Whether your child is a decent writer or struggles to craft a good composition, you can develop his writing skills further and prepare him to be a stronger storyteller.
Read widely
Reading is one of the best ways your child can build his vocabulary and improve his standard of English, says Duncan Rose, head of schools at British Council.
“Reading is a great opportunity for your child to pick up new words, words that aren’t typically used by his peers, teachers or family members. Of course, the more he reads, the better, but you should ensure that he reads a variety of genres so that he is exposed to as many different words as possible.” Does Junior complain when asked to read? Duncan suggests letting him read what he wants – as long as the material is age-appropriate – and let this pave the way to the types of books that you would like him to read.
You want to get him to a point where he finds reading enjoyable so that he will make the choice to read more. And don’t limit his reading material to just books, either. “Magazines and comics are fine, too,” Duncan points out
Learn how to use words effectively
A dictionary is useful to help your child develop his vocabulary, but if you want him to understand and remember how to use a word, Duncan suggests asking him to guess what it means before looking it up.
Once he has checked the meaning, he should record it in a notebook and attempt to use it in a sentence of his own. If you turn this into a game whenever he comes across a new or difficult cult word, he will find it a fun challenge as opposed to a chore. A thesaurus is another useful tool, but make sure Junior understands that words are not transposable, Duncan adds.
Don’t regurgitate model compositions; make it your own
While these are useful, memorising them will not get him very far when it comes to getting extra marks for creativity.
“Narratives differ dramatically in tone, content, theme and style,” says Duncan. “Good writers master a wide range of techniques that allow them to adopt an appropriate style to match the examination question. For example, ‘thrillers’ use short staccato sentences to build tension, while more dramatic pieces rely on deep descriptions of actions and surroundings to generate atmosphere.”
The English Enrichment course at the British Council can help your child develop the techniques that are essential to a good composition; ones that take time and skill and involve a level of thought and planning that a model text may not be able to provide on its own, like idiomatic phrases, the rule of three, flashbacks and foreshadowing.
The course will also encourage your kid to incorporate these skills and techniques into his work to ensure the quality of the work becomes richer over time. “The emphasis is not on mimicry of someone else’s work, but on the utilisation of good literary techniques to develop something new and exciting to capture the interest of the reader,” Duncan explains.
Experiment when writing
Encourage your kid to challenge certain writing “rules”, such as not starting a sentence with “but” or “because”. “The best writers go against these conventions, and end up with an excellent piece of writing,” Duncan points out. “Instead of instructing your child to follow certain rules, ask him to look at the work of good writers and observe how they write. “Our English Enrichment course certainly supports non-conformity and experimentation. The students are encouraged to put certain rules aside and write the way they want to express themselves, and they are not penalised for it.”
Organise, structure and plan
A good writer does not just launch into a story. He brainstorms it first, decides what narrative he wants, and plans how the story will end.
Explain the importance of all these steps, teaching him how to flesh out certain details, showing him how to structure his paragraphs, and getting him to decide what goes where, Duncan advises.
“Ask questions of him and let him plan the story. You can also get him to write two versions of the same story, one planned and one unplanned, and go through all the differences with him.”
Encourage creative thinking
Pastiches, or taking concepts and styles from elsewhere and putting them together, are common and perfectly acceptable, says Duncan.If your child wants to write something based on a movie he watched, let him. Get his creative juices flowing by asking him how his composition will be different from the movie, if he will include additional characters or a sub-plot, and so on.“Encourage him to mashup genres and take risks so that he comes up with an original piece.” Reading widely is also a wonderful way to expose him to different ideas that may spark his imagination.
Practice makes perfect: Write often
The act of writing, over and over again, will help your child nurture his planning, writing and storytelling skills. Duncan advises starting small, like getting Junior to write a few lines about a book he just read. In time, get him to expand his review to a few paragraphs. Encourage him to write about anything and everything, from what he did during the holidays to something interesting that happened at school or in the neighbourhood. “You may also wish to get him in the habit of engaging with the work of good writers,” he adds. “For example, ask him to write the sequel to a book or predict what will happen in chapter two. It’s all about engagement.”
develop your child’s english skills
The British Council offers English enrichment courses for preschool, primary and secondary school students. These are in line with the Ministry of Education’s English curriculum, delivering the same learning outcomes through its unique teaching methodology. At the core of what it offers is its focus on group work, collaboration, sharing, critical thinking and problem-solving. Free trial classes are available.
Visit www.britishcouncil.sg to fi nd out more, or call any of its fi ve centres:
Napier Road: 6653-8046
Marsiling: 6653-8049
Tampines: 6653-8040
Toa Payoh: 6653-8059
Katong: 6653-6205
