My children are still young, and have not yet been bombarded by the barage of advertisements that froth and bubble in local radio and television. In our house, we do not idly watch television. We make deliberate media selections.

We download specific programs, and make weekly choices for our “Movie Night” Fridays and Saturdays. Everyone takes turns and watches one another’s choices politely. If bored, they retreat to a puzzle, book, art box or favorite toy.

We watched Fat Albert, 1972 “OG” style. You know the one, where the gang realizes they don’t have enough money for instruments, so they get creative in the junkyard by fashioning those masterpiece instruments we all have manufactured in our private moments.

A classic case of creativity at its best.

The author’s message is delivered by a hip looking cat named Bill Cosby (with only a fraction of the lines he would wear when entertaining the world with The Cosby Show a decade later) who breaks it down for the audience to apply to their own life’s ups and downs.

The best part of the show is always the opening when Bill sets the stage with intelligence, embedding figurative language and an idiom into an expertly crafted joke. “Looks like there’s going to be a change in the weather for the guys.” Cheeky grin, big eyes, and rattling a cup of change and holding a red umbrella, we all giggled at the literal sense of his words and how well he timed the joke to make us smile.

Note to self: This is a teachable moment for later.

Short bursts of animation from the old school such as Popeye, Looney Tunes, Smurfs (please come back), Totoro (Japanese animation is the best!), Handy Manny, My Little Ponies and anything Einstein, Dora or Diego are all wonderful. Each has ample story elements, a clear author’s message, and yes – excellent writing.

Help your child be their best 21st century learner.

Be selective. Our children are 21st century learners. Pulling the best from them means we design their media with intelligence rather than let it drown them. Choosing appropriate media and viewing it as a family is a great visual equalizer, connector and discussion piece for intelligent conversation at the dinner table, around a game board, in the big bed with books, driving in the car, or in the moment of rude behavior to illustrate a point.

Use subtitles. Clicking on the subtitles is a terrific way to passively add the word count of a daily paper to your child’s vocabulary. Let them gaze at the manuscript as the text comes to life and gives meaning to the motion. Pictures = Understanding. The magic of media.

Empower. Allow each member of the family to choose a favorite piece of appropriate media. Mix it up by choosing 10-12 minute bursts of your favorite part. Discuss what you saw. It is delightful to witness the perspective of each family member from their place and station in life. Record the observations in a family journal. You will be glad you did in some future once upon a time, when you look back and see your consistency.

Cindy

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If you are fortunate enough to have a young child that is articulate and has an imagination you can easily nurture their writing talent by taking dictation. This form of modeling the writing process affords the child an opportunity to see their ideas come to life without the frustration of the task of writing. It is never too early to start if your child has language and is already expressing ideas. Modeling the writing process is a powerful and empowering process for a young child.

When a child sees their words on paper written with purpose and intention, the glee in their voice and smile on their face will provide a moment to capture their creativity and nurture the writer inside them with the first in a series of baby steps.

Here are 8 tips to nurture the writer in your young child.

1.Print the words your child dictates legibly. Make a big deal about  directionality. Show them how you start from left to right and top to bottom as you are writing the words. Stretch the individual sounds as you are spelling the words.

2. Record the exact words as your child offers, please do not edit yet. Over correcting will squelch their voice.

3. Offer a prompt or encouragement as needed. Model thinking out loud with your ideas for a jump start.

4. Read the finished creation out loud and point to the words as you read them.

5. Have your child provide illustrations for the text.

6. Date the work and have your child sign her name as the author.  The ownership of the text is important.

7. Use a tape recording device to replay sentences as the ideas of your little one grows larger.

8. Have fun, laugh and celebrate the story.

Cindy

Sign up for our (free) newsletter with monthly writing tips to nurture the writer in your child!

Related posts:

1. You are a Writer You Are a Writer We are a family of writers....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Deciphering, decoding, and discussing their work gives me joy. A piece of writing also sends me a snapshot of what is going on inside a young writer’s busy brain. I learn more when I ask questions like: how do you feel about your title, ideas, organization, word choice, and sentence fluency?

When I conference with a child I feel as though I hit a lottery of dialogue. The wealth of information gathered from the conference and content is well worth the time spent studying the bonuses and deficiencies of the teaching/learning loop.

Writing is an authentic work sample to measure the simulation of language and a direct format to assess. By using a 4 point rubric to measure growth and development, we can easily focus on the status of a child’s writing development. This strategy is the best method to gather data and help children take the next steps in the writing process.

Here is a generic 4 point rubric to assess your child’s work with a 4 advanced proficient and a 1 not proficient.

4

Demonstrates a clear understanding of the writing prompt
Maintains consistent point of view, focus and organizational structure (paragraphing)
Ideas are presented clearly with relevant facts, details and explanations
Use of various types of sentences (questions, statements, dialogue)
Contains few capitalization, punctuation, grammatical or spelling errors

3

Mostly maintains consistency in the above criteria (all the elements are in place, but lacks powerful vocabulary, figurative language, and strong voice)

2

Somewhat addresses the criteria for a 4, but without consistency.

1

Little or no evidence of the criteria of a 4.

Do not fret. Start modeling the writing process with your child. Children will always learn best when writing with frequency. One of my favorite activities is to write alongside a child. They get so excited watching their ideas spring to life on paper. When I capture that kind of excitement, I know my mission is met.

Observe the joy of your child, write it down together, and keep it forever.

Tomorrow starts today.

Cindy

What are some activities you do to promote writing with your child?

If you haven’t signed up for the children’s writing tip newsletter, you can do so (for free) below.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Our children write the future!

