It is good to see mums making an effort to introduce or have a go at early writing tasks with their students. However, I have often received calls where things are not working out so well and I would encourage parent- teachers to make use of the information we have collated for you on introducing early writing . Our approach really can make all the difference.

One of the common causes of frustrations and sometimes tears are the very disappointing story starters or topics found in some home schooling curriculum. For early writing to be successful the topic and the context are very important to ensure quality and success. We also need to be wary of writing topics that promote a belief in luck, magic, aliens...

Real Life Experiences
When trying to develop a student's writing ability it is important that they have the opportunity to write from their own real life experiences. For a student to practice their descriptive writing skills they need to be writing from experiences that they have actually had. How can a student who has never even been to the circus or touched an elephant, write a convincing story about running away with the circus. 

Young writers have not had the life experiences to draw upon to write convincing fiction stories. Usually all you end up with is a list of unbelievable events, "I went... then... and after that..." with little or no description.

A student will experience greater success when writing about things they are familiar with and their ideas will flow more easily.

Below I will list several examples of good writing activities for young writers:

Prep to Year 2

Writing inventive scripts to go with pictures.  Then after you have asked them to read what they have written and given positive feedback -you can ask if they want you to write their message in adult script so that others can read their good message. The student will usually be keen to trace over the writing.

Helping to Write Shopping Lists -to take shopping together.

Writing little, "I Love You Messages" for family members... This is a winner as children gain confidence with what becomes for them a familiar and special text.

Writing together a sentence that focuses in on describing a specific experience or object. e.g. "The motor bike was loud and fast." "I had fun when Dad we went fishing. We caught a fish"

As they gain confidence you may ask questions about an aspect of their writing to draw out and encourage  them to add detail.

e.g. "What did the fish look like?"
"We caught a big blue fish with shiny scales."  
"Did the fish move?" 

"We caught a big blue fish with shiny scales. The fish was flapping his tail and banging on the boat." -You can see how working together and conferencing can be a fun way of developing a piece of writing. In reply to your open ended questions you are showing an interest in their story and as they answer your questions you would praise them. Act as a dictaphone for them to help them get down their ideas...

Labeling their drawing or parts of an invention they have created...

Making word cards of items around the house...

Making a list of ingredients for cooking.

Year 2-4 Writing Topics

Snap Shot of Process:
After working together doing a Brain Storm or Star diagram of sights, sounds, feelings, Who, What, When, Where? (On a large sheet of paper or on a white board that students can refer to)… students have a go at getting their ideas down themselves in their own books. They can refer to the star diagram for words phrases and ideas that they have put forward. Once again, the parent teacher getting down their ideas on the white board is acting as a scribe and bridge into the writing experience.

Writing a “thank you” card to someone encouraging detail that includes -Who the card is for, the reason for writing and how they feel about the person. E.g. “Thank you Grandma for coming to see us last week. I liked the story you read. I like hugs. Love John.”

Writing about an experience they have had recently and remember well. Once they are confident at getting down their ideas encourage them to “zoom in on detail and to use describing words to “help the reader feel like they are there…”

Having an experience for the purpose of writing about it.

-playing in mud with bare feet letting it squish between your toes.

-have one student lead another blind folded student around a course and then swap roles. They talk about what they did and how they felt. 
-After making a tower out of blocks or a aircraft out of Lego they can write about; what they did, how they put the pieces together, the different parts on their creation and perhaps what the parts are for…

-Students can write about something while they watch it happening.

For Example.

Interesting Job Description
I have had students watching me change the car tyre, (I had let the air out myself…) and taking notes of each step. –this does take some time and you need to help them each step –but they end up doing a lot of writing…

Micro World

Go outside and choose a small 20 square cm area of garden where there is an ant’s nest or trail and observe it for 5 -10 minutes describing in detail what is happening within your space. Sometimes students may find a dead bug that is being disassembled and carried away by ants. An insect stuck in a web or some other drama. Children start by describing the patch of ground and then the characters. A magnifying glass is helpful.

Person in the Mirror
Place a mirror inside a box, with a lid, without students knowing explain to the students that you are going to show them a picture of someone very special that is inside the box who you love very much. If you have more than one student explain that they are not allowed to tell the other students who the picture is of or what they saw in the box. After each student has had a turn and found the image in the box is themselves they can have a go at writing about what they did and how it made them feel.

