Writing: Questions and Answers

Does my child need to learn handwriting?

Most educators and researchers recommend teaching handwriting. Read more about handwriting:

• Graham, Steve. "Want to Improve Children's Writing? Don't Neglect Their Handwriting." American Educator. Winter 2009 - 2010, pp. 20-40.

• Klass, Perri. "Why Handwriting Is Still Essential in the Keyboard Age." The New York Times, 20 June 2016.

What if handwriting makes my child cry?

Then stop teaching handwriting! That is, stop for the week, or several weeks and focus on other literacy activities instead (ask about fun ideas). You can try again periodically, but consult with your child's advisor if the problem continues--some students do end up moving straight into keyboarding.

Is it important for children to learn cursive?

It is a personal choice; there are strong arguments both for and against learning cursive. Washington State does not include cursive in its educational standards, but it is a requirement in some other states.

When should my child learn keyboarding?

Keyboarding appears in Washington State educational standards starting in grade 3, which is when computer-based state assessments begin. If your child starts computer activities before third grade, consider introducing beginning keyboarding skills at that time.

How much time should my child spend on writing?

In a report for the U.S. Department of Education called Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers, educators recommended that beginning in first grade, elementary students should spend a minimum of one hour per day on writing with the time split between writing instruction and writing practice. The 60 minute recommendation included spelling study as well as time spend on writing in other subjects, not just language arts. Although this is a commonly suggested guideline, you must decide what will work best for your individual student; just remember that having a routine and writing regularly is generally more effective that writing sporadically for longer periods of time.

When should children start learning to write?

In the United States, formal writing instruction begins in kindergarten when children are generally five or six years old.

Should my beginning writer do copywork or attempt writing independently?

Both are effective teaching strategies so you don't need to exclude one in favor of the other; try both and find a balance that works well for you and your child. Copywork is a time-tested technique with many advocates, especially among those in the home-learning community, and you will likely discover numerous resources with related activities. An approach popular in today's classrooms encourages students to create their own original writing and allows for the use of what is typically called invented spelling. Invented spelling is a developmentally appropriate stage of student writing, but there are strategies to coach students through it which aides development, which you can read more about in an Education Week article by Liana Loewus.

Should my child learn to read before he or she starts writing?

For some students, especially ones who learn to read at a younger age, reading happens first, but please don't see this as necessary first step! Reading and writing (and spelling) are actually complementary skills that reinforce each other, and it benefits almost all students when they are taught together.

What if a child struggles with writing or doesn't want to write?

There could be many possible causes, so see if you can figure out more about the problem.

• Do you have a young writer with big ideas and little to no writing experience? If so, become a scribe and write down the words that your child speaks.

• Do you have a beginning writer who may just need a little more time to develop first? If so, try backing off for a few weeks, and concentrate on reading for a while instead. At the same time, try incorporating some fun activities that promote writing skills such as dot-to-dots with letters or words as well as numbers, or such as writing in the sand. Interactive writing (co-writing together) can also be fun.

• Do you have a student who struggles with finding ideas to write about? Ask for help with brainstorming activities and other strategies.

• Contact the Curriculum Resource Center for help with even more ideas and resources.

What is the relationship between grammar and writing?

They are not the same thing; grammar is only a part of writing, the part that deals with things like consistent verb tense and subject-verb agreement. Writing is a broader concept covering meanings, ideas, and organization, sometimes referred to as "higher level" skills.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is when a writer uses the words or ideas of others and does not acknowledge the original source or author. Not only is plagiarism poor manners, but it is essentially stealing the work of others and leads to unfortunate academic consequences!

Learning to tell the difference between what needs to be attributed to a source and what doesn't is challenging, and so is learning how to properly integrate the words and ideas of others into one's own writing. Our educators would love to help you learn more about effective strategies, so please don't hesitate to ask for assistance.

Will children learn to write simply by reading widely and often?

Although it is possible, especially for those who are intuitive and have strong communication skills, most students require some form of direct instruction in order to learn the numerous skills and concepts involved in writing well.

Is it important to write in other subject areas besides language arts?

There are many benefits! For one, writing is a way for students to gain a better understanding of a subject because it is usually challenging to write about something you don't know very well. Another benefit is the chance to learn the writing practices of different disciplines, such as with the use of primary source documents in history and with lab reports in science. In addition, writing in a variety of subject areas gives students more time to gain experience with writing in general.