Are you looking for ideas to help your child develop good writing skills? I’ve been sharing four helpful tools I have found that cover a lot of ground in teaching kids to write. These have been very helpful to me in minimizing the number of lessons while still developing the many sub-categories of writing: spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, handwriting, writing style, etc. In my last post, I covered Habit #3: Narration. In this post I will wrap up with the final habit for writing well. Here are Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking.

Four Helpful Habits for Writing Well

For a general overview, begin by reading A Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Homeschool Writing.

1. Reading- Reading quality literature of many genres.
2. Copywork- Copying the best pieces from great authors.
3. Narration– Reading or hearing a short story, verse, concept, or idea and expressing it back to someone in your own (first oral, then written) words.
4. Notebooking– Journaling as a regular habit for life.

Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking

The habit of notebooking makes writing personal for kids. It is a way to write that involves their individual interests and experiences. A child’s notebooks are a portrait of the child.

The possibilities for notebooks are endless. They can keep record of daily life, seasonal changes in nature, vacations/trips, gardening plans, craft ideas, sports achievements and goals, poems, drawings, a bucket list, favorite quotes, and more!

Keeping notebooks should NOT be confused with completing worksheets or structured assignments. Although offering a pattern or structure to give ideas can be helpful in giving kids a starting place, the purpose of note booking is purely self-expression.

The habit of notebooking starts with a blank page. To keep a notebook is to record observations, express emotions, share events and achievements, copy favorite authors. It is to put in written form the thoughts that most capture our interest.

There is something about writing an idea down that cements it more firmly in our memory. To write something down is to remember it.

For a deeper dive into this topic, I love the book The Living Page by Laurie Bestvater. Laurie discusses the “art of the keeper” and divulges her note booking ideas in her “gallery of forms.”

This blog post from Brandy Vencel who writes at afterthoughtsblog.net is an excellent review of this book.

Our Notebooks

Here are examples of some of the notebooks that some or all of our kids have kept.

Letters

One form of note booking that I have practiced with my kids is to write short letters back and forth to them in a small note pad. I fill a page with thoughts, encouragements, etc. and place it in their top dresser drawer where they are sure to see it. They return by writing a personal note on the next page and putting it in my top dresser drawer. It is a way to connect with their dreams, struggles, ideas. It helps them to share personal thoughts that can be hard to say in person. Sometimes it is easier to express thoughts in writing and these exchanges help us do that.

Personal Diary

If you have ever kept a diary, you can probably attest to looking back through the pages and remembering things you had completely forgotten. A diary is like a photo album. It is a written account of where you have been, what you have done. Sharing personal feelings and struggles in writing can be a great way of coping with difficulties. Writing in a diary is excellent writing practice because a child can write freely without constraints of proper sentence structure, spelling, etc. which will help them to develop expression of thought.

Nature Notebooking

On Fridays, our kids are assigned to write entries in their nature journals. If you are looking for inspiration for keeping a nature notebook, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady is a must read! I have found that the pattern in this book to be a very helpful tool to guide them in recording nature.

Page 1- Write the Month at the top in beautiful script or creative lettering. Draw pictures of what you see outside during this month. Copy a poem or quote to describe the month.

Page 2- Keep a journal of observations by date. Write the day number and a short (2-3 sentence) description of what you observe.

Sketchbooks

A sketchbook does not necessarily develop writing skills, BUT it is a beautiful piece for a child to keep. It shows progress in drawing and observation skills. It is enjoyable for parent and child to look back and remember the ideas and environment that fascinated a child through different stages of growth.

Bible Journal

A few of our children enjoy keeping a collection of notes from sermons they hear in church. It is a way to help keep attention during the service and to remember and reflect on past topics.

Other Notebooking Ideas

There are a few notebook ideas that I would like to inspire my kids to try.

-Math Notebooks: As new concepts are learned, a math journal might be helpful to keep charts and formulas handy.

-Bullet Journal: This is great for listing all sorts of things: bucket lists, vacations, gratitude journal, meal plans, exercise log, etc.

-Calendar of Firsts: This can be a seasonal record, noting the first flowers of spring, first time it snows, etc. It could also be a record of first experiences in life, losing the first tooth, first picnic, first garden.

Pin it! Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking

Notebooking is a practice that captures vignettes of a child’s thoughts, experiences, and emotions at different stages of growth. It is a life habit with rewards. Our kids have enjoyed looking back through the notebooks they have kept and I have too! I’d love to hear your notebooking experiences and ideas!

