Should the Summer Holidays be a break?

[jarralass]

Hi,

My son has just finished Reception, and due to start Summer Hols, he is doing ok at school, but during most holidays does not normally pick up a pen to write, he enjoys colouring in and drawing, but wouldn't think about writing a note or a list. In the past I've encouraged him to write a sentance every couple of days just to keep his hand in with writing his letters. The same with reading, he loves books and often picks a book up to look at the pictures, he loves been read to, again in the past I've encouraged him to read a school book every couple of nights to keep his hand in. My question therefore is should a holiday be a break, or do you think I'm doing the right thing??

We've found it works for all our children edam from the "I can't write" to the "I'm going to write a novel" personalities. It's hard work for the teacher if done properly but worth the effort.
I do think many schools/teachers have jumped on the Big Writing idea without any training or real knowledge of what they are meant to do so it is often taught badly and ometimes half heartedly

SprMum Big Writing isn't intended to be prescriptive (which is why I said it isn't a scheme).
The teacher chooses the subject matter as Big Writing focuses on skills so I would suggest it is possible that the school isn't using the approach correctly.

forum.andrell.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=549

What Big Writing is not:

1. Big writing is not the teaching of features of text types or fiction writing, nor is it the teaching of children to respond to stimulus. These will usually be taught in the other literacy sessions in the week. One of those will also be associated with reading.
2. Big Writing is not tedious or onerous.
3. Big Writing is NOT formulaic to the extent of suggesting or dictating how many of each feature should be seen in writing e.g. the number of adjectives.

Sincerely, Ros

Stocking fillers are used in any spare 5 mins in the day to practise skills so they could be spelling, kung fu punctuation, dictation, improving a sentence. I use "sentence laboratory" with my class on the IWB. The programme generates a word (or 2/3 words) which the children must use in a sentence using correct punctuation and making it as interesting as possible. We can usually get through 5 or 6 in the five minutes which we share and suggest how we can improve it (if we can).
I might give the children a sentence with a "boring" word included ... the word is then sent to jail and the children have to think of a more interesting word that doesn't change the meaning of the sentence
A simple example would be

"Look!" said the boy. - "Look!" whispered the boy. -"LOOK!" shouted the boy.

I'm considering setting up a blog for my 3yo. She likes writing stories (although she dictates them to me and I type them, she just draws the pictures and writes the odd word at this point) and loves sharing her work- it really motivates her.

Could this be any good? Sometimes typing is more fun, and they could just write the labels for the pictures or whatever long hand.

hey butterpie

I think a blog is great, although I'm biased having just started mine. DD herself isn't involved in it yet, but she does love sharing her work too - she's an approval junkie!

I love your DD's stories on FB. have you read this book by Dominic Wyse - it says that exactly what you're doing - letting DD dictate the story and illustrate it - is great.

My DD only just turned 3 and I'm not sure she's quite ready for that yet, I think your DD is a bit older?

Oooh mrz you do kung fu punctuation? I saw that on a documentary with Phil Beadle - it looks so fun!

Kung Fu punctuation is part of Big Writing Phil Beadle is involved in the Can't write won't Write conference
Butterpie encouraging young children to compose their own stories for an adult to scribe is great. Children need to be able to say it before we can expect them to write it themselves.

Oh yes SPR mum, ruddy WOW words. I'm sure ds would use them naturally if there wasn't such a prescriptive list of instructions. Takes all the fun out of it.

Mrsz, thanks for the info - sounds as if ds's teacher is just not an enthusiast or maybe doesn't know enough about it. I hope his teachers next year are more clued up. Horrible when you have a bright child who enjoys writing and then a teaching style makes them reluctant to try it.

(Oh, and he was fascinated by punctuation when he was in reception and asked about it when we were reading. He loved the idea that it changed the tone of voice and indicated surprise or a question or something. No more, I'm afraid.)

WOW words aren't specific to Big Write are they? I know my DSDs used wow words at junior school, but I'd never heard of BW so I don't think they did it.

edam does your DS not see the point of writing something for fun outside school? obviously he'd still have to do schoolwork but maybe he could write a book with you?

Yup, he does enjoy writing outside school, it's just such a shame he hates it at school. And I'm worried it will eventually put him off writing at home, too.

Mind you, at the moment he's not handwriting at home - he discovered an old typewriter at his Gran's house and has been having so much fun she let him bring it home.

It sounds to me like that is an example of 'Big Writing' being taught badly. Personally, we use the big writing structure e.g. writing for an extended period and have the pyramids around, but I don't use them very often. We spend a lot more time playing fun games like 'word searching' and 'Connective detectives' etc. which does enthuse the children. I've had children bringing in all sorts of word lists that they've put together at home. If used well this structured approach can be fun, however, I do think that the type of writing we are teaching children to produce, is just box ticking. Never in my adult life have I had to produce a letter where each sentence/paragraph started with a 'wow' connective or have I ever been told 'Well if you had used a connective in this, we may have employed you, but as that sentence started with I can then I'm afraid we won't.'

I'm sure Ros Wilson will forgive me for reproducing a poem written by her about WOW words

I'm going to write a poem
That's full of purple prose
'cos the beauty of Big Writing is
As everybody knows
That when you first meet Power Features
Ad you're trying to squeeze them in
Then your language gets TOO flowery...
And that ISN'T a good thing!
So excessive and superfluous
Over abundances of "WOW"
Can make us want to vomit...
Whose prose is purple now?

ROS

some teachers are encouraging pupils to go overboard on WOW but that's clearly not right.

'A lot of schools ask children to do this and then ask the children to bring them, ours run a competition for the best holiday diary. '

I think it is a great idea to keep a scrap book but I bet the competition brings out the worst in some parents! It is also rather unfair because the child whose parent won't help doesn't stand a chance against those whose parents really get stuck in!

I think that they can get too caught up in WOW words and it is inhibiting. I did one to one tuition last term with some year 6 pupils. One girl had listened to it all and was great on WOW words, punctuation etc but she didn't really have a story!-There wasno depth. We had to work at building up the story and really thinking about the characters and the plot. For example she had a lovely descriptive sentence about eyes, but at the point in the story the main character had just woken up was very drowsy and the room was dark!

(I really like Ros Wilson-don't want to detract from her work-I just think that you have to take care).

I think that the best thing for young children, especially in the holiday is just to write a story that pleases them. Make a little book. I don't think that you want to start writing blogs too early-leave them something that is exciting and new when they think of it on their own.
The holiday is the time to leave it to them without adult intervention. Give them the materials and let them get on with it, their scrap book might not win the competition but if they have fun doing it that is all that matters.