Excerpt from Easy Homeschooling Companion By Lorraine Curry 1) Read aloud to your young child (and all your
children). 2) Listen to, and write down, the stories he tells. If you begin with these two steps, your child will
have no lack of creativity in his writing. Even after he is able to write, you
child will compose more detailed works if you do the actual writing, at least
part of the time. When you child begins writing, be sure all work is
completed, and completed neatly. If you accept less, your children will
continue to do less than they are capable of, and may fail to learn important
habits, which carry over into other areas, such as dress and cleanliness. Once your child is writing profusely, the next step is
cutting. This step should be saved for later, at about eleven years old or
older (depending of course on the individual child and his writing experience). Eliminate: 1) Phrases, sentences or sections not related to the main theme of the writing. 2) Groups of words that can be expressed by a simple descriptive word. 3) High-brow words. Keep it simple. 4) Adjectives and adverbs that can be expressed by a descriptive noun or verb. 5) Uninteresting details. After the excess is cut from the writing, the student
should make sure the sentences are varied in length and form. Do not use only
the subject-verb-object format, but begin some sentences with very phrases
(“Sitting on the shore, he began thinking of his past.”) or prepositional
phrases (“Amidst the confusion, she was enveloped by a supernatural peace.”). You may also wish to teach the following figures of speech: A simile expresses comparison using like or as. “How like the winter hath thy
absence been. So are you to my thoughts as food to life.” (Shakespeare) A metaphor denotes comparison without the use of like
or as. “I am floating on a sea of blessings.” “Life is a bowl of cherries.” Personification is the term that describes non-human
things as having human qualities or forms. “Flowers danced about the lawn.” In
her pioneer novel, A Lantern in Her Hand, Bess Streeter Aldrich personified as
she penned, “A thousand stars, looking down, paled at its (the moon’s) rising.” “Personified as she penned” above is and alliteration,
meaning that one letter sound is emphasized in a sentence or phrase. Although
alliteration makes sentences memorable and adds variety, overuse is extremely
annoying. Similes, metaphors, personifications and alliteration can all be
overused but occasional use will add sparkle to writing. Writing Checklist Have you used complete sentences? Do ideas flow from one sentence to the next? Are the sentences varied in length and type? Have descriptive words been used? Have you checked the writing thoroughly? | Articles may be republished freely. However we ask that you include the following and a link to our site with the article. Lorraine Curry is the author of 5 Star, Easy Homeschooling Techniques and Easy Homeschooling Companion. See more articles, FREE copywork, subscriptions, ebooks and more at http://www.easyhomeschooling.com God's Gardener Easy Homeschooling Boelus NE 68820 308.996.4497 Fax: 308.996.9104 Contact Us FREE Shipping Secure Shopping 12 Month Guarantee
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