Literacy Coach

WRITING MATTERS

Each fortnight at SJPC staff are engaged in a Literacy Writing focus where, across all disciplines, teachers focus on improving a specific writing skill. This fortnight our focus is on the use of correct ending punctuation, correct use of capitals AND putting pen to paper. It is our aim to really focus and reiterate specifics across all learning areas so that writing with accuracy becomes habitual for students.

At home parents can also follow our focus. The following graphics may help.

It’s important for students to be writing every day and parents can help by modeling this.

Below I have listed some helpful tips parents can use to encourage and support struggling or reluctant writers.

Practice, practice practice!

Encourage children to write often and write for different audiences. It may be a funny story for a sibling, a letter to the editor, their reasoning for attending an event or their top ten list of ideas to cheer up a sick friend.

Opportunities to read.

Offer a wide variety of opportunities to read, both educational and entertaining and pass favourite authors song lyrics and magazines to share the joy of reading. Take your teen to the library. We can only ever write as well as we can read.

Examine different styles.

Encourage your teen to examine different styles of writing and reasons for this such as newspaper editorials, website, instructional manuals and fiction. Encourage your teen to pursue forms of writing that are enjoyed, especially poetry, journal and letter writing. Reflective writing is very powerful in developing critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and allowing teens to find personal space and outlet.

Resources and help along the way.

Ensure your child has adequate materials and a quiet place to write and perhaps a special folder for personal writing. It’s incredibly valuable to witness someone returning to a valued piece written months ago and finding joy and pride in their work. Help children brainstorm and clarify what is required from school tasks. Always point out the strengths in your child's writing and understand the value of the process of writing. Ask children to read written tasks aloud.

Respect your teen as a writer and respect and encourage their personal voice. Every opportunity to write is a valuable one.