Are you looking for ideas for teaching writing? These are simple and effective habits that you can use to help your children communicate well.

For more on this, see…

Helpful Habits for Writing Well # 2: Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors.

or Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration

and Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration

The post Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking appeared first on Our Life Homeschooling.

I’ve been sharing four helpful tools I have found that cover a lot of ground in teaching kids to write. Since our family is larger than the average size, these have been very helpful to me in minimizing the number of lessons while still developing the many sub-categories of writing: spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, handwriting, writing style, etc. In my last post, I covered habit #2: copywork. Here are Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration

Four Helpful Habits for Writing Well

For a general overview, begin by reading A Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Homeschool Writing.

1. Creating a Literate Environment– Reading quality literature of many genres.
2. Copywork– Copying the best pieces from great authors.
3. Narration- Reading or hearing a short story, verse, concept, or idea and expressing it back to someone in your own (first oral, then written) words.
4. Notebooking– Journaling as a regular habit for life.

Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration

If the idea of narration is new to you, here is a simple description. Narration is hearing or reading a selection of a text and telling it back to another person in your own words. That’s it.

It seems too easy, doesn’t it? I mean, how much can a person really learn from doing something that basic? Shouldn’t there be more involved? Is this really teaching them valuable writing skills?

Does this sound too easy to be “real work”? Before you write this off as too simple of a habit to develop good writers, I challenge you to try it yourself. Read a short selection or chapter from a book and then tell it back in a one page narration. Put this post aside and try it. I have done this myself. Narrating a text myself is what convinced me that retelling something in your own words challenges many parts of your brain. It’s not as easy as you think.

Beginning Narration: Oral

I start this with our kids as soon as they are old enough to form sentences. After reading a short storybook, I ask them to tell me about it. This is informal. They usually don’t even realize that they are “narrating”. I just ask them to tell me about the story. In their eagerness to talk about everything, they readily like to tell their version of the story.

For younger kids, give shorter sections to narrate. It can be hard for them to wait until the end of a book to retell the story. They may need shorter chunks. Read a page or two and ask them to tell what is happening.

This does not only have to be done in response to a reading. Ask them to retell in many ways. Tell about their day in sequential order over the dinner table. Explain the steps involved in a project. Describe a scene or the view from your front door.

As children enter Kindergarten and progress through elementary grades, you can encourage them to develop their oral narrations. For example, some kids want to tell every single detail step by step and need help in seeing the the most important parts and keeping it brief. Others will need encouragement to be more descriptive.

Moving to Written Narration

After children have been giving quality oral narrations for a period of time and once they are able to write sentences and paragraphs fluently, they can begin written narrations. This often happens beginning in the upper elementary years (3rd or 4th grade), depending on the particular child.

One thing I have done in the past to help my kids transition from oral to written narration is this. I have them orally narrate a story to me and I type it out word for word as they are speaking. I include everything they say, the “ums” and “likes”. When they are done, I have them read it aloud to me. This helps them not only to see what their narration looks like in written form, but also to hear how it sounds.

Progressing in Written Narration

As they progress in written narrations, this is a wonderful opportunity to assess their written expression with them. How does the paragraph flow? Are ideas expressed in complete sentences? Are there run-on sentences? Does the writing reflect the main ideas of what was read? If someone had not read the piece the child is narrating about, would they get the same conclusions from what they have written? Are the beginning and ending sentences appropriate? Consider syntax. Are there a variety of sentence structures including simple and complex patterns or do the sentences appear repetitive?

I would discourage assessing their work every time they write a narration. Let them grow a natural habit without the pressure of assessment, building confidence as they perform the skill over and over. Then, after 4-5 narrations, review their work together discussing what is done well and how they can improve.

I aim to have my older kids do one narration a day. Realistically, this does not happen. It is more like 2-3 times per week. Currently, we are reading key sections from Abraham Lincoln’s World by Genevieve Foster.

Results

The effectiveness of narration is best observed when done over a long period of time. At the beginning of the year, each of our kids gets a new narration notebook in which to keep all their writings successively. I like to look back through their narration notebooks as they move through the year to see how they are improving. (It’s also motivating to the kids!) Even comparing their work from one or two years prior to see their progress is a great motivator!

The regular habit of narration produces quality writers. Looking for a way to help your child improve their writing skills? Give narration a try. Do it for a year and track their progress over time. You might be surprised at how something so simple can be so effective!

