Steps:

1. Plan and Brainstorm - think of some important notes to write down that will help you with your writing. What comes to mind? Just jot notes down, no need for full sentences.

2. Rough Draft - Your rough draft is when you start to write down your ideas into sentences. Get your ideas onto paper...it doesn't need to be perfect!

3. Edit - Read it out loud to someone. This will provide you with an opportunity to determine what you are missing in your writing. Then, review your work and check for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, etc.

4. Final Draft - Rewrite what you have (watch your printing) and add the changes you made.

Remember, you can write about anything and in any form! Postcards, letters, cards, grocery list, journals, emails, research, recipe, etc.

A book in hand is always the best way to read, but you can read in many ways and in many places! Find a comfy spot, read silently or read aloud. Listen to an audiobook. Read a book to a sibling. Read the recipe out loud when you are cooking/baking. There are many ways to become a more fluent reader!

Even though we do this daily, you can start to implement these strategies into your daily reading. Some questions to ask yourself: what led the character to do that? What is the setting? What characteristics are important to this character? How do you think the story will end? If you were the author, what would you change? What information do you need more of?

You can always practice spelling using Scrabble Tiles, play Hangman, use a dictionary to look up challenging words, or use Spelling City. Find a difficult word in a newspaper article or online article, write down the word, look up the word, and create your own dictionary.