Practicing The Practical Educators Say Focus On Fiction Has Choked Growth Of Universal Writing Skills
Subject: Writing
No doubt about it: Kids are creative.
A couple of years ago, fourth-graders tapped their imaginations and poured out tales in which toys came to life, exciting stories that would make a teacher proud.
They would, that is, if the kids had been asked to write stories. But this creative burst occurred when they took Washington state’s new tests, which instructed them to write a letter of complaint about a defective toy.
Flashback to the year before, when students were asked to write an essay describing a perfect planet. Instead, some wrote of action-packed alien adventures and conversations with cartoon characters.
“Kids are still not reading the questions and following directions,” said Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction. “They write these beautiful things, but it doesn’t address the questions asked.”
Bergeson thinks she knows why. For years, teachers have encouraged children to read and write fiction in hopes of capturing their attention. Nonfiction has taken a back seat.
Bergeson also suspects some students have been getting by with ignoring instructions because teachers worry “their self-concepts will be hurt if we don’t just honor everything they’ve done.”
That chapter of Washington education appears destined to end, as teachers stress more types of writing and assignments that reflect real-life writing tasks.
Educators say parents can help students adjust. “Parents can start thinking of ways in the home where students can write for a particular purpose,” said Joan Kingrey, assistant superintendent of curriculum in the Mead School District.
Start with grocery lists and move on to thank-you notes. Include quick postcards as well as letters to Grandma, complete with a beginning, middle and end. E-mail is fine, teachers say, but shouldn’t take the place of formal letters with properly addressed envelopes.
“Even the letter to Santa Claus,” said Johanne Lal, who teaches first grade at Sheridan Elementary School in Spokane. “Proof it, rewrite and put it on stationery. Not everything, but some things should be taken to perfection.”
Teachers have pretty well gotten the message to parents that routine reading at home is crucial for success in school. But too few families emphasize writing, educators say.
That can be disastrous, considering the key role writing plays in every area of the new state assessments.
“Kids take a reading test now and have to explain in writing their thoughts. For math, they have to be able to explain their steps. Writing is huge!” said Deb Drouin, who teaches fourth grade at Evergreen Elementary School.
After most fourth-graders failed at writing letters of complaint, state educators narrowed the types of writing students will be asked to do at each grade level.
Fourth grade: narrative and expository. This means one piece “telling about” something and another piece “explaining why,” said Nikki Elliott-Schuman, language-arts specialist with the state superintendent’s office. Letters of complaint are probably not realistic for fourth-graders, educators decided.
Seventh grade: persuasive and expository.
Tenth grade: persuasive and extended expository. This could include analyzing, evaluating, comparing and contrasting. A brief expository assignment, such as a memo or letter, also will be included.
Parents can help prepare their children by pointing out various types of writing in the community, Elliott-Schuman said. That can be as simple as explaining the purpose of a table of contents or saying, “Look, somebody wrote that billboard.”
Parents should talk about an author’s craft when reading with their children, she said. Ask questions such as “Why do you think the author chose this word?” Discuss why the writer may have started and ended an essay in a particular way.
Meanwhile, parents should avoid becoming their child’s nightmare critic. While kids shouldn’t be allowed to substitute adventure tales for formal letters, a continuous avalanche of criticism can make them afraid to put their voice on paper.
Instead of replacing words for students, help them brainstorm alternatives. When a story is short on information, ask them to elaborate and clarify key points. When sentence after sentence begins with `the,’ remind them of the rhyme: “Three in a row. One’s got to go.”
Drouin also suggests parents keep an age-appropriate dictionary and thesaurus within easy reach. “Don’t overshoot and get too complex.”
Parents can take a new approach when kids say they did “nothing” at school today. Every day, ask them to write one descriptive sentence about their activities.
Bergeson encourages parents to ask teachers to give a writing workshop for parents.
“I’m always impressed with any parent who comes in and asks how they can support their child as a learner,” said Linda Lee, a literacy facilitator for Spokane schools. “It’s a gift.”