Should you help your child with writing? YES. The Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) suggests that you help your child with writing. OERI believes you, a parent, can make a big difference. You can use helping strategies that are simple and fun. You can use them to help your child learn to write well–and to enjoy doing it!

Helping your child with writing will help your child to:
• Do well in school
• Enjoy self-expression
• Become more self-reliant

You know how important writing will be to your child’s life. It will be important from first-grade through college and throughout adulthood.

Unfortunately, “many schools are unable to give children sufficient instruction in writing.” There are various reasons: teachers aren’t trained to teach writing skills, writing classes may be too large, it’s often difficult to measure writing skills, etc.

Study after study shows that students’ writing lacks clarity, coherence, and organization. Only a few students can write persuasive essays or competent business letters. As many as one out of four have serious writing difficulties. And students say they like writing less and less as they go through school.

Things to Know about Student Writing

Writing is more than putting words on paper. It’s a final stage in the complex process of communicating that begins with “thinking.” Writing is an especially important stage in communication, the intent being to leave no room for doubt. Has any country ratified a verbal treaty?

One of the first means of communication for your child is through drawing. Do encourage the child to draw and to discuss his/her drawings. Ask questions: What is the boy doing? Does the house look like ours? Can you tell a story about this picture?

Most children’s basic speech patterns are formed by the time they enter school. By that time children speak clearly, recognize most letters of the alphabet, and may try to write. Show an interest in, and ask questions about, the things your child says, draws, and may try to write.

Writing well requires:
• Clear thinking. Sometimes the child needs to have his/her memory refreshed about a past event in order to write about it.
• Sufficient time. Children may have `stories in their heads’ but need time to think them through and write them down. School class periods are often not long enough.
• Reading. Reading can stimulate a child to write about his/her own family or school life. If your child reads good books, (s)he will be a better writer.
• A Meaningful Task. A child needs meaningful, not artificial writing tasks. You’ll find suggestions for such tasks in the section, “Things To Do.”
• Interest. All the time in the world won’t help if there is nothing to write, nothing to say. Some of the reasons for writing include: sending messages, keeping records, expressing feelings, or relaying information.
• Practice. And more practice.
• Revising. Students need experience in revising their work– i.e, seeing what they can do to make it clearer, more descriptive, more concise, etc.

Pointers for Parents in Helping Their Child Write Better

In helping your child to learn to write well, remember that your goal is to make writing easier and more enjoyable.

Provide a place. It’s important for a child to have a good place to write–a desk or table with a smooth, flat surface and good lighting.

Have the materials. Provide plenty of paper–lined and unlined–and things to write with, including pencils, pens, and crayons.

Allow time. Help your child spend time thinking about a writing project or exercise. Good writers do a great deal of thinking. Your child may dawdle, sharpen a pencil, get papers ready, or look up the spelling of a word. Be patient–your child may be thinking.

Respond. Do respond to the ideas your child expresses verbally or in writing. Make it clear that you are interested in the true function of writing which is to convey ideas. This means focusing on “what” the child has written, not “how” it was written. It’s usually wise to ignore minor errors, particularly at the stage when your child is just getting ideas together.

Don’t you write it! Don’t write a paper for your child that will be turned in as his/her work. Never rewrite a child’s work. Meeting a writing deadline, taking responsibility for the finished product, and feeling ownership of it are important parts of writing well.

Praise. Take a positive approach and say something good about your child’s writing. Is it accurate? Descriptive? Thoughtful? Interesting? Does it say something?

Things to Do to Help Your Child Write Better

Make it real. Your child needs to do real writing. It’s more important for the child to write a letter to a relative than it is to write a one-line note on a greeting card. Encourage the child to write to relatives and friends. Perhaps your child would enjoy corresponding with a pen pal.

Suggest note-taking. Encourage your child to take notes on trips or outings and to describe what (s)he saw. This could include a description of nature walks, a boat ride, a car trip, or other events that lend themselves to note-taking.

Brainstorm. Talk with your child as much as possible about his/her impressions and encourage the child to describe people and events to you. If the child’s description is especially accurate and colorful, say so.

Encourage keeping a journal. This is excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for venting feelings. Encourage your child to write about things that happen at home and school, about people (s)he likes or dislikes and why, things to remember or things the child wants to do. Especially encourage your child to write about personal feelings–pleasures as well as disappointments. If the child wants to share the journal with you, read the entries and discuss them–especially the child’s ideas and perceptions.

Write together. Have your child help you with letters, even such routine ones as ordering items from an advertisment or writing to a business firm. This helps the child to see firsthand that writing is important to adults and truly useful.

Use games. There are numerous games and puzzles that help a child to increase vocabulary and make the child more fluent in speaking and writing. Remember, building a vocabulary builds confidence. Try crossword puzzles, word games, anagrams and cryptograms de- signed especially for children. Flash cards are good, too, and they’re easy to make at home.

Suggest making lists. Most children like to make lists just as they like to count. Encourage this. Making lists is good practice and helps a child to become more organized. Boys and girls might make lists of their records, tapes, baseball cards, dolls, furniture in a room, etc. They could include items they want. It’s also good practice to make lists of things to do, schoolwork, dates for tests, social events, and other reminders.

Encourage copying. If a child likes a particular song, suggest learning the words by writing them down–replaying the song on your stereo/tape player or jotting down the words whenever the song is played on a radio program. Also encourage copying favorite poems or quotations from books and plays.

