Writing

We aim to use authentic contexts for writing and we often link writing with reading, oral language and inquiry.

Ways To Enjoy Writing At Home:

  • Encourage children to read because books that they enjoy will provide models for writing.
  • Read to your children and discuss characters, events,facts, word meanings etc.
  • Tell stories—for example, on a car trip you could begin a story and ask your child to finish it.
  • Play word games such as Junior Scrabble, Boggle, Hangman, ‘I Spy’.
  • Do crosswords and wordfinds together. Write notes to your child.
  • Practise printing using correct letter formation.
  • Have your child write notes to family members.
  • Write shopping lists together.
  • Practise memorising the spelling of frequently used words.
  • Make cards for family members, friends to celebrate birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas etc.
  • Explain how to use writing programmes such as ‘Word’ and ‘Publisher’ and write about things that interest your child or write stories.
  • Help your child to use a computer spellchecker to edit their writing.
  • Show your child how to keep a diary
  • Write emails, letters, postcards to family or friends
  • Write captions for photos and secret codes
  • Help your child to find words in a dictionary
  • Have a supply of materials such as paper, stapler, pens, coloures pencils, gluestick, glitter, magazines etc to make books comics, posters and cards.

Reading

Children are encouraged to read every night, either a reader from school or a library book. All children benefit from being read to and exposed to print.

Ways To Enjoy Reading At Home:

  • Turn off the TV! Be interested!
  • Have a selection of different types of books for children to look at and read, suggestions are picture books, novels, newspaper articles, recipes, e-books, magazines, graphic novels, catalogues such as sports catalogues, fishing magazines, scrabble word games
  • Praise every effort when your child is reading
  • Read to younger brothers and sisters, or the cat or a toy
  • Encourage your child to select what they want to read
  • Talk about the story or what has been read
  • Decide when the best time is to read. Eg immediately after school, before dinner, after dinner, at bed time…
  • Show your child how to care for books and be responsible for returning readers or library books to school

Some Questions To Prompt Your Child About What They Are Reading At Home:

  • What can you tell about the story from the picture?
  • What do you think will happen in the story?
  • What do you think it is about?
  • Who is the author? Illustrator?
  • Can the children tell you what happened at the beginning? At the end?
  • Who were the important characters in the book?
  • What character did you like the most and why?
  • Are there any words you didn’t understand? How could we find out what they mean?
  • Did you like the story? Why or why not?