Interesting Picture

Choose an interesting large picture from a Wild Life magazine or book and describe what is happening and what you see in the picture. This is a winner activity but parent -teachers will need to draw out details through asking questions that focus the students in on specific details, colours and shapes or the activity portrayed within the picture. This and other variations using pictures are so engaging I have made up my own box of 400 laminated interesting pictures. These days you may use top pictures from the internet and display them on the screen…

Describing Objects

Place a mystery object in a box with a towel covering it and have students take turns at trying to work out what the object is. Encourage them to describe what they feel –shapes, edges, density… Afterwards they can write about the activity and which objects they found easy or hard to work out and why? .

Great Experience Recount or Story

Write about a great experience that they have had recently, encouraging students to focus in on the “who, what, where?” of the experience.  

Using Photos as a Scaffold

While students or your family are having an interesting experience you can document the experience using photos or even better the student can take some of the photos. These photos can be printed out in small snap shots, cut out and students can sequence the photos and write an explanation of what is happening in the picture. By doing this they can use the pictures to scaffold an excellent story. With just one or two sentences per picture they end up with a great product. They can have a go at typing in their captions and when they have had a go the parent -teacher can help them finish.  Then cut and paste in the pictures together.

Write a list of things you would like changed in the world.

Favourite Place 
Go to your favourite place in your house or yard and write a description of what you like about it and how it makes you feel...

Hide and Seek

Two students or more swap a special object and hide their partner's object in an interesting place. Then write a list of instructions so the owner can find their treasured object again. You are not to just say where the object is, e.g. "it's under the t.v."  Instead write how to get there step by step from your desk. Describe directions and distances. You may write several clues that take the seeker from one place to another finding a new clue at each step. E.g. Your first clue is under something on the book shelf starting with “r”. Then under the remote, they will find the next clue that tells them to, “turn towards the window and walk three steps forward then five steps right…”

This can be fantastic fun!


Alliteration
Challenge students to make up the longest sentence or phrase using alliteration that they can. Set the rule that they can only use one word in three or four that does not start with the same letter. e.g.She sells sea shells by the sea shore. -This one is obviously not original.

*Write a letter to a friend. Working on a brainstorm of the things they want to tell their friend about first.

*Write a thank you letter to a Sunday school teacher, family friend or community member.

*Write a description of a house hold item using personification… e.g. Describing a chair with its back, legs and arms…

*Write a simple step by step manual on how to make or do something they are good at.

*Write an advertisement to sell an a house hold item that the family no longer requires and sell it on E Bay.

*Draw a map of your bed room  and write an inventory of your belongings.

*Write a personal profile –general information about themself.

*Write an Email to a student of a missionary family telling them about yourself and asking one or two questions about where they live.

*Make a card with a nice encouraging message for someone.

*Write up a program for a party.

Puppet Show -This is possibly four writing activies in one.
Make up a short puppet show for your dad or grand parents –making your own puppets out of socks and buttons and any props they need out of card board.
-Start by reading to the students a story from the Bible e.g. David and Goliath or Jesus healing a blind man.
-Students can write our a simple script to act out with the puppets (parents may have to take over as a scribe after a few lines). They can also make up an invite to come to the puppet show with a program on the back. On the evening they may include in their performance; reciting a poem they have practiced reading with expression, singing a song and or playing an instrument, telling a joke, serving supper that they have made… You are only limited by your imagination.
The next day they may write a report on the evening.

Encouraging Mobile
Get a used cardboard box that is in good condition and that has a lid. Bunnings often have a store of boxes that you are free to take. Cover the box with paper and decorate the borders of each side. Then write 6 short encouraging messages to someone in your family in your draft book and publish one on each side of the box. Tie a button onto a piece of string and thread the string through one corner from the inside of the box. This can be given as a gift to the family member who can hang it by the string from the ceiling in their room.

*Plan a family trip to the Beach, writing a list of things you would take to the beach and a short reason for the item.
E.g. “Boogie Board –to catch waves on”

*Write a description of your family car, make, model and colour, how many seats it has, the noise it makes, where you sit…

More to come…. Regards Jason Caldwell