Reason to Write: Help Your Child Succeed in School and Life Through Better Reasoning and Clear Communication, Elementary School Edition - Softcover

Reeves, Douglas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743230450 ISBN 13: 9780743230452

Publisher: Kaplan Publishing, 2002

Synopsis

REASON to WRITE Elementary School Edition You can help your child: Read with greater understanding Improve in all academic areas Develop a sense of community and social responsibility Succeed on tests Award-winning author Dr. Douglas Reeves offers parents a simple, practical, and effective approach to helping children develop good writing skills. Through writing, children build thinking, reasoning, and communication skills that carry lifelong benefits. Reason to Write includes: An overview of the skills and knowledge your child should master at each grade level. A clear, simple system for evaluating your child's writing. An effective approach to identifying areas for improvement without discouraging your young writer. Stress-free tips for tackling writer's block. The top ten mistakes parents make when discussing writing - and how to avoid them. Dozens of ideas for writing activities your child will enjoy. FREE WRITING TOOLS ONLINE! Visit www.reasontowrite.com for brainstorming and organizational tools, writing tips, evaluation guides, and more.

About this title

About the Author

Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D. is President of the Center for Performance Assessment and the International Center for Educational Accountability. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including the 20-Minute Learning Connection series, which received a prestigious Parent's Choice Award. He works with parents, teachers, and school leaders throughout the world to raise student achievement and improve educational practices.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: Why Is Writing So Important?

The schools our children attend today are different from those of a generation ago. The difference between our memories of elementary school and today's reality for our children can lead to conflicting emotions. On the one hand, we want our children to have more opportunities, better education, and a more sound preparation for the rigors of secondary school than we had. On the other hand, many parents occasionally wish that today's schools were more familiar, with a little less structure, fewer tests, and more fun.

Never before have there been such high expectations for all children -- not just a few -- for greater performance in more academic areas. Many parents of children in elementary school today recall their own early experiences with writing as a series of creative stories and neatly stapled book reports, each returned with a smiley face and a letter grade, and perhaps an encouraging remark about our neat handwriting or our effort. In the general scheme of things, the importance of writing fell somewhere after reading and math, and the "rules" certainly seemed a lot fuzzier. Certain things were clear -- we had to begin our sentences with capital letters, and every sentence needed to end with a period or a question mark or an exclamation point -- but many things were not. What were the hallmarks of a "good" story? Why did the book report we worked so hard on only earn a B? Somehow we muddled through without ever really understanding the rules.

The expectations for our children are very different. Creative stories are sandwiched between requirements for persuasive and analytical essays. Requirements for spelling, grammar, and punctuation are accompanied by demands for transitions, word choice, research, technology applications, and a consideration of the writer's audience. Because the expectations for performance are new, parents such as Barbara Simpson find a wide gulf between what she regards as acceptable school performance and what teachers, school districts, and state education officials have determined are the requirements for her daughter's success.

Barbara enjoys the daily routine she calls "mining the backpack." After supper, she unzips Kristin's backpack and removes the day's papers, cookie crumbs, and messages to parents. Recently, along with the calendars and lunch menus, she found a form with the words KRISTIN ANNE SIMPSON -- STATE WRITING TEST REPORT emblazoned across the top in formal block type. Her eyes scanned the results. "What do they mean she is progressing?" Barbara asked herself. A fourth grader, Kristin, had always received A's and B's, and she particularly enjoyed writing. Now Barbara suspected that something was wrong. While the meaning of "progressing" was not clear from the report, she knew that it was not at all the same as "advanced" or "proficient." Barbara had never considered the possibility that Kristin was doing any less than what was expected of a fourth grader. Her desk was neat, her homework completed on time, and her parent-teacher conferences always full of good news. The messages were inconsistent, and Barbara knew that there were more state writing tests in the years ahead.

This was not Barbara's first encounter with the new school requirements for writing. Last year, when Kristin's brother, Michael, was in the fifth grade, he brought home a science report that had corrections in spelling and punctuation. His social studies reports were graded not only for content, but also for written expression. "Why are they grading English in a science project?" she wondered. She recalled viewing with pride Michael's elaborate maps of Africa and his history timelines for his social studies classes, and then sharing his disappointment when his writing skills were part of his evaluation. Now in his first year of middle school, Michael is facing the same demands. "Writing across the curriculum," his teachers call it. Whatever the label, Barbara thought, school is a lot different today than it was twenty years ago.

As a child, Barbara enjoyed writing. She remembers receiving her first diary for her ninth birthday and how much she loved keeping her thoughts in it. She still did that and was delighted that Kristin was doing the same thing. An official announcement that the quality of Kristin's writing was somehow deficient might extinguish the creative spark that Barbara wanted to nourish. Kristin's teacher applauded her writing, invariably attaching stars, rainbows, and kind comments to every story. "I've got to get to the bottom of this," Barbara said to herself. Then the nightly mining of the backpack revealed another paper, this one with the principal's photocopied signature at the bottom.

