Writing at Home

How can you help your child?

Education can only be truly successful if what is done at home is followed up at school and vice versa. This information has been provided to assist you in understanding how and why we use Big Writing in school. Big Writing has now been implemented across ICS. The initiative is already raising standards and proving very popular with children from Reception to Year 6.

Writing is more than putting words on paper. It’s a final stage in the complex process of communicating that begins with “thinking.”

One of the first means of communication for your child is through speech. Try to encourage your child to talk about his/her ideas. Ask questions: What is the boy in your story doing? Does the house look like ours? Can you tell me more about the setting?

Basic speech patterns are often formed by the time they enter school. By that time some children speak clearly, recognise most letters of the alphabet, and may try to write. Show an interest in, and ask questions about, the things your child says, draws, and may try to write.

As part of the preparation for ‘Big Writing’, pupils will be sometimes be given ‘Talking Homework’.  The idea is that if the children can’t say it, they can’t write it. At ICS we encourage the development of language and listening skills in order to develop children’s writing ability.  Talk Homework is an approach developed through Big Writing that promotes the development of such conversations.

Your child may be given a slip of paper that could arrive home on different days depending on when Big Writing is going to take place that week.  The paper will inform you of the topic to discuss with your child in order to help them with the content of their writing the following day.

To help your child get the most out of their talk homework task, Ros Wilson, the creator of Big Writing, suggests that we try to do the following:

• Encourage as many family members as possible to be involved in Talk Homework, possibly around the meal table!

• Switch off the T.V.!  Try to ensure this is dedicated talking and listening time.

• When giving your opinion, use the ‘because’ word to explain why you think that.

• Give the possible opinions of two contrasting family members who are not present for the talk, and use the ‘because’ word to explain why they may be different.

• Ask others around the table to give their opinions and to use the ‘because’ word.

• Ask your child his / her opinion and ask them to use the ‘because’ word.

• Ensure your child does most of the talking.

Link the topic you are given to discuss back to something you remember from when you were a child and say why things may be different now. Project forward to how things may be different in the future.

Make it real. Children need to do real writing. It’s more beneficial for a child to write a letter to a relative than it is to write a one-line note on a greeting card. You could encourage your child to write to relatives and friends. Perhaps your child would enjoy corresponding with a pen pal.
Suggest note-taking. Encourage your child to take notes on trips or outings and to describe what (s)he saw. This could include a description of nature walks, a boat ride, a car trip, or other events that lend themselves to note-taking.

Brainstorm. Talk with your child as much as possible about his/her impressions and encourage the child to describe people and events to you. If the child’s description is especially accurate and colourful, say so.
Encourage keeping a journal / diary. This is excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for expressing feelings. Encourage your child to write about things that happen at home and school, about things (s)he likes or dislikes and why, things to remember or things they would like to do. Especially encourage your child to write about personal feelings--pleasures as well as disappointments. If the child wants to share the journal with you, read the entries and discuss them--especially the child’s ideas and perceptions.
Write together. Have your child help you with letters, even such routine ones as ordering items from an advertisement or writing to a business firm. This helps the child to see first hand that writing is important to adults and truly useful.
Use games. There are numerous games and puzzles that help a child to increase vocabulary and make the child more fluent in speaking and writing. Remember, building a vocabulary builds confidence.
Suggest making lists. Most children like to make lists just as they like to count. Encourage this. Making lists is good practice and helps a child to become more organized. Boys and girls might make lists of their cd’s, mp3’s, soccer cards, dolls, furniture in a room, etc. They could include items they want. It’s also good practice to make lists of things to do, schoolwork, dates for tests, social events, and other reminders.

Pyramids
Big Writing allows children to identify their own strengths and areas they need to develop. Clear targets are identified through both detailed marking by the class teacher as well as use of the Vocabulary, Connective, Opener and Punctuation pyramids. The aim of the pyramid is for the children have a visual aid that assists them in raising the standard of their work.
The pyramids are separated into bands with level 1 being at the top. As children move through the school and improve the quality of their writing they are encouraged to use the more complex words or punctuation symbols from the next level down the pyramid. This process allows children to see what is required of them to progress to the next level.
It maybe helpful to have a copy of the pyramids at home thqt you can discuss with your child, the pyramids can be printed off from
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/cll/writing/vcop.html
Below is another excellent writing resource which you may find helpful
http://www.higherbebington.wirral.sch.uk/lit.html