One of the best ways you can help a child become good in language arts (which carries over to all of his school work–since all school work involves reading, comprehending, organizing, etc.) is to help him become a good reader.
Over the past month, I have focused on teaching reading, reading aloud, reading instruction, phonics, and more.
It has been said that when a banker or a counterfeit money “agent” learns about counterfeit money, he or she begins by learning what the real thing looks like.
I use this same approach to teach about sentences, clauses, and phrases in my language arts and writing books (Character Quality Language Arts and Meaningful Composition): teach the students what a real sentence looks like—and then teach what are not real sentences.
I teach what a sentence contains using a simple acronym: CAVES
In my Directed Writing Approach, every detail of every project is laid out for your student. None of my writing projects are “writing ideas” or “writing prompts.” Every writing assignment contains step-by-step instructions with much hand-holding along the way. The student is “directed” in how to write and what to write at all times—from brainstorming to research to outlining to rough draft and finally to revising.
Writing ideas. Writing prompts. Writing suggestions.
These are the things that cause children who do not know *how* to write to hate writing.
And it is often what we do to kids in an effort to get the writing. But they do not work for these kinds of kids.
So what works?
I have had a wonderful time this semester teaching my first official Live Online Class! We just wrapped up our first Research Report–and I thought I would share parts of those two class sessions with my readers. I hope it gives you some insights into how to teach the difficult task of research report writing! I am including the whole two-week lesson for free in a download AND two partial video classes (one live and one recorded since it is a holiday week). Work through this project with your upper level junior high students or high schoolers. I’ll think you’ll be amazed how simple report writing can be with my Overview Source Method and Color-Coded Research Method! And you will love their final product for sure!
