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Often taught as separate subjects in school, reading and writing are inherently linked. In the words of Susan Taber, former communication arts consultant for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “Reading and writing are reciprocal processes that strengthen each other.” Success in life relies heavily on literacy and, specifically, on the ability to communicate clearly through writing. The easiest way to improve your child’s writing skills is to encourage him to read. Your child will do a lot of this in school, but it’s important to encourage reading outside of school work. To get your child interested in reading, make it fun. It’s a parent’s job to ensure that reading material is age appropriate, but this is just the beginning. Guide your child to a wide variety of authors and subjects. No doubt your child will have his favorites and Taber says this is normal. “They go through different stages. That’s good,” she says. “One thing we’ve realized, and that research has brought out through the years, is that [children] should really be reading more nonfiction,” Taber says. If the children love to read, it can be even more beneficial for them to learn something valuable at the same time. “Interestingly enough, kids love nonfiction. That’s something we’ve missed through the years.” So, if you and your child are browsing for books at the library, head to the nonfiction section. Once the reading is under control, it’s important to help your child bridge the gap between reading and writing, a form of free writing. Paraphrasing and summarizing are two important skills that will help your child with academic writing, but it’s also important to encourage journal writing. Taber says summarizing isn’t the only thing that can improve comprehension and suggests, “journal writing about the day’s events, current events or anything.” Parents should visit journal-writing websites, where children can practice their summarizing skills, including Sylvan Learning Center’s website at tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/activities. Paraphrasing is the act of taking someone else’s words and revising them in your own words. Consider paraphrasing a "translation" of a complex work into your own words. This is important for children to do because it helps them more fully understand the things they read. It also helps them learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Summarizing has very similar benefits, but involves condensing the material so that it can be reviewed in less time than it took to read the source material. Below are examples of paraphrasing verses summarizing.
Both of these skills are indispensable for report writing. While it isn’t normal practice to paraphrase and summarize when reading for fun, there are ways you can help your child learn these skills. If your child comes to you with a question on a subject that is new to him, direct him to the encyclopedia. Because the entries often are written for adults, he may have difficulty understanding the text. This is a perfect opportunity for him to practice paraphrasing and summarizing. Also, the time taken to do this and the active role that your child will have taken both ensure that the information will be retained better than if you had verbally answered the question. Making a book jacket is another activity that will give your child summarizing practice. This one is a little more fun and integrates art as well. After reading a book, have your child write a short summary of the book and create a new cover design. This helps your child learn to summarize large works in a brief manner. It reinforces the skill of selecting the topic of the book. You may find you have a budding book reviewer on your hands. The worksheet below provides practice in paraphrasing and summarizing. The answers provided in the key are examples of correct responses. It’s important that you review your child’s answers with him and explain why they are correct or not. The first exercise is a bonus provided to give your child practice in word choice and spelling of homophones—words that sound alike, but have different spellings and meanings. These types of words must be memorized. You may even find that you have trouble with some sets; many adults do. By Jamie L. Scheppers [WORKSHEET] 1. Below are pairs of sentences. Decide whether or not the second sentence (B), which paraphrases sentence (A), has changed the original meaning of sentence (A). If the meaning has been changed, try to paraphrase the sentence so it retains the same meaning.
2. The following is an excerpt from an encyclopedia. Read it thoroughly, and then write a summary. Remember, your summary should be shorter than the original and only contain the main points.
[KEY]
2. Most earthquakes are small, but some are large and gradually become smaller before ending. These small movements are called aftershocks. Quakes start underground at the focus. The point above this on the surface is the epicenter. The Richter and Mercalli scales are used to measure quakes. |
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