Concerned about writing - what do you think?

[iambotheredthough]

Hi everyone, I am concerned about my DS's writing skills and am hoping to get some idea of what you think, especially any teachers out there. Here is what he wrote yesterday, they had to write a story:

A Crazy Granny
3 children named Bob; Zac and Will played the toughest team in the league they were losing. Then gran was sow inspired she joined in but suddenly gran tripped, but the good thing was that granny scored and her gran sons on the league and gran got a weal char. Gran always wanted a weal char.

Thanks

I would say year two.

Thanks for the replies. He is 8 and year 3. I feel this is big concern. Writing is so important for lots of other subjects and if left the problem just gets worse, in my experience. I just feel so negative about this however have made positive noises to DS about the good points. Is it normal for a child that is a good reader, good speller, has a very full life re sport and travel to not be able to write a story easily? He seems to struggle to come with ideas and then is so slow :-(

OP, There seems to be a thread practically every day about children (often boys) who struggle with writing stories. My older daughter also struggled, and found it very hard to come up with ideas. Personally, I think it is ridiculous to assume that all children are the same and all should be brimming with story ideas. Children are different! Some children don't even like to READ fiction, let alone write it. It is part of the primary school fetishising of "creativity" and imagination as the ultimate desirable trait (and they mostly just mean artistic creativity).

Meanwhile, learning how to write an essay wasn't even on the curriculum until recently! Some children were going into Year 10 and expected to write essays that counted toward their final GCSE grades in October, without ever having been taught how to do it. But which skill is likely to be more valuable to them in the future?

Hmm, seemed to have set off on quite a rant. Possibly because I have just read this blog: thequirkyteacher.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/so-thats-why-creatives-think-their-way-is-best/

I would just add that he might possibly be more keen to write and put more of an effort in if he was able to write something OTHER than a story. I think someone on a recent thread mentioned this book had been a great success with her son, who had similar problems: www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-Wimpy-Kid-Do---Yourself/dp/0141339667/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427314869&sr=1-1&keywords=wimpy+kid+do+it+yourself+book

Thanks Kesstrel, I know you are right re the creative writing and I know this is a lot to do with me feeling the pressure of ensuring my kids conform to what they are supposed to produce at school so that they do well in tests, get into good groups when streamed etc. I am spectacularly bad at creative writing myself however can see that you could easily teach your kids to become good at it using a repeatable formula! Some children are natural writers and story tellers, you are right.

I am facing a similar challenge with my DD and thinking about it she is also struggling because she doesn't know how to write an essay - make a plan, organise her thoughts/information. We used to do this all the time at school (I am very old). I have noted the book, looks good, and will look at encouraging other types of writing.

I often suggest, for children who are 'reluctant' writers, that if you have a tape recorder, or a phone that they can use to record, that they DICTATE their story or essay. They can then listen to it back, amend things if they wish, and eventually write or type it on a computer.

For many children, the ideas are there, but it is the physical chore of handwriting that they struggle with.

Is DD older? The more she can read various sorts of text, and in addition to reading, to THINK about how sentences are put together, and how different uses of text are shaped in different ways.

Thus, a fairy story, or a story about a prince and princess, will have descriptions of the settings, the characters, maybe even the weather. But a recount about going to the seaside, or a description of how to make a cake, will use language in different ways.

And if they need help with spelling, this is a useful book that is easy to use:

An inexpensive and easy to use book, that can encourage children with reading, spelling and writing, and really help them to understand Phonics, is reviewed in the MN Book Reviews section. Just search ‘Phonics’.

kesstrel

I totally agree.

... some children in my class thrive when writing discussion, persuasive or information texts. There is too much emphasise on Story Mountains IMO.

emphasis

Do your schools not teach instructions, reports, persuasion, debate, non chronological reports, recounts, poetry, myths, legends, informal and formal Correspondences, narrative etc etc? They were part of the National Curriculum for some twenty years