Strong Foundation to 11+

Eleven Plus (11+) in Redbridge

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postfield
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:28 pm
Location: Ilford

Strong Foundation to 11+

Post by postfield »

I hope you can help my 2 daughters attend a local state primary school in years 2 and 3,which they thoroughly enjoy. The daughter in year 2 has been tested and has a reading age of 9, a voracious reader who reads everything, whereas the 8 year old has a reading age of 8.2,who shy’s away from written material and lacks the confidence as a reader. My daughter in year 2 has little confidence in maths, particularly maths language. I am working with her on maths language (applying maths to everyday situations). The 8 year old is more confident with maths.
What is the best way to increase their written English ability, since they both need to increase their ability in this area? I tried sitting down with them to write a story and used a dictionary which they did not like because it slowed them down.

I would like both to attend Woodford county high in a few years time, which means preparing them for the 11+.Their school does not prepare for them for 11+.I will have to start by teaching them myself and invest in a tutor for this. What are your thoughts on this?

I have been told that children need to be have a reading age 2 years above their chronological age before they should start preparing for the 11+, is that your experience?
Debbie
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:02 pm

Post by Debbie »

I think the most important thing to do is make the work fun. If you don't your daughters will quickly lose interest and then won't be motivated to write anything. Part of me wants to say that their writing ability will improve gradually and the fact that one of your daughters loves reading is a really good start. You could discuss the stories with her. Why did you like it? What does the writer do to keep you interested/make you excited/make you want to read more? Why do you think the author chose that word rather than another (give example). You could also look at a sample from a favourite story. (Perhaps copy it or type it out). Then change some of the adjectives/verbs/nouns so that your daughter can see how this alters the whole feel of the story. (I work in education and have done this with Year 2 children - they really enjoyed it). You could also add words to an existing piece (that perhaps is boring) to try and make it more exciting. You could also encourage your daughter not to use "said". See how many different alternatives she can come up with (muttered, whispered, cried etc etc). I wouldn't start with loads of actual writing as this may demotivate. Make writing really fun and ensure that both girls have access to lots of lovely writing implements that perhaps they wouldn't be allowed to use at school (gel pens, etc). Don't get hung up on punctuation, and presentation at this stage as this frustrates children who just want to get their ideas down on paper. Worrying about punctuation etc slows them down and makes writing an arduous task. Punctuation etc will come eventually. However, if they get punctuation right, get them to highlight it with a colourful pen. They'll hopefully then be motivated to get it right next time.

Hope this helps.
postfield
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:28 pm
Location: Ilford

Post by postfield »

Thanks for your input I will employ your suggestions to explore passages/pages of stories they enjoy reading making it fun.I like the idea of using a variety of writing implements,where can I purchase gel pens and other althernative writing tools?I am conscoius of the fact that I do not want to demotivate them.How long would you suggest we do these activities together, every other day?
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