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Writing Strategies

Writing is the window into what your child knows. Enhancing writing strategies can help to promote your child's self-image to include that of being a good student. I've outlined a few ideas below:

• Encourage your children to organize their thoughts before beginning a written assignment.
• Write at least two drafts.
• Have your child proofread and check for:

  1. Answering the purpose of the assignment
  2. Legibility
  3. Neatness
  4. Spelling
  5. Complete sentences, and
  6. Punctuation errors.

• Help your child to see tests as an opportunity to "show off" what they have learned, rather than something to be feared.
• Help your children predict test questions as they study for tests.
• Encourage your child to space learning over several sessions instead of cramming the night before. Five hours of studying, spread over a week is better than studying five hours the night before the test: cramming for tests increases anxiety and often does not produce higher grades.
• Avoid acting as a tutor for your child. If a child needs a tutor in a particular subject, see if the local high school can provide you with a student tutor through the National Honor Society.

03/04