Developing strong composition writing skills from an early age is crucial for academic success and creative expression. Here are four essential writing techniques that should be nurtured from Primary 1 to help young learners build a solid foundation and avid interest in writing.
1. Storyline and Content Ideation - Based on Theme and Picture
The ability to ideate content and develop storylines is a struggle many students face. It is not only a fundamental skill in writing but arguably the most important. Encourage your child to brainstorm ideas and think creatively about the story they want to tell based on specific themes and pictures. Give them ideas from movies, books and model compositions.
Start by presenting a theme or a picture and ask guiding questions like:
What is happening in the picture?
Who are the characters?
What is the setting?
This exercise helps children to visualize and articulate their thoughts, fostering creativity and logical thinking. Using story maps or graphic organizers can also help them structure their ideas coherently.
2. Writing in Concise Sentences (Composition Writing)
Clarity and brevity are key in effective composition writing. Teaching children to write concise and proper sentences from the start will set a strong foundation for their writing skills. Focus on the following aspects:
Use of simple and compound sentences
Correct punctuation
Proper capitalization
Subject-verb agreement
Practice exercises that involve constructing sentences from jumbled words or expanding simple sentences with additional details can be very beneficial. Regular practice will help children understand the importance of clear and correct sentence construction.
3. Create Strong Conflicts and Resolutions (Primary English Compositions)
A good story requires a strong conflict that involves a moral dilemma. This must be accompanied by a resolution that demonstrates rigor. Teaching your child to craft conflicts and resolutions that makes their writing engaging and dynamic.
Here's how to approach this:
Discuss different types of possible conflicts, based on the same theme
Encourage your child to come up with alternative conflicts based on what is given in a model composition
Guide them to think logically and generate satisfying resolutions to these conflicts
Use a range of question types to dissect different conflicts and resolutions to help your child understand how these elements drive the narrative forward.
4. Wrapping Up with a Moral Lesson
In PSLE English Composition writing, it is necessary to end your story with a moral lesson. This adds depth and purpose to your child's writing, by imparting values and making the story memorable.
Here are steps to achieve this:
Reflect on the main events of the story and what can be learned from them
Ask questions like: What did the characters learn? How did they change?
Encourage children to write a concluding sentence or paragraph that clearly states the moral of the story
Reading fables and discussing their morals can serve as great examples and inspire children to incorporate lessons into their own stories.
Conclusion
By nurturing these writing techniques from Primary 1, you can help your child develop a strong foundation in their composition writing skills. Storyline and content ideation, concise sentences, strong conflicts and resolutions, introducing a moral lesson, are essential skills that should be nurtured from a young age.
This will help your child become a consistent writer as they progress through their primary and secondary years.
If you are looking to help your child improve in composition writing, check out our PSLE English program and O level English program.
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