In order to transform your child into a confident author, be sure to check out the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” school and home study program.

I once taught a 5th grade G.A.T.E. class at a very affluent school for the final two months of the school year.  It was my off-track vacation time and their teacher could not finish the year. I had never seen students like these before. These kids openly, in fact brazenly did the math when receiving an assignment. They cared about the writing assignment exactly as much as the math told them to care about it.

These are the two “MATH QUESTIONS” that came out of their mouths NON-STOP:
1. Is this graded?
2. How much of our grade is it?

Depending on the answers to those two questions they would quickly determine how much they were going to invest in the assignment.

They would decide:
• I better get started on it now and I better do a great job. Also, I had better check my work for careless mistakes.
Or
• I can goof off for 7 minutes and then quickly dash off the assignment. I’ll probably get an A, but if I get a B, it’s not that important because this one grade shouldn’t affect my overall grade.
Or
• This isn’t graded? Hey, Joe, what are you doing after school?

If it wasn’t graded… they didn’t care about the assignment. (It is different when a class has experienced multiple teachers but still… I had never done so much grading in my life. I learned a lot from that high-achieving G.A.T.E. class.) 

Struggling Students ALSO Do the MATH before they do the WRITING

A lot of inner-city students, remedial students, ESL students, and students with learning disabilities also do the math before they start their writing assignment… and for them, they don’t like how it all adds up.

For them… it adds up to failure… so why get started?

I teach lots of kids in this latter category and I learned early in my teaching career that I have got to get them writing and I have got to get them writing fast. Quite simply, teaching students how to get an assignment, break it down, and then start and finish the assignment changes “the math” for them.

After they are “writing fast” I can layer all kinds of fantastic writing instruction on top of these core writing skills. With these core writing skills firmly in place, students seem to respond about 50% better to all the other writing instruction I layer on top.

With these core skills in place “THE MATH” has changed so students invest more. They are just like the G.AT.E. kids!

THEN ADD LAYERS OF DEPTH

Acting with an Accent

In “acting” an actor creates the character and then they just “layer on” the accent.  The accent is like a hat or a costume that they put on top of the character. The character is all the things the person says, does, thinks, feels, and believes. The character is THE PERSON they are playing. The accent is not the character. The accent is just a layer on top of the person.

Poor actors think the accent is the character. With these actors it is very easy to see the accent. In fact, that is often all you can see. This makes it very difficult to see a real person underneath that accent.

The heart of teaching elementary students (and remedial writers in higher grades) how to be successful writers has to do with three aspects of writing:
1. How real writing is really about communication
2. How to get the job done in the time allowed
3. How to approach an assignment

Good writers and successful students have mastered how to receive an assignment… break it down, organize their thoughts and then quickly start and finish the assignment. In short, they can write fast!

Be sure to read the next blog post on “Teaching Children to Write FAST Using the Timed Writing System.”

• In High School, I was “taught” to write five-paragraph essays (and when I say “taught,” I mean “forced.”) The five-paragraph essay was the only form allowed in Sophomore English class.
• I hope it’s not taught anymore.
• -my daughter hated it. She would have crying fits each and every time.

Global warming, the budget deficit, budget cuts, taxes, conservatives, liberals, rap music… yes people get very emotional over hot topics. I just was not aware that the five-paragraph essay fell into this category.

Five-Paragraph Essay Advice given… but was it Taken?

When taking the CBEST test to become a teacher, an experienced teacher told me, “Just write a five-paragraph essay. Don’t write about anything you care about. Introduction, three paragraphs, conclusion… that’s it. Nothing more! Remember, don’t write about anything you care about!”

Did I follow that advice? No. I’m not going to write about something I don’t care about. However, half way into the CBEST essay section, those words of… advice… came echoing through my frustration. I was lost. I was in over my head. I was in a heated state of passion… and I was going to prove my point. Hmm, what is my point? Where am I headed? How am I going to finish this? What am I trying to say?

Well, I got out of that jam… and I’m happy to say I received a great grade. My position is that writing about something you care about always pays off. However, that advice stuck in my mind long after that test and influenced how I taught writing once I became a teacher. 

Wikipedia Describes the Five-Paragraph Essay

The five-paragraph essay is a form of written argument. It is a common requisite in assignments in middle school, high school, and university and sometimes elementary school. The format requires an essay to have five paragraphs: one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs with support and development, and one concluding paragraph. Because of this structure, it is also known as a hamburger essay or a three tier essay. Recently, a simpler version of the five paragraph essay, called the Painted EssayTM, has been designed as a pedagogical tool for elementary school teachers. The Painted EssayTM combines the traditional structure of the five paragraph essay with color, activity and oral practice to teach younger students about the relationship among the components of a well written piece.

The five-paragraph essay format is also applied to speech making, with some college classes teaching the five-paragraph format, along with an organized system of outlining and pre-writing the speech.  

That’s the five-paragraph essay in a nutshell! That does not seem like it should get anyone hot under the collar. What cause is there to be against teaching the five-paragraph essay? Before you answer that question… ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you also against paragraph form?
2. Are you also against beginning, middles and endings?
3. Are you also against introductions, bodies, and conclusions?
4. Are you in favor of rambling and pointless essays?

Based on what the Wiki says… as well as my personal answers to those four questions, I am taking a stand. THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY MUST BE TAUGHT! There… I said it!