This summer, childrenwritethefuture.com is offering a writing enrichment newsletter that will help your child build their writing fluency. Daily writing practice (excluding handwriting) will help establish a lifelong love for writing. There is nothing better than taking pen, marker, crayon, pencil to paper and doodling down ideas.

Sign up below for our newsletter and make sure your child receives their summer enrichment writing prompts. As new prompts are delivered, selected entries will be published on the site.

Make sure your children are writing well by the end of summer!

Cindy

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

We are a family of writers. Sometimes we are scribbling on napkins, ATM deposit envelopes, dollar store notepads or tapping our ideas out on a keyboard. Our children watch us.

Mia usually has a pint size notepad that fits perfectly in her uniform jumper pocket. She calls it her “just in case” notebook that goes along with her “just in case” pencil box in her backpack. The notebook is stuffed with ideas and drawings that she jots down during recess with her friends. She has started an anthology about about the land of Sweetopia. Yummy with a spoon.

Max announced this week, “I want to be a writer like Dad, but I don’t know how to write all the words.” He shrugged, shoulders plopping on the floor.

I smiled thinking to myself, “A chip off the old block and prodigious in my mind no matter what he chooses to do in life.”

“Well Max, a writer doesn’t just write the words,” I smiled. “A writer also thinks about the words that draw the pictures.”  He looked at me curiously.  “You know, like a movie in your mind.”

“A Mind Movie?”  he exclaimed.

Exactly.

“When I say words like slippery, smooth, and soft what do you think about?”

“My mint chip colored “night night” that I sleep with.”  he said.

“If I say creamy, sweet, and cold…”

“Ice cream!” he started to jump.

Without boring him with a lesson on adjectives, we “popcorned,” passing 3 describing words back and forth and making it a guessing game of which word the other was thinking about as we strolled to the library on our way to check out AUDIO BOOKS and a fresh set of stories.

Max is 4.  He IS a writer, but needs us to show him the power he possesses and guide him in a developmentally appropriate way so that he can produce the words to express all the beautiful ideas he has in the mind movie his brain is constantly creating.

Max has ideas, his pictures tell stories and most importantly, he has language – the greatest gift of all.

Max, you are a writer and we will lead you the way with an unlimited number of language experiences to help you write in your best voice.

What are some ways your family celebrates language?

Cindy

Sign up for our Children Write the Future Newsletter for tips on how to make your child a better writer.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Parents are the child’s first and best teacher. Home schooling is something that must take place whether you have opted to go the traditional private or public school route, or have decided to home school your children completely. Most traditional school years are 180 days. You must therefore ask yourself -  What is your mission for your children’s learning the remaining 185 days of the year?

As a teacher who has taught in all forums, I believe it is a parent’s responsibility to establish solid foundations, provide pillars of support for those who are teaching our children when we are not with them, and take the bull by the horns by taking care of business in the event that optimum learning is not occurring during the school day.

Summer is right around the corner. In our little corner of the world we have exactly 18 days before the dog days of summer are on our door step and life asks us the inevitable question: What do we do now that they are home all day?

Home school = Home learning.

Learning must not stop simply because summer is in the sky. Children are ravenous for knowledge, routine, and enrichment. Not to mention maintaining basic literacy and math skills. Designing a learning schedule that affords children with needed routine, high expectations and a well established work ethic is a critical life skill that cannot be started to early. For our wee ones their play is their work, but our play can have purpose as well. Primary and intermediate grades might require a bit more creativity, but we all should all know by now – if you don’t use it you will surely lose it.

You do not need a teaching credential to enrich your child’s life with all the basic content that typically occurs during a given school day. Some of us are more adaptable and naturally patient, some of us aren’t. However, it is our responsibility as parents to take the baton from this year’s teacher and continue running the relay through summer, lighting the torch for a brighter tomorrow.

What are you summer learning plans for the family? Sign up for our writer’s workshop and let us help.

Cindy

Get great teaching tips in your inbox or RSS reader (for free!), twice weekly!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One of my greatest teaching adventures was moving to Taipei, Taiwan and teaching English in a Chinese kindergarten where students start school at the age of two. I gathered a great deal of momentum and inspiration from the region’s immersion of language, culture and lifestyle. I realized I could teach anything anywhere as long as I had an audience and an open, passionate heart for the art of learning and instruction.

The greatest  teaching honor I have experienced was being the recipient of Teacher of the Year for the Houston Unified School District, hand selected by Rod Paige who emerged as Secretary of Education for the United States from 2000 – 2004. I had the opportunity to work with relentless and progressive educators and learned from the best.

My final prize immediately preceded a migration to California where I was recruited by the West Ed Research Lab to work in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University. I joined a team of educators whose sole purpose was to instruct others in best practices for most effective teaching in reading and writing. My calendar was divided between days spent developing curriculum in the lab, amidst weeks of heavy travel between the east and west coast.

I am a born teacher and missed having students, so I left the lab in exchange for the eager minds of a classroom. Shortly after the birth of my son, my husband persuaded and afforded me the opportunity to open a preschool and abandon the security and bureaucracy of the school district. We fulfilled that  dream for three years and are now in the process of creating new e-learning projects that involve technology and understanding the needs of the 21st Century Learner, starting with reading and writing.

I love to travel and teach. The world wide web will become my new platform to perform and practice what works best for early learners and leave a legacy for my children to see and know who I am as we make every day count, for this day will come no more. Our children will write the future, I want the confidence mine will do it well.

Whether your children are in public school, private school, or home school – this site is for you.

Tomorrow starts today.

Cindy

Subscribe to my feed (for free) by RSS or Email. Thanks!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.