 Do you have a student in middle school, high school, college, or who graduated long ago? If so, I'd love your input on some or all of the following:
If you could share your thoughts in an email, as a comment in the space below, in a phone call, or even within good old "snail mail," I'd be so grateful! Please let me know if you would like to remain anonymous or have your contributions paraphrased instead of quoted. Otherwise, I will use your initials when publishing. If you're not yet a parent of a student in middle school, but are thinking ahead and trying to be proactive about supporting your child's development, what are some questions you have for people who have "been there" with their own kids? Please share these with me as well!
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1. If your child is asking for something you're reluctant to give her, whether it's a material object or a privilege, ask her to write a persuasive essay about why she deserves the privilege or purchase. This could be handwritten or typed; the important thing is that she is practicing the skill of using language to convey ideas and for a variety of purposes (in this case, persuasion).
2. Along with just being good manners, having your child to write thank you notes for gifts he may have received over the holidays or notes expressing gratitude to people who hosted him for a party or celebration, is an excellent way to practice writing. If your child is old enough, he should write a multi-sentence message, thanking the person specifically for what they did or gave, how he enjoyed or will enjoy it, and some personalized details. If you help him to make a list of who he needs to write notes to, and spell out any tricky names or words for him, he should be able to do the rest! If your child isn't yet at the age where writing a multi-sentence note is a realistic expectation, he could practice writing his name on each card, trace over whole words or specific letters, or simply verbalize what he would like each note to say while you scribe for him. Letting kids make or pick out their own stationary for thank you notes can be an added motivation sometimes too. 3. If your child has an idea for making money over the school break (e.g. shoveling snow for neighbors, babysitting, or doing small cleaning/organizing jobs beyond her household chores), encourage her to write a brochure or other marketing material. The brochure should include a description of services being offered and prices for each, her qualifications or prior experience, and possibly a testimonial or two from any past clients. Offer to help her get copies made once the brochure is in "final draft" shape and distribute them in the neighborhood! Maybe this could even morph into an opportunity for her to practice writing a small business plan or proposal for money from investors, later on! 4. See my earlier post on playing around with "magnetic poetry." Though it's not writing per se, it is language-generation practice and a fun way for your child to keep working on different ways to structure language in order to express ideas. I just want to write a quick post to let people know about some games I've been playing with students and family members recently, that have been a big hit. Some of the games are better for older students (3rd grade and up), but others are accessible for kids who are just learning to identify letter sounds, spell, and/or read. All are a fun way to spend time with family, friends, and/or students, and simultaneously enhance language skills! Quiddler: a competitive, though untimed, game to practice spelling words and generating ideas for words given letters. Using just a deck of letter cards with point values, this is a great way to learn new words, recognize common spelling patterns, and test word knowledge (keep a dictionary handy!). Opportunities to practice addition and subtraction at the end of each round too! Quick-tionary: a word-retrieval game using three decks of cards, where the first player to think of a word that fits given semantic categories (e.g. something you'd find in a kitchen), and spelling or phonological patterns (e.g. starts with an "S," doesn't use two vowels in a row) earns points. It's easy and sometimes necessary to adapt the rules of the game, depending on the age and language ability levels of the players. Tapple: another word-generation game (this one requiring batteries), where you choose a card from the deck that contains a category, and players take turns sharing a word in that category that starts with a different letter each time... quick rounds and a buzzing timer keep this game engaging and exciting! Magnetic poetry: not so much a game as just a fun activity for you to do on the fridge, the back of a cookie sheet, the inside of your locker, a whiteboard, or anywhere else really. Along with the "Original" pieces, there are sets for a variety of other categories: Zen poems, College-themed, Awful Words, Sloth Lovers, and so many more. There are sets in other languages like Spanish, French, and Hebrew too!
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