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At the beginning of
first grade, it is not at all unusual for students to enter in September at
varying developmental stages of writing. This is very common and to be
expected. I like to think of the development of a writer as an on-going
process. Not all of the children in the class will be working on the same
skills at the same time. Although all of the students are exposed to
whole-group mini lessons on specific writing skills, I also meet with
individual students throughout the week to provide each of them with an
individualized focus for their writing.
The best way to become
a better writer is to WRITE! If you want to help your child at home with their
writing, keep the following suggestions in mind:
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Model
good writing for
your child. Let them see you writing grocery lists, notes to family members,
or perhaps even write notes back and forth with your child.
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Encourage
your child to write, even if their writing is not perfect. One of the biggest
hurdles for a child to overcome is the motivation to want to write.
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Praise
the small steps that your child makes. As adults we sometimes forget the
wonderful benefits of positive reinforcement. I know I always feel great when
someone has something nice to say about my work!
Below I have attached
two writing rubrics to give you a better understanding of the spectrum of
writing that is commonly seen in the first grade.
First Grade Writing Rubric
Content and Conventions Rubric
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