"Please join me for an informal discussion of student achievement in our school," the invitation from the principal began. "I always enjoy hearing from parents about their views of student performance. I will also be happy to answer your questions about standards and testing, including any concerns you may have about the new state writing test. Refreshments will be served."

He wants to hear my views? Barbara thought. He didn't ask my opinion last year when all these new things started. I can't believe all the stuff they want kids to do today. It's not enough that Kristin reads better than other fourth graders and does fine in math. The report from school said that she needs to write essays -- in fourth grade! Frankly, I'm not sure if they need all that. I never had to write essays until high school. If the principal really wants to hear from parents, I'll be there. This stuff is getting out of hand. There's nothing wrong with my daughter, she concluded. Why are they making her take these writing tests anyway? Why can't writing just be fun?

Barbara deserves an answer, and her principal must come up with something more persuasive than "The state department of education requires it." Parents across the nation are noticing that student writing requirements are changing in content, frequency, and importance. Although the reasons to write may be clear to educational researchers, the rationale is not clear for many parents. Let us consider four fundamental reasons why every student should write frequently:

1. Writing improves reading comprehension.

2. Writing improves student performance in other academic areas, including social studies, science, and mathematics.

3. Writing contributes to a sense of connection and personal efficacy by participation in society.

4. Writing, particularly with evaluation, editing, revision, and rewriting, will improve the ability of a student to communicate and succeed on state and local writing tests.

Writing Improves Reading

The connection between writing and reading is subtle. Some parents and more than a few teachers assume that literacy development is a linear sequence, beginning with speaking, proceeding to reading, and ending with writing. "Do you really expect students to begin writing before they are proficient readers?" comes the inevitable challenge. In a word, yes. In fact, students will not become proficient readers unless they begin writing about what they have read.

Ask your child these questions: "What makes for a good reader?" "How are good readers different from kids who are not such good readers?" You are likely to hear responses such as the following:

"A good reader knows all the words."

"A good reader says the words correctly."

"A good reader can read very fast."

"A good reader reads big books."

If the same question is put to teachers, however, you are likely to hear a quite different definition. The importance of comprehension, including the ability to summarize text and draw inferences from facts presented in the text, will dominate the discussion. While this may seem obvious in the abstract, it is not obvious to the parent who has just been told that her child needs extra help in reading. "What do you mean that she's not a good reader? She reads to me every night flawlessly!" The statement is true. Unfortunately, the child reads flawlessly because the story, repeated night after night, has been memorized. The parent listens approvingly, but enunciation of words and comprehension of ideas remain two distinct abilities.

Writing can help bridge the gap between decoding words and understanding their meaning. Your child's ability to write a summary or a reflective response to what he has read will provide you with valuable feedback about how well he understands what he is reading. The process of writing will help your child explore his ideas about what he has read. The reading-writing connection will be discussed at greater length in chapter 4.

Writing Improves Performance in All Academic Areas

The second argument for more student writing is the improvement of academic performance in every other academic area. Student performance is typically measured in the classroom, through the assignment of grades and through the administration of state or district tests. On both of these indicators of student performance, more frequent student writing is associated with improved performance. Interestingly, students who write more frequently perform better not only on essay exams or other tests that require student writing, but also on multiple-choice tests across a range of subjects. This is great news for parents who have been concerned about excessive test preparation in schools or the replacement of thinking and reasoning in the curriculum with activities that they equate with test gamesmanship. When students engage in frequent writing, particularly with specific feedback, editing, and revision, they are building their reasoning and thinking skills. While parents on both sides of the emotional school testing issue may disagree about the value and appropriateness of testing, they should find common ground on the elevation of thinking and reasoning skills over test prep. If you detest the idea of school becoming an academic boot camp filled with six hours a day of practice multiple-choice test questions, then you should support student writing for its engagement, interest, and fun. If you worry about your child's performance in the world of high-stakes testing, then you too should support student writing, because it is the skill most directly related to improved scores in reading, social studies, science, and even mathematics.

The reason for the strong relationship between writing and test performance is unclear, but it probably relates to the relationship between writing and thinking. In order to write well, students must think in a logical manner, proceeding from beginning, to middle, to end. They must think in an analytical manner, considering similarities and differences. Thus, when they write well, they think well. And when students think well, they perform better in any context.

