Teaching writing takes time and one-on-one instruction. It involves modeling, editing, providing feedback, and publishing, something that not all parents feel equipped to handle. While there are ways to outsource writing instruction and feedback, every parent can master the basics with a little guidance!
Break down the assignment
Whenever they start a new, major writing assignment, I always tell students in the Sparks Academy classes, ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!’
Break assignments into daily goals, and hold your student accountable for meeting those goals. If they have a persuasive, five-paragraph essay, daily goals might look like creating an outline, researching and citing works, developing a rough draft, writing the first half, writing the second half, editing and polishing, and writing the bibliography. Need help getting started? Download this free 12-page booklet on writing a research paper.
Make a Plan
This one goes hand in hand with breaking down the assignment into bits, but I’m big on planning and organization. After all, failing to plan is planning to fail…and no one wants to fail.
Give It a Purpose
“Why” is not a question that goes away after the toddler years, and you might find it cropping up even more in the teen years than in the previous ones. With writing, as with anything we’re told to do, it’s important to know the why. Are they writing solely for a grade, or is there some intrinsic motivation as well? Will it be published in a magazine, like at Sparks? Turned into a book, such as these amazing options? Published in a paper, magazine, or on a blog? Included in the student portfolio? Repurposed later as a college or scholarship application essay? (For the record, I’ve found the last one to be a real motivator for my older teens…who know all too well the pain of writing and re-writing dozens of essays for said applications.)
Write for Fun & Variety…and for Yourself
I’ve found that when I give my teens a choice about what they write, they’re do so much less begrudgingly. I have one that prefers to write either historic non-fiction or dystopian stories. Another prefers mystery / crime solving stories and would happily never write another research paper. Those are their preferences, so when it’s time to just practice writing, that’s what they opt for, but it’s important that they also work on other skills, too.
- Poetry and symbolism
- Descriptive writing with vivid details
- Expressing an opinion (logically and thoughtfully)
- Process writing / how to do something
- Research papers
- Creative writing
- Making lists
- Writing a business letter
It’s true that we do many of these things orally, sometimes on a daily basis, but it’s important to also know how to write effectively, without visual aids (emojis, graphics, charts, etc) or tonal inflection from our voices.
When you want to practice writing skills, but don’t have a specific assignment (summer fun-school, anyone?), writing prompts are a handy tool. There are so many different options to choose from, including pop culture, history, science, animal-themed, anime-themed…you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something that sparks your teen’s interest. Maybe they’re really into the Hobbit and want to try your hand at writing a fantasy novel of their own…
Teach Self-Editing
After writing a rough draft for any type of writing, students should take the time to read over it themselves before passing it off to the parent / teacher. You can print out the checklists below and let them use it, or just tell them to set it aside for a night and read over it the next day. (You’d be surprised how many errors can be spotted just by having a fresh set of eyes!) Reading the paper aloud is another good way to spot issues with flow and communication, too.
Use a Checklist
After self-editing, it’s your turn to read over their paper and provide feedback. Use these free downloadable checklists to guide you through grading your student’s writing assignments. Remember that it’s also important to point out all of the things your student did WELL on the assignment. Editing with grace is more likely to net well-received feedback. Honey, not vinegar.
Still unsure about grading your teen’s writing assignments? Enlist the Writing Consultation Service offered by Sparks Academy! While there are no grades offered for this service, the feedback provided is detailed enough in content, structure, and style for the parent to assign a grade. Consultations are provided by an accredited language arts teacher with thirty years teaching experience.