Teaching the 5-paragraph essay teaches students that:

1. They must write in paragraph form.
2. They must have a beginning, middle and ending.
3. A beginning, middle and ending is essentially the same thing as an introduction, body, and conclusion.
4. They cannot ramble. They must be headed in a direction and get there.

The five-paragraph essay is the easiest, fastest, and best way to teach all this. It teaches GOOD THINKING. I have to admit, I’m not as much a fan of “five-paragraph essay writing” as I am a fan of “FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY THINKING.”

So the Remaining Issues are:
• When?
• For how long?

1. When must the 5-paragraph essay be taught?
2. For how long must students write in 5-paragraph essay format?

The 5-paragraph essay is “essays for beginners.” All students past a certain age should be able to write a 5-paragraph essay at the drop of a hat. What is that certain age? I think it should be mastered in elementary school, but only because it CAN be mastered in elementary school. It definitely should not be an issue in high school for any student.

Even though the 5-paragraph essay is “essays for beginners” it is okay if there is still a strong emphasis put on it in high school and in college. That’s fine… but in high school and in college it should be the equivalent of knowing your multiplication tables. Students should be able to whip one out in nothing flat.

The five-paragraph essay is a tool. It is not an end in itself. The greatest benefit that comes from being able to write “the five-paragraph essay” is the awareness of “five-paragraph essay thinking.”

 “Five-paragraph essay thinking” provides value for a lifetime. Whether you are giving a speech or…  whatever task one is doing… being aware of how things tie together, where you are headed, and how you will wrap things up… will always be “in style.”

If your students write three paragraphs, seven paragraphs or fifteen paragraphs… with “five paragraph essay thinking” GREAT! If you will only accept five paragraphs, nothing more or less, your students will eventually feel as the people at the top of this page felt.

In short “five paragraph essay THINKING” is always rewarded and in style. Do you know how to teach your students to THINK in five-paragraph essay format? (“Pattern Based Writing” does!)

I have experienced these “extreme teaching situations” in both inner-city elementary schools and inner-city middle schools. No, I have not taught high school. (My guess is it is easier than middle school. It would almost have to be.)

A huge task and the main key to classroom management in these situations is you have to get the kids working. If you really want to pull the class together you have to get the kids writing. If you want to make it a “normal class” you have to get the kids writing… and it has to be thoughtful work that they take pride in.

In these middle school situations… there are some students who are reluctant to even pick up their pencil.

Can You Draw a Circle? “No. It’s too hard.”

Here is an example of reluctance. It involves a middle school student in one of the situations described above. We were drawing a rather complicated multistep illustration. The illustration starts simple enough. “Draw this circle.” He wouldn’t. “It was too hard.”

Now I assumed… it was not the circle that was too hard, but it was the aspect of the following steps that made this student reluctant to even start. I ended up having a student come over from another class and help him draw circles. That was the last time this student would not start.

So part of the solution is you need to motivate students to “begin.” They cannot give up before they even start.

A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step.
Lao-tzu (c 604-c 531 bc)

Then it’s Step-by-Step

With a lot of the writing instruction reluctant and remedial writers think, “Stop with the words. Just tell me what to do. Make this a “how-to” and not a cryptic message.”

When you tell these reluctant writers in clear and simple terms “how-to” … they will do it. No one likes to fail. Kids and adults alike will not even begin something if they know they are going to fail. “No. I’m not going to do that… because I don’t understand how to do that… and I’m not going to do something that I just know I am going to fail at.”

For many people this will remind them of how they feel about singing, public speaking, dancing, or sports. This is how these very reluctant student writers feel about writing.

The solution here is to break down the writing process into manageable steps… while also maintaining student interest. With these very reluctant writers, if you do not tie all the steps together they will lose interest or give up.

These students do not want “information.” They want “how-to.” If it does not connect you are just giving them information. They don’t want that. They already have heard that same “information” a thousand times. “How-to” means it is all connected to an end result.

Middle School and High School Reluctant Writers

If you start by saying exactly what they have already “heard a thousand times” these students will not be interested. “We know that already!” The truth is they do know it… they just don’t get it.

I’ve been getting more and more letters from middle school and high school teachers and parents asking if the “Pattern Based Writing” program will work with their remedial and reluctant writers. The answer is… YES.

Is it going to be too easy? No. This is not a childish writing program. The fact that it works with 3rd graders from the inner city just means that it’s effective… not simple. Older kids will not be insulted by the language or the ideas.

Most of the program is simply approaching all the ideas they don’t understand in a way that will make sense to them. This is a “how-to” system.

In a Perfect World

In a perfect world we would not have reluctant or remedial writers in middle school and high school. My honest (and maybe biased) opinion is that “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” is the solution.

In good conscious I have to call “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” remedial for middle school and high school. Why? Because if it is used in elementary school they will be FANTASTIC WRITERS in middle school and high school.

The questions to ask are:
• Are your students reluctant or remedial writers?
• Has other methods failed them?
• Are you planning on doing exactly what has not worked already for these kids?
• Is the language you are going to use to teach them writing boring and tired?
• Do your kids say, “We already know that?”

Here are just a few of the problems middle school and high school teachers and parent have written to me about:
• My students don’t even write in complete sentences.
• My students say the writing prompt is stupid and they won’t write about that subject. When I let them choose they can’t think of anything to write about.
• My middle school students don’t write in paragraph form. I’m shocked and am not sure what to do because… they are in middle school. Why don’t they know this?