Writing Is Essential for Communication in a Democracy

The third response to the question, Why write? lies at the heart of our relationship with other individuals and institutions in our society. Citizens have influence only to the extent that they use it, and writing transforms an important but silent idea into a powerful source of influence. Legislators and policy makers are routinely deluged with mail. They can tell the difference between the form letters and the rare notes that are crafted by a constituent who cared enough about an issue to write persuasively and passionately. State legislators and United States senators, mayors and presidents, governors and cabinet secretaries can all tell the difference between these two methods of expression. Students and other citizens must write to a specific audience and must write with a purpose. One of the most important activities described in this book is the composition of letters for public officials. When students are passionate, they are more likely to write with feeling, clarity, and persuasive impact. Whether you have a first grader who is worried about the preservation of a local park, a third grader concerned about the purity of the water, or a fifth grader who has strong opinions about terrorism and war, now is the time to lay the foundation for the use of compelling prose as a right and responsibility of citizens in a free society. The first time that your child receives a letter from a member of Congress or other public official, you will witness the birth of a committed author of letters to public officials. The response will not contain a sea of red ink or critical remarks about the rules of grammar. Responses from public officials are usually respectful and indicate that the letter authored by your child was taken seriously. Of the many keys to student motivation, one of the most important is efficacy, the perception by students that their personal efforts have an impact and can influence the actions of others. Writing letters that elicit a response is a practice that nurtures efficacy and, as a result, fosters motivation in the student writer. Chapter 10 considers the writing of letters, and chapter 13 provides some practical ideas for the creation of persuasive essays.

There is a power in persuasive writing that extends beyond influencing public policy. Every time students write, they rekindle the spark that says, "My words matter." A generation ago, I recall my wide-eyed response at the letter from the governor of Massachusetts in response to my request for information as part of a second-grade project. As I write this chapter, my eight-year old son is close by, carefully crafting the letter he will send to the president of the United States. It is part of a Cub Scout project in which the children have raised money to help Afghan children. Each student will send not only money, but also ideas, appreciation, and good wishes.

Writing also builds a bridge from those who receive the protections that our society offers to those who provide those protections. Before children take the initiative to write, the two parties are linked by an abstract social bargain. After an exchange of letters, there are names, families, faces, and feelings that link the public servants of a democracy and its beneficiaries. There are many soldiers who celebrate holidays alone and whose loneliness is temporarily relieved by letters from schoolchildren. Firefighters, police officers, and other public safety professionals have received letters with which they decorate their walls, displaying the written expressions of love, hope, and appreciation from children.

The opportunities for students to express themselves in a democracy include not only correspondence with government officials, but with other institutions whose decisions affect the daily lives of children. Think of the ways your child interacts with a local business owner, physician, or librarian, each of whom could be influenced in their decisions by a student's carefully written letter. Consider the last time your child was dissatisfied with a purchase and a victim of deceptive advertising. A letter might be the perfect way for your child to state her grievance and request a remedy. If, on the other hand, your child has been particularly delighted with the courtesy of a store owner, the kindness of a doctor, or the brilliance of a toy design, a letter expressing these sentiments will also make an impression.

Writing Improves Writing

This may sound obvious, but the process of writing, editing, and rewriting will help your child become a better writer. If I were writing a book about basketball, the following comment would not seem particularly insightful: "The way to improve shooting free throws is to shoot more free throws." The insight is less obvious when the subject is the act of taking pen in hand to commit ideas to paper. Writing is so easily avoided, and the demands for writing are so infrequent that very bright children can emerge from elementary school with good reading skills, splendid social skills, and superb academic gamesmanship, and yet face the prospect of entering their middle-school years as dreadful writers. That gap between the demands of secondary school and the meager writing skills possessed by these students will undermine their self-confidence and motivation, with detrimental impact on every subject.

Students will not become better writers through tricks or sleight of hand. They will become better writers by writing more frequently and, most important, critically reviewing their work, revising it, and getting detailed feedback from other writers, including fellow students, teachers, and parents. Watch children engaged in an activity that they find satisfying and at which they succeed. Whether it is basketball, music, field hockey, or art, these activities share common characteristics. Students know the rules of the game, and the definition of success is clear. Students help one another with encouragement and correction. Teachers and coaches also know the criteria for success, and thus give students consistent messages about their performance. Success is achieved incrementally. The novice does not instantly acquire the skills of Michael Jordan or Arthur Rubinstein, but rather shoots just one more basket or plays one more correct note. So it is with writing. The trick for parents is to find ways to create the same level of excitement and engagement in writing that children find in other rewarding activities.

When Your Child Is Frustrated with Writing

As you work through the ideas in this book, you can anticipate your child's occasional frustrations. The words won't come out quite right the first time. The ideas will be wonderful, but the penmanship illegible. The paragraph might be perfect, but the computer may crash. What was an exciting project a few minutes before will suddenly become the source of criticism, confrontation, and tears. When these inevitable frustrations arise, step back and consider why we are devoting time to writing. Whether your child is writing a movie review, a science report, a letter to a grandparent, an argument to be delivered to a public official, or any of the many writing projects in the chapters to follow, the power, joy, improved reading, and excellent writing that will result from these activities must be weighed against the occasional frustrations. To keep the power of positive writing experiences clearly in evidence, consider a "wall of fame" for your child's best writing projects. A bulletin board or a special folder can serve this purpose. Whatever format you use, the response to inevitable frustrations need not be confrontation and tests of wills, but rather a recollection of success and the extraordinary emotional satisfaction associated with your child's best writing experiences.

Copyright © 2002 by Douglas Reeves, Ph.D.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743230450
• ISBN 13: 9780743230452
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208