practice
staying within a designated space. Download mazes and tracing worksheets for your
child to use.

TRY “WET-DRY-TRY”

You may have heard of the Wet-Dry-Try app from Handwriting Without Tears. But you
can do a low-tech version of the activity, too. All you need is a small chalkboard, a
sponge cut into small cubes, and a piece of chalk. Have your child wet a sponge cube

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and squeeze it out so it’s not dripping with water. Write a letter on the slate so your child
has a model. Next, ask her to write the letter using a wet sponge. Then ask her to trace
it with a dry sponge. Finally, ask her to write the letter using chalk.

USE A “SPACEKID”

Some kids, especially those with visual-spatial issues, have trouble spacing out words
on the page. If your child leaves too much or too little space between words, a
“Spacekid” can help. As she writes, have your child place her Spacekid down at the end
of each word. She should start the next word on the other side of the Spacekid tool.

For more knowledge about Spacekid please check the link provided:
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/encouraging-reading-writing/download-
tools-to-help-with-handwriting

TRY SENSORY FREEZER-BAG WRITING

Fill a freezer-sized ziplock bag with a couple dollops of colored hair gel. (You could also
use clear hair gel and add food coloring or glitter.) Seal it tightly, taping over the top to
make sure it stays closed.Have your child place the bag on a table and smooth it out
until it’s flat. Ask her to use her finger or the eraser end of a pencil to practice writing
words or letters. The resistance of the hair gel will help her feel how the letters are
formed.

SHOW SKY, GRASS OR GROUND

Your child may have trouble making her letters the correct size. For example, she may
write dOgS instead of dogs. This activity uses hand positions to help your child
understand letter size. Start off with the word boy to practice. For tall letters like b, your
child points her thumb up to the sky. For small letters like o, she makes a fist to indicate
grass. And for descending letters like y, she points her thumb down for ground. If you
want to do this on a bigger scale, you can also try word-building charades.

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