Are you looking for ideas in teaching writing? These are simple and effective habits that you can use to help your children communicate well.

For more on this, see…

Helpful Habits for Writing Well # 2: Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors.

or Helpful Habits for Writing Well #2: Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors

and Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking

Pin It! Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration

The post Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration appeared first on Our Life Homeschooling.

Think about it. How do we learn anything? We learn by imitation. Developing a habit of copying great authors will help your child be a better writer. Here are Helpful Habits for Writing Well #2: Copying the best pieces from great authors.

In my last post, I listed four helpful tools I have found that cover a lot of ground in teaching kids to write. Since our family is larger than the average size, these have been very helpful to me in minimizing the number of lessons while still developing the many sub-categories of writing: spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, handwriting, writing style, etc.

4 Helpful Habits for Writing Well

For a general overview, begin by reading A Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Homeschool Writing.

1. Creating a Literate Environment– Reading quality literature of many genres.
2. Copywork- Copying the best pieces from great authors.
3. Narration- Reading or hearing a short story, verse, concept, or idea and expressing it back to someone in your own (first oral, then written) words.
4. Notebooking– Journaling as a regular habit for life.

Helpful Habits for Writing Well #2 Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors

How do we learn to do anything? We observe someone who is doing it!

In her book Think Outside the Classroom: A Practical Approach to Relaxed Homeschooling, Kelly Crawford writes,

“The grand goal is communication. Learning to communicate well will cover a multitude of deficiencies. How to achieve this? Copy others who do it well. It is the best way to learn almost anything!”

What should a child copy?

Copy passages of Scripture, Aesop’s Fables, poems, short stories or fairy tales, notable sections from each chapter of the fiction book they are reading.

Years ago, I found lists of copywork that I downloaded to our computer. I print them out as needed and put them in folders for our kids to copy daily. These lists are based on the amblesideonline.com book lists which I highly recommend! I usually choose copywork that coincides with the book that child is currently reading.

How much should a child copy?

A good rule of thumb is to copy one sentence for first grade, two sentences for second, three sentences for third, etc. or according to the child’s needs and abilities as you observe them.

How often should a child practice copywork?

Daily! When you copy the works of great writers as a daily habit for many years, you acquire a sense for how words flow together. You learn to discern the best ways of expressing thought.

What skills are covered in copywork?

I use copywork to teach spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, and more. It takes a relatively short period of time for them to complete and teaches them so much at the same time. When I correct our kids’ copywork, this is the time I use to review the following skills.

Handwriting

I think it is important to expect children to produce their neatest work. Keep in mind, however, that “neatest” will vary from child to child. Usually, a parent can easily tell if their child has rushed to get it done or carefully copied the piece. A good practice is to have the child read it back to you. If they can’t read their own work, it helps them to see on their own that others will have difficulty reading it as well.

Spelling

In looking at their work together, we find any misspelled words and circle them. They practice spelling them correctly a few times. This is also a good time to explain spelling patterns or rules that will be helpful to them. I have always thought that the best way to learn spelling (rather than long lists of isolated words) is to learn them in the context of them being used- not only in the context of a random written sentence, but in a written piece. It has been my observation that if copywork is a daily habit practiced for several years, kids learn to spell well.

Punctuation

As I correct their work, we also discuss punctuation. All sentences start with a capital letter, but what different punctuation can come at the end? And how do you know which one to use? How do you punctuate a direct quote? A quote within a quote? When should you use a comma? (Side note: Starting in 4th grade, I also use a Language curriculum to supplement punctuation and grammar skills.)

Vocabulary

What words in this passage are unfamiliar to you? Looking at the context, can you figure out the meaning? How would you use this word if you wanted to put it in a sentence?

Writing Styles.

Look at the different ways the author begins each sentence. How does the writer describe different scenes? What descriptive/persuasive/action words are used?

(Personal Note)

Realistically, I don’t go through all of these skills in any certain way, just as needed or as the opportunity presents itself. The simple act of copying quality writing regularly, when practiced over several years, teaches these concepts by itself.

Extensions of copywork.

Cursive

If it is important to you that your kids learn to write cursive, you can require copywork to be done in cursive once they have mastered the initial skills. I like our kids to be able to read and write in cursive so that they can read historical letters and documents.

Typing.

As soon as a child learns to type (we use free tools online), they can practice typing a portion of their copywork after they have written it by hand.