I have had great success in the most extreme middle school classrooms that one can imagine. The program is transformational for these struggling students. No, I have not taught high school… but I have seen high school writing that I knew “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” would greatly improve.

Remember, there is a 100% “no funny business” money back guarantee… so be sure to check out the writing program on the main page. Don’t be worried that the pictures show some kids who may be younger than your students. The program will make your mind spin at times… and then when you see how the entire puzzle fits together… there will be clarity.

Daily Oral Language was so hot for so long… but it has fallen on some hard times. It’s still popular but it seems there is quite a backlash against it. It hasn’t really panned out according to “the research.” That being said many, many teachers simply love it. You’ll find out why.

I’ve personally always liked it. Why? Because it’s fun! Read on to find out how to make it more than just fun and MAXIMIZE your D.O.L. time. 

If you are really serious about creating “a class of writers,” be sure to find out about the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program on the homepage.

Why Daily Oral Language is Fun – Have you ever seen someone beautifully dressed… and what did you notice? The tiny stain on their shirt! Psychologically we are wired to like to “find what is wrong.” It’s fun for us. It’s fun now… but “back on the savannah” this ability served a real purpose. It was life and death. If you couldn’t figure out what was wrong with a situation… you didn’t last long. I’ve heard some people say that Daily Oral Language is boring. For higher grade levels it could be. There are Daily Oral Language programs up through at least Grade 12. I could see it get a little boring… day after day… year after year… My students have always thought it’s fun. Me too!

Research Pro Daily Oral Language - Regular skills practice improves skill retention and delivers the message to students that the skills that they are developing are important. Allowing students to build understanding over time with continuous review has proven to be an effective way to maintain skills and an understanding of critical concepts. Content delivered incrementally promotes continuous learning and understanding thus building and maintaining knowledge. (Baratta-Lorton, 1994).

Research Con Daily Oral Language - Teaching conventions in isolation is ineffective at best, because students need opportunities to apply their knowledge of conventions to their writing. Even daily oral language activities are a waste of time for students without procedural knowledge of how and when to use conventions in writing. Consequently, the most effective way to teach conventions is to integrate instruction directly into the writing process. (Kathleen Cali, Learn NC)

Can we agree with both? Because I do!

The Mathematics of Time - Does it work or doesn’t it work is always a mathematical equation involving time. If you’re spending an hour on Daily Oral Language, it is probably not a good use of time. If you get it done and discussed FAST … you are probably getting a lot of bang for your buck. You want to make sure that you get your implementation system down to a science. Daily Oral Language is intended to be a quick daily review… 5, 10, 15… 20 minutes max.

The Perfectionist Time Trap and Solutions – Perfectionists are going to want to give direct instruction on every concept covered. If you give a lot of direct instruction on every concept covered, it’s going to take a lot of time. This is the wrong way to use Daily Oral Language. There are other, better direct instruction ways to teach grammar skills. Avoid this perfectionist time trap! (If you are falling into this time trap keep reading because I offer lots of solutions.)

Grammar Instruction or Proofreading Practice – A common criticism of Daily Oral Language is that it really only teaches proofreading while what it is supposed to be doing is reviewing and teaching grammar skills. This analysis is quite valid, however not exactly true. Lots of teachers and lots of students have been thrilled with the results they have gotten. It fits into their day just perfect and they know how to get the most out of it. The better a teacher understands ALL the grammar rules… the more they can get out of Daily Oral Language. The better a teacher is at teaching grammar off of the top of their head… the more teaching moments they will be able to find and maximize.

How Can You Review Skills that Students Haven’t Learned?  – Another common criticism of Daily Oral Language is that the exercises contain too many skills that students have not yet learned. This leads to too much time being spent on direct instruction for which there are better resources other than a teacher’s sheer brilliance and sweat. Here are three solutions.

•  Solution 1: You pre-teach weeks ahead. Know what coming up and make sure you have given direct instruction on important concepts. You probably won’t be able to get to all of them… but you can greatly increase the effectiveness and reduce frustration this way. (It would be great if there were a daily oral language grammar direct instruction program that quickly pre-taught the daily oral language skills a few weeks ahead. Spiraling is a MAJOR key to both learning and teaching!)
• Solution 2: You pre-teach right before you do the Daily Oral Language. There is not much point in doing an exercise for which a large majority will fail so why not pre-teach a rule or two. You can even bring some fun into it by making it a challenge. (Ex. Here are two grammar rules. Just one of them is in today’s assignment. See if you can figure out which one it is.) 
• Solution 3: You go down a grade. Lots of people do. The key to Daily Oral Language is that it is a fast review. If you can’t do it fast you shouldn’t be using Daily Oral Language. You are better off with a direct instruction grammar program that spirals the learning. Daily Oral Language has value if you can do it fast… so go down a grade. 

Bridging the Gap to What’s Important With Teachable Moments – There is a “game” aspect to Daily Oral Language and that’s what makes it fun. “Find the mistake” is a little different than “memorize this rule.” The teacher will need to bridge the gap to the state test and to real writing. Half of Daily Oral Language’s success is about having the opportunity to find lots of “teachable moments.”

