6th grade writing

I looked at a writing journal belonging to my 6th grader. She has a great imagination and has been complimented for her "voice" by her teachers, but her spelling and grammer still appear to me to be poor. Her teacher says her writing is average or above (though on some portions of the CSAP, she scored only partially proficient). I don't have any samples of my writing at the same age, but I think it was grammatically more accurate. I'm not convinced that today's "average" is proficient as it was in prior decades. Am I being overly concerned about style at this age? And if she does need extra help on her spelling and grammar, what are the best ways to help at home without seeming overly critical? Since she's getting good grades, my daughter thinks I'm being too hard on her.

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When writing in a journal, teachers usually encourage creative thinking and tell the student not to worry about spelling or grammar. College instructors will even tell this to students when they are making their rough drafts. The question is, do they have the spelling and grammar skills when it comes to their final drafts? I believe that today's "average" is not as high as it has been in the past. I expressed concern about my oldest child's poor spelling and grammar skills on important assignments when meeting with her 8th grade English teacher and was told "Oh well. No one else can spell either". This is the attitude we still encounter. It is difficult to to help your child when the child looks at you and says, "Why should I correct this? The teacher says it's ok."

Since journal entries are usually short, incomplete thoughts or ideas, you might try finding an entry to compliment her on and ask her to create a story, essay, or article that can be shared with others. Provide her with the tools for creating whichever form of writing she chooses, offer to help with editing, then sit back and watch what she does with this project. Another option would be to, with her permission, take one of her entries and create your own story, essay, or article and have her edit it....looking for spelling errors, errors in grammar, etc.

writing in a journal is usually a 'freewrite' activity-to encourage getting thinking on paper with no penalty for spelling or grammar. Your student should be able to identify a 'freewrtie' activity from a final draft. Most schools teach a writing process-prewriting, drafting, editing, presentation. Ask if your child is getting grammar instruction. I prefer a daily oral language approach-there are many. Paragraph editing from Evan Moore is a current fav.
Many students will only write the minimal, the simplest of sentences if they worry about spelling/grammar instead of ideas on the first pass. Its important that your daughter has 'voice' self-expression on paper and that she is able to work through the steps of the writing process to a polished product.

There is a fine line between encouraging and "being hard'. I am faced wih that all the time.My daughter loves mechanical pencils, they are easier to write with.Check with school first.Be sure and tll your daughter the positives you saw in her writing journal.

My daughter has a wonderful imagination and her writing composing skills are at least average, if not above average, compared to her peers. Yet, due to her dyslexia, she continues to struggle to spell and learn proper written mechanics and syntax of written language. I guess my response to your question would depend largely upon what type of spelling errors your are referring to. Are the words that she is encountering trouble with at or above grade level expectations? Is she spelling phoenetically? Is she transposing letters? Is she hearing all of the sounds of the words that she is writing? Is she using text message jargon in her written expression?

I believe either the ability to spell or compensate through use of a spell checker are an important life skill. I know that I have provided more questions than answers, but the answers to these questions may help you to ascertain if this is an area that you think you need to explore further.

If you need further guidance about written expression, I would encourage you to post additional questions at the following group:

community.greatschools.net/groups/11554

Spelling and grammar are important, but try not to be too hard on her. I had the same problem when I was younger. (Actually I have to admit that I still use spell check quite a lot...) Don't give up on her spelling and grammar skills, but know that they may fall into place later. These are skills that can be taught and drilled, but creativity is a gift you should not overlook.

I would suggest getting your daughter a good dictionary and a guide to grammar that is easy to use and has clear sections. You can always ask her teacher for title suggestions. Have your daughter keep them wherever she does her homework so that they are handy references. If you check her homework and find mistakes, underline them but don't give her the correct answers. Make her find them for herself. There are also a lot of good spelling flash cards out there. You can turn it into a fun activity by working with her for a short time each week and awarding small prizes for good performance. You can also play games that enhance spelling such as Scrabble or Quiddler (a card game similar to Scrabble).

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6th grade writing

Parent Answers to "6th grade writing"

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