As students move through school, the writing demands increase quickly. Learning how to write strong sentences, well-written paragraphs, and organized essays is an important academic skill. If your child struggles with writing, the strategies and tips below can help them build stronger writing skills and improve their overall school performance.
How to Teach Your Child to Write Strong Sentences
When learning how to write effectively, students should begin by learning how to compose a well-structured sentence containing a subject and predicate. These sentences can be simple, like:
Sam jumped.
Ella cried.
Taylor called.
Make sure your child uses a capital letter at the start of each sentence and ends their sentence with a proper punctuation mark. You can even have them draw a box around the capital letter at the start of the sentence and circle the punctuation mark at the end. Once your child has grasped how to write a simple sentence, which can be done through writing tutoring or dysgraphia tutoring, you can encourage them to expand their sentences with adverbs and adjectives, like:
Sam jumped high.
Ella cried yesterday.
Taylor called today.
You can also teach them different types of sentences, including declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. Additionally, you can teach them to write compound and complex sentences to further expand their writing. A one-on-one writing tutor can further help them develop this skill.
How to Teach Your Child to Write a Simple Paragraph
Once students have learned how to write well-structured sentences, you can teach them how to write simple paragraphs. Simple paragraphs consist of a topic sentence, three detail sentences, and a conclusion sentence. A simple paragraph might look like the following:
There are many different items you can eat for breakfast. First, you can eat pancakes with syrup. Next, you can eat cereal. Finally, you can eat scrambled eggs. I love breakfast!
Students can include their opinion in their conclusion sentence. Using this format, they can learn how to write different types of simple paragraphs, including example, process, reason, and compare/contrast paragraphs. They should always follow these three steps when writing:
- Brainstorm their ideas
- Write their paragraph or essay
- Self-check their work for capitalization, grammar, spelling, and punctuation
How to Teach Extended Paragraph Writing
After students have learned how to write an effective simple paragraph, they can learn how to write an extended paragraph. An extended paragraph consists of a topic sentence, three detail sentences, three supporting details sentences that support each detail sentence, and a conclusion sentence. With this format, students are essentially stretching out their writing while maintaining its organization. They can still learn how to write example, process, reason, and compare/contrast paragraphs - but in the form of an extended paragraph. You should still encourage your child to brainstorm, write, and self-check their work.
How to Teach Your Child to Write a Five Paragraph Essay
Your child will now likely be ready to learn how to write a five paragraph essay! Five paragraph essays consist of an introduction paragraph (which contains an opening, lead-in, and thesis statement), three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
For the introduction paragraph, you can reach your child various ways to begin their writing, including a quote, general statement, opposite statement, or story. You can teach them that a thesis statement contains an opinion and a plan. You should give them lots of practice writing different thesis statements.
Why Writing Skills Are Important for Students
Strong writing skills help students improve their performance in school, since most subjects involve writing. Writing tutoring can help students learn how to express their ideas clearly, structure their thoughts, and excel academically.
Why Students with Dyslexia Need Writing Support
Many students with dyslexia struggle with writing organization, spelling, and sentence structure. Specialized dyslexia tutoring that focuses on systematic writing instruction can help these students build stronger writing skills. Learn more about how dyslexia tutoring can help your child at Help Your Child With Dyslexia Build Stronger Reading Skills | Knowledge Plus Tutoring.
Writing Tutoring for Students in Palm Beach County
Many students benefit from specialized one-on-one writing instruction. Writing tutors can help your child develop stronger sentence, paragraph, and essay writing skills. If your child continues to struggle with writing, you may want to try virtual or in-person writing tutoring in Palm Beach County to help them further develop this skill. Writing will continue to play a key role as they move through school.
At Knowledge Plus Tutoring, we help students throughout Florida through specialized one-on-one writing tutoring. If you feel your child would benefit from a virtual or in-person writing tutor to improve their writing skills or you are seeking a tutor for a struggling writer, contact us at www.knowledgeplustutoring.com to see how we can help your child thrive with one-on-one tutoring. We also accept Step Up Funding for tutoring, so if you are looking for a writing tutor in Florida for your child, we can help, and your child may receive writing tutoring for free!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I help my child improve their writing skills?
You can help your child improve their writing through consistent writing practice and repetition. Teach them how to construct a basic sentence, paragraph, and essay, and remind them to always brainstorm, write, and self-check their work.
How can I help my child organize their writing?
You can help your child organize their writing by encouraging them to brainstorm before they begin writing. This will help them structure their ideas before they write, helping to improve the overall organization of their writing.
When should I consider a writing tutor for my child?
If your child struggles to express their thoughts on paper, including writing basic sentences, paragraphs, or essays, or they have challenges with writing mechanics, organization, or grammar, they may benefit from a writing tutor.
Can tutoring help a child who dislikes writing?
Yes, absolutely! Writing tutoring can help your child improve their writing skills. As they become more confident writers, in turn they will likely begin to enjoy writing more.
Dr. Emily Levy, the executive director of Knowledge Plus Tutoring, has been helping students improve their writing skills for over twenty years and has written several research-based workbooks on writing. She holds her Master’s Degree in Special Education and her Doctorate Degree in Education.