Busy Work or Real Benefit – Teachers have a lot to do! As such, teachers often have a task that they like to get done while students do the Daily Oral Language. A real complement to Daily Oral Language is that teachers know their students will be ENGAGED enough so that they can get something done. The effect of this is that some teachers may use D.O.L. in a way that may be considered “busy work.” I don’t mean that exactly in a bad way, though. There are things that teachers need to get done… such as taking role… and you need a routine that has value and for which you know kids will be engaged in. My experience is that like most things, you get out… what you put into it. Are you prepared for the day’s D.O.L. lesson? Have you looked over the lesson and studied the errors? Will you be able to teach and maybe give an extension on each and every rule… or at least one? Do you pre-teach any rules? Even though the teacher is getting something done, they can still be fully prepared beforehand and maximize the benefits of Daily Oral Language.

Daily Oral Language in Elementary Vs. Middle School - There is a definitely a difference between elementary & middle school when it comes to Daily Oral Language. Most of the criticism I see is coming from middle school teachers. That makes sense. When you have an hour with students… and you spend 15 minutes on Daily Oral Language…. It is hard to justify the time. Furthermore, middle school students likely did Daily Oral Language in elementary school. They may see it as doing the exact same thing they did in elementary school… and they don’t like that. A key difference between elementary school D.O.L. and middle school D.O.L. is that elementary school teachers are with the same students all day. Elementary school teachers need to break up the day. There is an art to this. For elementary school teachers D.O.L. can easily serve its purpose and with time to spare!

It’s Too Easy for My Kids – Two simple solutions. One, move up to a higher grade level. Two, pick up the pace. D.O.L. is meant to be a quick review… so see how quick you can make it.  

Classroom Management – D.O.L. is a very good classroom management strategy. This is no secret. Teachers have the kids come in and get started on something that will engage them and get them settled down. I think this reason alone has played a huge part in D.O.L.’s popularity. In many student populations… it’s a great success and a great start just to get the kids to come in and get focused on learning. D.O.L. has the power to achieve this!

The Answers Vary – This may be more common with Daily Language Review (D.L.R.) and it may be more common at different grade levels. If you have 30 students with 15 different correct answers and a few more incorrect answers… and everyone wants to know if theirs is correct… this can be a problem. That can take a lot of time. Remember, D.L.R. is supposed to be a fast review. Your 5-10 minute lesson just turned into a 25-45 minutes lesson. Establish an understanding with your students that you will look at a few answers and then move on. They need to compare theirs with the correct answers.

State Testing – How frustrating is it when it’s test time and you have worked so hard, and you discover that there are areas that you neglected, skipped, or did not think were that important. D.O.L. is a good guard against this. D.O.L. simply brings… peace of mind. 

Built in Spiraling for ESL Students – A great thing about Daily Oral Language is that very few skills fall through the cracks. Not only does it spiral the concepts but it spirals them fast. Having learned a second language, all I can say is that when learning a second language you want to spiral, spiral, spiral… the learning that is. It is the only thing that keeps a person sane. Teachers can harness the power of the built in spiraling of D.O.L.!

Daily Oral Language Vs. Grammar Books Vs. Grammar Supplements – The purpose and intent for each one of these is different. Don’t confuse these different purposes and don’t try to make your D.O.L. time more than it is supposed to be. Each day you need to supplement your D.O.L. with a little direct instruction, but D.O.L. is not a direct instruction program.

Disconnected from Real Writing - This is a big, big con and this is why you want to make sure you don’t invest too much time in it. If “Daily Oral Language does not work”… this is the reason why. However, skilled teachers can bridge the gap, and gaps will need to be bridged. Children will not transfer the skills over the way teachers would like them to. 

Success Now Vs. Success Over Time – It’s incremental progress. You are not going to see mastery of any one skill anytime soon. If you are looking for overnight success it is not going to happen. You do need a little patience and faith.

Daily D.O.L. Vs. D.O.L. From Time to Time – Yes, I know it is called Daily Oral Language and I know the premise is based on the premise that reviewing skills consistently over time leads to success over time. However, even if you don’t use D.O.L. daily… it can still be one more tool in the tool belt. I know some teachers feel they get benefit doing it once a week. I know one teacher that uses a grammar program four times a week and on Friday they do a whole week’s worth of Daily Oral Language.  She calls it “D.O.L. Day.”

“Daily Review of Skills Theory” – Like a lot of “theories” people get too caught up in the “theory.” The “daily skills practice people” would have you practices a quick set of skills for every subject across the board. The “workshop” people would have you doing a “Writer’s Workshop” type workshop for every subject across the board. I’m one of those “balance, balance, balance, and the art of teaching” teachers. I can’t imagine that doing a “Daily Review of Skills” program for every single subject is a great use of time. 

Three Ways to Implement Daily Oral Language:

1. Teacher writes it on the front board. Students write it correctly on paper or in a journal. The class corrects it and discusses it as students come up to the board one by one adding proofreading marks and correcting errors.
2. Use an overhead projector, projector from the computer, or an ELMO Projector. All three of these technologies do allow the teacher to mark-up/correct the D.O.L. With some it’s easier than others. Don’t have students copy it from the source the wrong way first and then correct it. Have them write it out the correct way only.
3. Teacher makes copies and passes it out. Have it waiting on the students’ desks when they return from recess or hand it to them as they walk in. They add proofreading marks and write it out correctly.

A Good Recommendation for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children – From time to time parents ask you how they can help their child. D.O.L. is an excellent recommendation. For a parent, it’s the right amount of work and it sends all the right messages. In a way it’s neutral. Parents aren’t looking for their own child’s mistakes. Together they can correct someone else’s mistakes. Parents like it.

