See Kindergarten Update for weekly homework. Visit this page for ongoing homework you can work on throughout the year. STORY WRITING HOMEWORK Read some of the options below and pick the best one for your child’s skill level. Help your child think of some ideas for his story. 1. Have your child dictate a short story to you and do an illustration. 2. Have your child tell you what he wants to write. You write part of the sentence for him and help him write the rest. You can write some of the words on a Post-it Note and your child can copy it, or you can help your child sound out the word(s). Depending on where your child is, you can also have him tell you just the beginning sound of a word and you tell him the rest. However, if your child is ready and the word is phonetically controlled, you can help him sound out the entire word. 3. By the second trimester, most children can write a simple sentence all by themselves, such as, “One day I went to the farm.” Remind him about leaving spacers between words, using proper upper and lower case letters, and remembering the period at the end of the sentence. When children are sounding out words on their own, remember that “invented spelling” is just fine (examples: fune for funny, or rstr for rooster). 4. By the third trimester, most children can write a simple three-sentence story with just a little direction. It helps to use a simple sentence format like the one shown below: First sentence - “One day …” Second sentence - “Then ...” or “So …” Third sentence - “Next …” or “But …” Examples: One day I went to the farm and saw a cow. Then I saw a horse. Next, I saw a duck. I liked the farm. OR One day it rained lemonade. So I ran outside. But the rain stopped before I could drink any. The End Most of all, have fun, praise your child’s efforts, and celebrate your child’s growth!