Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Learning to Write

In the Winter 2010/11 edition of The Old Schoolhouse, Susan Wise Bauer offers excellent recommendations on how to teach writing to your elementary student.

Writing is a process that involves two distinct mental steps.  First, the writer puts an idea into words; then, she puts the words down on paper.

In the elementary years, you should teach those two skills separately.  Teach students to take ideas and put them into words through using narration; ask the student to tell back to you in her own words what she's just read in her history or science or literature.  As the young student narrates out loud, she is practicing the first part of  the writing process without having to worry about the second part of the writing process: putting those words down on paper.

Separately, the student begins to master the second part of the process: putting words down on paper. This skill is developed through copywork and dictation.  Copywork and dictation allow the student to master the second step of the process without having to worry about the first (and difficult) task of putting ideas into words.

Eventually, elementary students will learn that in order to write, all they need to do is put an idea into words (something they've practiced extensively through narration) and then put those words down on paper (which they're accustomed to doing during dictation). 

To help clarify what Susan is describing, I have provided some definitions of the writing processes that she describes:

Narration: Student retells in her own words information acquired from her reading.  The information may have been read to her, or if she is a fluent reader, she may have read the information herself.  Narration is a quick and easy way to check for understanding of the material read.  Narrations can be recorded by a parent if desired.

Copywork: Copying quality writing which may include poetry, scripture, great sentences from literature, famous quotations, facts copied from science or social studies learning, well structured sentences chosen by the parent, etc.

Dictation: Parent reads a sentence out loud and the student writes it.  Sentences may come from the student's copywork, or from a grammar/spelling curriculum, or from well structured sentences chosen by the parent. Dictation usually begins after the student is quite proficient at copywork.

Further Links Highlighting the Above Writing Processes:

Telling Back as a Learning Strategy/ What is Narration? 

Free Bible Verse Copywork Printables

More Free Copywork ~ Simply Charlotte Mason

Using Dictation ~ Katie's Homeschool Cottage

Dictation ~ Pioneer Woman Homeschooling

Please note:  The above links often refer to the Charlotte Mason or classical methods of homeschooling as the primary methods that use narration, copywork and dictation.  While this is typical, these writing strategies can easily be implemented alongside any homeschooling curriculum of  your choice.