Practicing Errors – Some say it doesn’t work because it’s putting the focus on errors. Well, that same theory would say “don’t proofread because when you find the mistake you will be focusing on errors.”  On the other hand I strongly believe that in life one should focus on where one wants to go instead of what they want to avoid. “Billy, don’t step in that puddle.” What does Billy do? He steps in the puddle. I would never have students write anything the wrong way. If that’s what people are doing… STOP!

Builds Community - Here’s another psychological reason for D.O.L.’s success. They call it the “common enemy” or “us against them” mentality.  With D.O.L. teachers and students alike are all united together against “that silly mistake maker.” “Oh… can you believe THEY did that? WE would never do that! We’re better than that! We’ll fix it!”

Daily Oral Language (D.O.L.) Vs. Daily Language Review (D.L.R.) – There is a difference between these two programs. You will likely prefer one over the other. D.O.L. in particular seems to continue to come out with new programs and new versions, so be sure to check out samples from all the programs before you decide on one.

Authentic Daily Oral Language

Common sense lets us know that when you attach real meaning to something it has more value. When we have “a class of writers” why would we want to spend time with fake mistakes when we can grow from examining our own writing?

I know this is the direction I have been headed for many, many years… and it is the direction for which the research supports. Even still, I like to have a Daily Oral Language or Daily Language Review handy. Why? Because it’s fun, it can break up the day, and it can create community by focusing on THEIR mistakes and not ours!  

If you are really serious about creating “a class of writers,” check out the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program.

1. The topic has not been assigned. Students choose the topic.

2. The topic has been assigned. Students must follow the directions and stay on topic.

Teachers must find the right balance between these two methods when giving assignments.

These ideas will help when you do assign the topic… however they are especially helpful when your students’ topics have not been assigned. These methods are great for eliminating that sinking feeling that students feel when they do not know what to write about.

The Topic has Been Assigned

This is covered extensively in Pattern #13 and Pattern #14 of the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program. Students learn TWO specific strategies for making sure that their writing starts “ON TOPIC” and finishes “ON TOPIC.” Students learn to focus on and follow DIRECTIONS.

The Topic Has Not Been Assigned

Freedom! Students have more freedom, and that means students have a lot more decisions to make. Students sometimes are not quite so thrilled when they discover that the responsibility for these decisions is… theirs.

If the topic has not been assigned, how are students supposed to come up with a topic? Where do good ideas come from? Will any idea do? Or does it have to be a great idea? All of these will be answered below and in the process… your students will become idea machines.

How to Come Up with Great Ideas: It Just Came to Me

Many of the world’s greatest ideas have come to people when they were not trying to come up with them. People ask, “How did you come up with that idea? It’s amazing!” And the other person replies, “It just came to me.”

Here Are Some Places Where Ideas May Just Come to Students

• hiking in the mountains
• taking out the trash
• taking a shower
• laying in bed right before falling asleep
• walking their dog
• grocery shopping with their mom
• stuck in traffic
• cleaning their room
• doing chores
• running an errand
• eating breakfast
• sitting in their backyard looking up at the stars
• daydreaming in class (It happens from time to time, so let’s put it to use.)

Each of the above activities is an activity that keeps a person busy, but does not require great focus or concentration. Often when a person is faced with a difficult decision or problem, someone will say, “Just sleep on it.” It is very likely the next day they will have come to a decision. This shows how so many of the great ideas come to us when we do not have the pressure or stress of trying to come up with a great idea.

The mystery writer Agatha Christie once said, “The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” I rest my case!

Three Ways to Save that Great Idea for Later: Harness Those Quiet Times and Harvest a Bounty of Great Ideas!

What will students want to save? Here are a few ideas!

• Interesting words or phrases
• Colorful descriptions
• Things that happened
• Things people said
• Things they saw
• Ideas for stories
• Inventions
• Things they wonder about
• Things that seem impossible
• How they or someone else felt
• How to solve a problem 
• Something that was strange
• Something that was incredible

1. Scratch It

Many, many writers always have a pen and some scratch paper close at hand. Most any movie or television show where a writer is on screen, sooner or later, you will see the writer reach into his or her pocket, take out a pen and paper, and say, “Oh, I have got to write that down.” They know they can’t afford to wait until it is time to write, to come up with those great ideas.

Provide students with a “Scratch It Idea Sheet.” This is a handy way to make sure students always have a piece of paper handy to get down those great ideas.

One of the best places to keep a pen and paper handy is right next to the bed at night. The poet Carrie Latet said, “If I’m trying to sleep, the ideas won’t stop. If I’m trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness.” In other words, get students in the habit of not waiting until it’s too late. Let’s see how many of those great ideas your students can save.

What do students do with their collections of great ideas? They can create a piggy bank of sorts for great ideas. “The Idea Bank” Use a box or container and cut a slit or hole in the top. Have students decorate them to reflect their unique personality. At the end of the day, slide all of those scraps of paper with all those great ideas they have collected throughout the day in through the top. They will be amazed at how many ideas they have collected when they sort through them a month, or even a week later.

In order to save these great ideas for eternity, have students transfer them to the computer. Have students list the ideas in the order they get them, or they can organize these great ideas into categories using “a table.”

2. Record It

Another common way to capture all those great ideas is it to carry around a voice recorder. These days many cell phones and mp3 players also have the ability to be used as a voice recorder to store all those great ideas. Have students transfer these to paper or the computer.

