In order to write well a student must be a good reader. It is an invaluable skill which can be applied to all subjects for all grade levels. Many parents tell me their child doesn’t read enough. Others say their child reads often, but they do not know if their child understands what he or she is reading. If this sounds like your situation at home, I can help. I plan reading and writing lessons from a variety of classic short stories and novels from various genres.
We then discuss the content of the book and the student plans and executes a five paragraph essay. In contrast, many after school programs only have the students read a novel and then they ask them to write answers to questions about the book. I have them practice the skills they are required to write in school. Then their work is always edited by me. As a credentialed teacher, my lessons are all based on the grade level curriculum and Common Core Standards. This provides the student with valuable practice which they will apply to their classroom assignments.
Literary analysis is a vital stage in the development of students’ critical thinking skills in the upper grades. Students must be able to understand and describe the text before they are able to analyze its elements. This is not a simple undertaking as it asks the student to look beyond the words on the page and “think outside the box”. Too often students retell the plot and summarize the book because they don’t know how to analyze. I teach my students the steps of this challenging process which they can apply to all their analytical writing. Practice is key to successful analytical writing.
“Maggie has been doing great on her reading and writing with your help. We definitely see great improvement. I sincerely want to say thank you!” – Frank