Dictation

To really see how well kids can spell, read aloud a selection from something they have memorized or written as a previous copywork and have them transcribe it. This will quickly show their skill level and areas that need improvement.

The thing I love most about copywork is that once the kids learn to write their letters, it is something they can do independently every day. It takes a relatively short amount of time AND they glean so much from practicing it. These are just a few ideas that I have used over the years. Leave a comment and let me know how your kids have benefited from copywork.

Was this post helpful to you? Leave a comment and let me know how if you have tried copywork with your kids and what works for you. I love hearing from other homeschool moms!

For more on this, see…

First, Helpful Habits for Writing Well #1: Creating a Literate Environment

and…

Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration

Also…

Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking

Pin it! Helpful Habits for Writing Well #2: Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors

The post Helpful Habits for Writing Well #2: Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors appeared first on Our Life Homeschooling.

When you think about all that’s involved in teaching a child to write well, it can be overwhelming!! The subjects handwriting, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary are just the start. They need to learn the challenging skill of expressing their thoughts clearly in written form. Add to the list the writing process, writing styles… writing a research paper, writing to persuade, writing personal letters… it can feel like a lot! Here is the first of four Helpful Habits for Writing Well #1: Creating a Literate Environment.

How can we teach our kids to communicate effectively?

There are many excellent writing curriculums out there, but I have also found that there are simple writing HABITS that can be used regularly to cover a lot of ground.

Kind of like a multi-vitamin or an all-in-one.

In fact, I have observed so many positive results from these HABITS in my own kids that they HAVE BECOME our main writing curriculum!

Four Habits for Writing Well

For a general overview, begin by reading A Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Homeschool Writing.

1. Creating a literate environment- Reading quality literature of many genres, memorizing, and engaging in conversations.
2. Copywork- Copying the best pieces from great authors.
3. Narration- Reading or hearing a short story, verse, concept, or idea and expressing it back to someone in your own (first oral, then written) words.
4. Notebooking– Journaling as a regular habit for life.

Helpful Habits for Writing Well #1: Creating a Literate Environment

How can you express something that you don’t possess?

Children should have a vast mental “library” of written ideas before they will be able to clearly express their thoughts in written word. I wrote more on this concept in the post Teaching a Child To Read With Two Important Habits.

Every child should be read to-A LOT! This can happen in small, scattered moments throughout the day, but it should be lathered frequently with pleasure.

We should be reading aloud to our children….A LOT!

In addition, as soon as they begin reading on their own, we should provide for them a quiet space and quality literature on which they can feast their imaginations.

This is giving them a bank, if you will, from which to draw as they attempt to form their own ideas about the world around them.

Ideas for Creating a Literate Environment

Here are some ideas to help cultivate a literate environment for your children.

• Read a variety of fiction to them including fantasy, historical fiction, folk tales, mystery, etc.

• Read non-fiction to them. What subjects interest them? What do they ask about or spend a lot of time doing? Get books on these topics and look through them together.

• Read biographies. Stories of great men and women of history inspire them to do hard tasks, overcome challenges, and be different.

• Read poetry. I like to read poetry by poet. When I find a poet I like or that I think the kids will like, I read some of their best poems over and over. Poetry should be read more than once to fully appreciate the meanings behind each word.

• Memorize together. You can memorize Scripture, famous poems of history, historical documents like The Declaration of Independence or snippets from famous historical speeches. Try learning the planets, books of the Bible, Presidents of the US, states and capitols, planets, continents, oceans, and more!

• Engage in conversations that make them think. Ask them questions. When they ask the questions, on the other hand, use their curiosity as an opportunity to start conversations that help them express their thoughts and feelings clearly.

A child can only express what they possess. Give them a broad foundation of knowledge and experiences with oral and written language. This will be a great starting place for communicating their thoughts in oral and written form.

Pin it! Helpful Habits for Writing Well #1: Creating a Literate Environment

More Resources

Are you looking for ideas to help your child write well? These are simple and effective HABITS that you can use to prepare your children to be fluent writers.

For more on this, see…

Helpful Habits for Writing Well # 2: Copying the Best Pieces from Great Authors.

AND Helpful Habits for Writing Well #3: Narration.

Also, Helpful Habits for Writing Well #4: Notebooking.

The post Helpful Habits for Writing Well #1: Creating a Literate Environment appeared first on Our Life Homeschooling.