Writing
In 1st grade...Our yearlong foci includes:
Students will..
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Practice Ideas
Talk!! Talk!! Talk!! Engage in discussions about special and exciting moments that have happened in your child's lives and encourage them to remember those situations to write about in school.
Keep a journal!! Some students might be interested in keeping a journal at home. This is wonderful way to explore and practice writing. I highly recommend using a primary-lined composition book with a space for a picture at the top. Write letters, notes, lists, etc.!! Have your child engage in a variety of everyday writing activities. Make writing fun with a variety of writing utensils and papers! |
Spelling
How (should?) I help my child with spelling??
This is a FANTASTIC question and one that has been asked quite a bit. While I certainly don't have all the answers, I have some thoughts based on current research and best practices.
Phonemic Awareness is KEY. If a child can't hear/isolate the individual sounds in words, it will be very difficult to spell the word. Encourage your child to say the sounds (as many as they can) BEFORE attempting to write.
We use the following strategies for spelling unknown words:
- Say it "butter"
- Tap it /b/ /u/ /t/ /r/
- Sound as you write - assign a letter/s for each sounds to the best of your ability - butter will be spelled "butr" until the child learns that /r/ is usually spelled "er" at the end of a word. That is GOOD 1st GRADE SPELLING.
Then:
Does it look right (visual memory is a powerful tool)?
Sound right (have them read the word back to you)?
Is there a vowel? We know that every word (and every syllable) MUST have a vowel sound.
Should I tell my child how to spell a word:
Sure....BUT only if it's a tricky word that can't really be "sounded out" or that he/she using frequently in writing. Try to have your child ATTEMPT it first...but not to the point of frustration.
If your child dislikes writing, it is probably best to choose your battles. If a child feels that his/her writing will become victim to the "red pen," he/she might just give up. Try just getting him/her to get ideas on paper first...pictures, words, anything! Fold paper and call it a book (like we do in class!)...that's usually magic. Then, slowly introduce the idea of making his/her awesome "writing" more readable so that others can enjoy it.
Remember that the expectations around spelling will increase gradually. Good spelling is a work in progress and is just one component of being a good writer!
Learned/Memorized Words:
As we all know, English is a troublesome language. The "rules" of English tend to be broken more often than not. So, we learn the rules the best we can and expect frequent "rule-breakers." We have a word wall at school and the students are expected to use it. The expectation is that eventually they will be memorized through repeated use and practice. What about at home?? Below is a word list that your student can refer to and add to when writing. Feel free to print and use at home!