3. Journal It

One last and very common technique that writers use is to keep a “Writer’s Journal.” In this journal they write down great and even not so great ideas that come to them. The journal gives the writer plenty of space to explore their many ideas. This then helps them decide which ideas they would like to turn into essays or stories. It also provides a writer a safe place to write in freedom, freedom from evaluation, judgment, and grades. It’s a place to write, but not a place where one must be correct. It’s a place for ideas!

Do you teach “grammar” when you teach children about sentences… or do you teach “writing” when you teach children about sentences? Let’s take a quiz. Read this sentence:

Do you still eat pizza every day?

Which of these four kinds of sentences is this?

• Declarative Sentence – Makes a statement.
• Interrogative Sentence – Asks a question.
• Exclamatory Sentence – Expresses strong feeling.
• Imperative Sentence – Gives a command.

The answer depends on if you are teaching “grammar” or if you are teaching students “writing.”

If you are teaching grammar… the answer is simple. It is an “Interrogative Sentence” because it does ask a question.

However, in a sense it is really two sentences. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Do you still eat pizza every day?

Notice the word “still.” “Still” adds to the question in a way that it makes it a presupposition (pre-suppose.) Now the sentence really has two parts.

1. A statement: You use to eat pizza every day.
2. A question: Do you still?

Have you ever heard of the “Secret A, B, C Sentence?”

It’s one of the patterns in “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay.” It’s a powerful sentence pattern that brings mastery to topic sentences and essay introductions without the teacher explaining a thing.

Without “explaining”… it teaches children that while it is true that a sentence communicates an idea, it also implies many other ideas. Isn’t this really what a topic sentence does? Doesn’t a creative introduction really imply what the rest of the essay will be about… without giving all the details away?

We often think of a sentence as just one idea but there are really many hidden ideas within that sentence. Wait though… don’t try and “explain” this to kids. When you teach them to WRITE using “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” they will just… get it!

Grammar, phonics… whatever my students need is what I want to teach. I can get as excited about the sound of a single letter as I can about an entire essay.

Discovering the full beauty and interconnectedness of a particular subject is always fascinating to me.

This beauty exists in even the most minute details of a language. However, in order for ESL students to master English you will find that grammar, vocabulary and worksheets are not the ultimate and final solution. They are important… but as my story will illustrate, they are not “the ultimate solution.”

Discovering the Full Power of Authentic Written Communication for ESL Students

Step 1 – Learning Words

I began my teaching career in Los Angeles as a substitute teacher. At the time, with bilingual education, many students in the majority of classrooms knew very little English.

Imagine teaching a kindergarten class when they speak no English… and you speak no Spanish. Funny… but not fun. In fact, it could get a little nutty. I had to learn a lot of Spanish words fast so that I could get the kids both working and behaving. 

Step 2 – Worksheet Torture… Until I Discovered “THE TRICK”

Living in Los Angeles and loving to surf, once I was teaching full-time I would take surf trips to Central America on my vacation. I would find a Spanish school right on the beach and I would get college credit through an extension course in the United States. I would return from my vacation with a great tan and 9 units of college credit.

My first Spanish school that I attended was right on the beach in Costa Rica. They took their job a little too seriously. In fact… there were tests and homework!

Upon arriving at the school everyone thought I would be the star student. I knew a lot of words and I was not afraid to speak them regardless of how silly I sounded! Everyone else in the class had taken classes. Many had taken years of Spanish classes. Soon I was struggling to keep up with the course work. I knew a lot of words but I knew nothing about the structure of the Spanish language.

One day as I was starting on my second hour of homework, another student who had finished his homework in just 10 minutes said, “Listen… you just need to find what the TRICK is… and then fill in all the blanks using that trick.”

I wanted to learn the language… but once I knew that I could simply use the trick and then go have fun… it was hard not to take advantage of this newfound knowledge. I almost felt embarrassed that for several weeks I had spent hours completing my homework.

Use the trick, pass the test, have fun now, and learn Spanish later! This is the problem with both worksheets and grammar! After all, who is so strong willed as to resist this strategy when sitting just steps from the beach in Costa Rica?  

Step 3 – Oral Fluency is Just Barely Competent

As I went on more surf trips and attended more and more Spanish schools, I developed quite a network of Spanish speaking friends. Most of my days were spent practicing grammar in the classroom or speaking Spanish with friends. There were times when my head was spinning so fast with Spanish verbs that it would feel as if I were about to head out into orbit.

You would think that this is what it takes to master a language! However, there was something missing and I was about to discover what it was quite by accident.

Step 4 – The Hidden and Neglected Key for Breaking through to Fluency

With bilingual education on the outs, I rarely spoke Spanish while back home in Los Angeles. However, I had quite a few friends in Central America with whom I would email regularly. I am not a perfectionist but I do try to do things correctly. As such, I poured my heart and soul into most of my emails.

I was expressing “deep thoughts in Spanish!”

I returned to my favorite Spanish school right on the beach the following year and it turns out I had become FLUENT in Spanish since I last attended. EVERYONE would ask, “Where… how… when… did you learn all this Spanish?!”

Authentic Written Communication is the Key with Elementary and Middle School ESL Students

The above learning experience GREATLY increased my use of authentic written communication in the classroom. One key to my success in Spanish was that I took pride in my writing and I wanted it to be correct. I was self-monitoring in my writing. 

