Tip #153 form 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley, Trombly) - Functional Writing

 


Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.

 

#153

Functional Writing

 

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day.

The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any.

~Orson Scott Card

 

In Part 5, you read about many ways to increase your child’s interest in and love of writing for pleasure, but let’s face it, out there in the real world most of the writing we do (and most of the writing your child will do outside of school) will most likely be for purely functional reasons.

At home, we may write letters to people, send thank you notes, make lists. At work, we may have reports, memos, and summaries to write. This functional writing tells, explains, and helps us communicate information we need to convey. It is the most common type of writing most of us do in our daily lives. Therefore, it is important to help your child learn how to write effectively in this way and for a variety of purposes.

You can help almost effortlessly by just watching for opportunities for your child to write for real (functional) reasons. Try having him:

●      Write (and organize according to category) the grocery list.

●      Write thank you notes after receiving gifts.

●      Write letters to relatives and friends far away.

●      Write a “to do” list for you before setting off on multiple errands

●      Write a “to do” list for himself describing the chores or responsibilities he is expected to do.

●      Write down goals he’s set for himself (Idea #4).

 

By encouraging your child to write in these ways, you are helping to prepare him for the functional writing he will no doubt do for the rest of his life, both professional and personal. Besides, the more he writes, the better writer he is becoming!

 

 

                                             


     Cindy McKinley Alder                                            Patti Trombly

 

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