DS1 and writing

[ShackUp]

DS1 will be 6 next month, and is predicted to be exceeding in reading/writing/maths by end of Y1. He's a fluent reader.

The teachers are concerned he's not finishing writing tasks, and even sent him home with one he didn't want to start today. It was to write a parable. The sheet he was given was just a blank sheet with a couple of lines.

I'll be honest, this just seems like a totally uninspiring task for a 5 year old. I was clear that he had to do stuff he didn't want to do otherwise he would lose privileges, and he did the work at home, but I don't want to turn this into a battleground. He's got suspected ASD and I want home to be a haven from the sensory overload of school.

Does this task sound normal for Y1? Is there a way of making writing more exciting? We do comic book art at home (he likes Captain Underpants/Pokemon).

Bump for the morning crew

My DSs at the same age didn't want to write as they found it difficult and so didn't improve as they weren't practicing enough and went round in circles. I must admit I started using list writing as an encouragement, they had to write and re-write Christmas and birthday lists each time they thought of something new, stuff they wanted to do that weekend, food they wanted to eat the following week for dinner, etc. We had a stack of blank printer paper on the kitchen table and a pot of pens and pencils so always available. Also lots of pictures where I insisted on lots of pointing lines and written labels (like in graphic novels/comic books, they like Ottoline books so that has a lot of it).

Don't know if that will help but it seemed to get my DSs practicing at home without it being homework. Sounds like you are doing similar with the comic book art, maybe up the writing content? Or make it a picture and a written sentence caption like Rupert Bear stories?

Thanks xiao nice ideas. I'm just sure they could be making it more fun in school?

You don't know that they don't. There will be role play,videos to watch ,pictures , games etc. But at the end of the day the curriculum and the task are what they are.
Some tasks will always be dry and uninspiring when it comes to the actual writing.

Well next week they could be writing about pirates and some will find THAT boring. Also teachers aren't comedians and can't make everything 'fun'.

Well, to be honest even if there were only 2 kids in the class, some will always find a task boring that others find fun. It's not really for the teachers to motivate kids or not, though of course they do try their best for everyone! But kids need eventually to learn to motivate themselves enough to finish tasks that they don't want to do, and it sounds like you've already had that discussion with your son.

Unless you have a very unusual 5 year old that likes struggling with new challenges, then no matter the task it's always going to be more fun than not is if it's quick and easy, and the only way it's going to get easier is if he practices more (assuming he has no issues with the actual physical processes of writing, which is something else to keep an eye on).

If responsibility/helping is something that motivates him, maybe make him your "secretary"? Dictate things to him to write on post-its round the house that he gets to stick up, reminders, notes to other family members, calendar reminders. He writes your words in his own reading diary maybe (he's a fluent reader already so it's not like that's an essential piece of feedback to the teachers). Or get him to write a picture book for a younger sibling/cousin?

wednesday I'm a teacher and I try to keep things fun, even at KS5...

I think my point is that he's not quite 6, most children in other countries haven't even started writing yet. I suppose the National Curriculum dictates that they need to be doing a certain amount of 'extended' writing by the end of the year, so it is what it is.
Thanks for suggestions!

Well the next thing I was about to say is that our kids used to be in a school with a lot more homework at a younger age - DH (like yourself also a secondary school teacher) had quite a few wrangles with them about the lack of evidence for homework helping attainment in any way at primary school. In the end we told our kids they could do homework or not as they wanted to, but at school they had to complete all the tasks their teachers asked them to do.

Halfway through the first term in Year 1 DS1's writing just kind of clicked in with all the writing and re-writing of Christmas lists and then he was away, filling up sheets and sheets and no longer reluctant and slow as he had been before. DS2 in Reception is at this stage again now, still reluctant because it's hard, but he's now on the Christmas list bandwagon as well.

My ds2 didn't like writing. Sure it was something to do with age and therefore fine motor skill development. I can't/ couldn't get that hot under the collar about it. It got more legible as he got up the school (and remember children in othercountries don't start this properly until 7).
Primary schools insist on using pencil which is harder work. Pen has been proven to improve writing. If school won't budge get him a propelling pencil that naturally has a sharper edge.

I know it's anecdotal, my ds, one child. His writing has drastically improved this year - year8. He is now a top set child and his interest in school work has increased and I also think his hand skill has caught up with the speed of his brain.

I personally wouldn't worry too much but I say this with the benefit of hindsight.

Thanks TW