In order for ESL students to develop this same self-monitoring pride in their writing they must be communicating what they perceive as an important “big picture message.” In other words, there must be structure to their overall message even if it is written with grammar errors and simple vocabulary. 

When students take pride in their “authentic written communication” many grammar errors simply will not sit well with them. They will want their masterpiece to be perfect!

Day-by-day your “ESL students” will simply become successful students. Focus too much on grammar, vocabulary, and worksheets and your ESL students will stay ESL students!

Ideas to Walk Away With

1. Vocabulary – A large vocabulary is great. However, when it is time to work in an academic capacity the limitations of just a large vocabulary are quickly exposed.
2. Grammar and Worksheets – These work great for learning “the trick.” It’s true that learning the trick is a part of learning the language. However, the truth is that worksheets are often not done with the true intent of learning at all. Students don’t have an unlimited amount of time to complete their work. As such, students’ main objective often becomes to get their work done as correctly and as quickly as they can using whatever tricks they can.
3. Speaking Fluently – You don’t need to know how a car works in order to drive one… but if you want to become a professional race car driver… you do. We want our students to have a “professional level” of competence in their new language. Students need more than just oral fluency.
4. Authentic Writing – This is the most neglected and among the most valuable tools for teaching ESL in elementary and middle school.  Teachers often think “but my students don’t have the vocabulary to write a lot” or “my students need to improve their grammar before they can write a lot.”  The truth is that this thinking is backwards! Students need a REASON to master their vocabulary and grammar! Authentic writing is this reason!
5. “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” is a writing program developed by a teacher who has extensive experience teaching ESL students AND by a teacher who has actually learned a second language. “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” will quickly TRANSFORM your ESL students into shining examples of grade level success stories!

Authentic written communication even with limited vocabulary, and even with lots of grammar errors skyrockets student motivation! Students need a BIG reason to focus on the SMALL details!

1. Are your middle school students remedial writers or are they on grade level?
2. How do you bridge the gap between your remedial writers and your high achieving writers?
3. What are appropriate goals and objectives of middle school writing instruction?

The Six Traits of Effective Middle School Writing Instruction

Many students are ready for this kind of writing instruction. However, if your students are not, the question is, “What is the fastest way to get them ready for this?”

1. Students apply the skills of using both precise and descriptive language.
2. Students apply advanced levels of syntax and sentence structure.
3. Students apply the skills of precision in language, clarity in language, and unique expression in language.
4. Students develop the knowledge and skills of writing in a variety of genres and across the curriculum.
5. Students engage in deep analysis of many genres of writing and use evaluative rubrics in their analysis.
6. Students apply advanced language usage and sentence structure to essay writing and composition assignments.

Bridging the Gap between Remedial and High Achieving Middle School Writers

One of the greatest frustrations in teaching middle school writing is the wide range of academic skills that students in the same class possess. There is a much larger gap between the high achievers and students who are struggling when compared with both elementary school and high school students.

In elementary school the gap in student achievement is much smaller because there has been less time for the gap to grow. In high school students are essentially on different career paths and as such are in different classrooms. (Furthermore, the statistics on the national high school dropout rates are dismal. This does make it easier for high school teachers; however it is a national failure that we must address!)  

Three-Step Plan for Scaffolding and Remedial Instruction 

1. Get everyone on the same page.
2. Scaffold the new instruction.
3. Remediate with students who still struggle.

Your writing instruction needs to be accessible (inspirational and motivational) across a wide range of abilities!

With “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” you will:
1. Quickly get everyone on the same page!
2. Easily remediate with students who still struggle!
3. NOW because ALL your students are engaged, scaffolding the new writing instruction actually WORKS!

State writing standards can be a little difficult to digest. Here is a combined list of elementary and middle school state writing standards that provide a very good overview of what is important in both elementary and middle school writing.

“Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” will provide a rock solid foundation for addressing each and every one of these important state writing standards.

These standards have been simplified and rephrased in a way that should make them a bit easier to understand. Even one serious read through should provide some very important guidance in planning your writing instruction!

• Write stories that have a beginning, middle, and end and contain details creating and supporting the setting, character development, and plot.

• Write an interpretation or explanation of an informational text using evidence from the text that supports the interpretation or explanation. 

• Write formal business letters to professional audiences such as businesses, newspapers, or government leaders.

• Write multi-paragraph essays and reports that contain easy to follow organization, topic development, effective use of detail, and a variety of sentence structures.

• Student writing develops a central idea. Their writing demonstrates knowledge of their audience and their purpose.

• Students successfully utilize all the stages of the writing process which include prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing successive versions.

• Students successfully write multiple-paragraph compositions that have an introductory paragraph, establish and support a main idea, contain supporting paragraphs that develop the main idea, and conclude with a paragraph that summarizes what was written.

• Use appropriate structures for communicating information such as compare and contrast, cause and effect, asking and answering a question, and chronological order.

• Students write expository, narrative, persuasive, and descriptive compositions of between 500 and 1000 words.

• Students create narrative compositions that establish and develop a plot or situation. They describe the setting and present an ending.

• Students create multiple-paragraph expository compositions that establish a topic and develop it with important ideas and events. They provide details and transitions linking paragraphs and ideas. The composition contains a concluding paragraph which summarizes important ideas and details.

• Students write narratives that include sensory details and concrete language which develop the plot and characters.