Supporting Writing

[Opalmoon]

Hello,

My DS has a weak spot - story writing! I know it's quite normal for a child to have weaker subjects, but I was wondering about how to best help him improve. It's not such an easy one to download practice papers for!

Should we consider a period of tutoring? Or is anyone aware of any books/ exercises we could try? He's always been a reluctant reader, but he's getting better. It's not for any tests btw, just to help raise his overall performance and open his mind to more expressive thoughts! He's in year 6. I've got two younger children, so I'm a bit short of one to one time with him.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

[nicemum]

I have used the Schofield and Sims books on comprehension and CCP Sat Writing - WH Smith- maybe others might have other suggestions

[Opalmoon]

Thank you nicemum, I'll check those out.

[fatbananas]

CGP do two books on 'writing' - one fiction, the other non-fiction. I found them really useful for teaching me how to structure short stories and what (eventually!) to expect/ hope for . This way I hope to support my year 3 DS going forward. I think the CGP books are more aimed at the year 6 child. They also do a sort-of guide book for all the different requirements for the various sorts of writing tasks.

[cam]

I'll second the CGP books, they have 'formulae' for different genre which are particularly informative.
Playing a game to try and increase the length of a sentence using who, what, why, when, where and adjectives can show how to make writing more interesting. Adding other senses - sound, sight, touch... eg The cat sat on the mat. The fat, black cat sat on the mat. The lazy, fat black cat lounged on the thick fur mat, in front of the flickering log fire as the wing howled around the trees outside. Etc, etc, to see who can make it the longest and potentially most interesting. You may manage to play it while driving or over dinner and perhaps the sillier the better, the younger ones can also chip in.
We have also tried to find as many alternatives for boring words such as walked - ambled, strolled, hopped, skipped, stumbled, hobbled...
Have fun.
Cam

[DIY Mum]

I'll third CGP's composition books.

Does your son like 'role-play'? You could use the technique of 'freeze-framing' with your kids (assuming the younger two aren't babies). I discovered this technique through teacher training and have used it with my youngest ds (Y4). It's quite useful (in particular for boys) to develop their composition.

How it works: choose a theme they like e.g. 'pirates' and they think of a character (type of character, their emotions, looks etc). They act out their character. Whilst acting, tell them to 'freeze' and you take a picture. Use that picture to develop a story line. You'll be amazed at what kids come out with!

[pheasantchick]

I've used a Tony Buzan book about memory maps for children with my Ds.

[Opalmoon]

I'm so sorry not to have replied sooner, I thought I'd subscribed for email updates. Obviously I did something wrong there!

Thank you all for the very helpful replies, I will most definitely get to WHSmith soon [once they are back at school and I get a bit of peace shopping!] I think a few word games are in order too. Some very useful suggestions, much appreciated.

[Opalmoon]

I'll third CGP's composition books.

Does your son like 'role-play'? You could use the technique of 'freeze-framing' with your kids (assuming the younger two aren't babies). I discovered this technique through teacher training and have used it with my youngest ds (Y4). It's quite useful (in particular for boys) to develop their composition.

How it works: choose a theme they like e.g. 'pirates' and they think of a character (type of character, their emotions, looks etc). They act out their character. Whilst acting, tell them to 'freeze' and you take a picture. Use that picture to develop a story line. You'll be amazed at what kids come out with!

This sounds very interesting DIY Mum! The annoying thing is he's probably better at taking pictures than I am! I think it's a game that definitely need further exploration, thank you.

[fatbananas]

Pheasant Chick: do you mind me asking which Tony Buzan book you used? I've just looked on Amazon and there is:

Mind Maps for Kids: Study Skills

Mind Maps for Kids: Max Your Memory and Concentration

Mind Maps For Kids: An Introduction

Of course, I want to buy them all in case I miss anything but ... there's a limit to the amount of books our postie will deliver in one go!