Support Writing Development at Home Without Lifting a Pencil!
The Emanuel School Instructional Model for Teaching Writing K-6 encompasses a range of key steps, each grounded in educational research. With the key aim of developing our students’ ability to independently produce quality writing, the teaching and learning process gradually builds a student’s skills in relation to stage appropriate application of the Ten Elements of Effective Writing (see below). After speaking, listening and reading, writing is the most complex skill in language learning. This is why our team, along with a literacy consultant, built the instructional model. We have streamlined our teaching of writing across K-6.
One of the earliest and most essential steps towards quality writing, actually involves no writing at all. The learning and teaching cycle, prior to getting the students engaged in writing, includes having students work out what they already know in relation to the field of study and then building additional shared understandings. The emphasis, way before students write a text, is also on developing students' spoken vocabulary related to the topic and the recall of accurate content (as well as an ability to conduct research to gather information). This stage involves explicit teaching as well as hands-on activities full of content, videos, apps, excursions, guest speakers and research. Importantly, these experiences are interactive so that students have an opportunity to use, hear and see the language associated with the topic and build their knowledge.
Parents often ask teachers what can be done at home to support and boost learning progress. When it comes to home life these days, however, there is not often a great deal of extra time given the busy schedule of many families. Luckily, the following set of recommendations involve no preparation, require no sitting down to formalised tasks and can be done during a car ride, during a weekend excursion, at dinner time or as part of an existing bedtime routine!
FIRST TO TEN
The focus of this suggestion is all about creating a verbal list of related vocabulary. Vocabulary words are the main tools of expression, the building blocks of a cohesive text and the ‘meta-language’ of a topic. Pick a topic of interest or a topic relating to your child’s life. Even better, decide on a topic being studied at school (which can be found in the Overview sent out at the start of each term). Together, think of ten great words that relate to that topic. Example One: Fairy Tales - enchanted, cottage, spell, wicked, magnificent, potion, triumph, charming, damsel, carriage. Example Two: Electricity - circuit, power, spark, current, light, component, electron, insulator, conductor, generator.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE MASHUP
The aim here is to broaden one’s knowledge base - your child’s general knowledge about the world. Reading with and reading to children is well-known to broaden knowledge about different cultures and environments. It is helpful to read about or watch programs that raise issues of sustainability and innovation. Age appropriate exposure to current affairs and poignant historical events is another incredibly impactful way to learn at home. Similarly, exposing children to great works of literature allows them to ‘see’ characters and their inner conflict, their challenges and how they bounce back from life’s experiences or grow and mature.
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KNOWLEDGE TREASURE HUNT
Why not take the children to see the latest museum exhibition, tour a range of art galleries (classic and modern), visit a zoo, bird aviary, butterfly house or reptile park! These rich learning experiences build a phenomenal bank of knowledge that impacts both reading and writing development. Last holidays we took our kids to Warragamba Dam. Under the guise of a lovely long drive and a picnic lunch, we saw such an incredible example of engineering and innovation whilst learning about water management that impacts the whole state. We wandered through the display area, marvelling at the information we hadn’t known. It was fantastic!
90 SECOND CHAT
The aim here is to talk in detail about one topic for 90 seconds. The challenge is to remain on topic, elaborate with relevant details and raise a range of related facts or details on one topic. This is especially possible if your child has already completed a ‘First To Ten’, a ‘General Knowledge Mashup’ and a ‘Knowledge Treasure Hunt’. With all of that knowledge now stored in their long term memory, they have a very solid foundation for writing once at school in the lessons devised by the teachers.
Ten Elements of Effective Writing
These elements are some of the most important building blocks of quality writing. The first 5 elements address a student’s ability to build ideas effectively and the last 5 elements address a student’s ability to transcribe with accuracy.