Is My Child Ready for Formal Writing?
By Rebecca Celsor
Education is a process of training the mind. As the brain develops, students progress from learning what to think, to learning how to think. If they are not ready to move from learning facts to learning how to think, then structured writing will be too hard for them. Writing requires students to organize abstract thoughts logically and then communicate those thoughts effectively. When students can use logical thinking skills to organize abstract ideas, then they are ready to benefit from The Write Foundation.
In “What is Classical Education,” Susan Wise Bauer states that a child is usually ready to begin logical thinking at 5th grade (which is around 10 years old). They begin to deal with abstract thoughts, but most need another year or two before they are mature enough to learn how to organize abstract thoughts. Children develop at different rates in different areas. For example, girls typically develop faster academically than boys, but bear in mind the rate of brain development is not necessarily an indication of the level of intelligence. It is normal for a child to advance quickly in one or two areas, while seeming to lag behind in other areas.
The Write Foundation curriculum guides students step-by-step as they develop their writing skills. Students learn the writing process as they are required to note thoughts (various brainstorm techniques), organize the brainstorm (standard outline), and then write a paper using that outline structure. Students must master writing fundamentals to be able to write well. In math, memorizing basic math facts lays a foundation for harder concepts. When simple division or algebra is attempted before addition, subtraction and multiplication facts are mastered, frustration and failure will follow. In writing, the process of learning basics may seem pointless and even be painful, especially if a student is not developmentally ready. The step-by-step process should not be neglected, however, because learning the basic skills of the writing process and structure are foundational for upper level writing.
Everyone has three levels of learning: frustration, instruction, and independent. When a child fights tackling abstract thinking, they are probably at their frustration level, because their brain has not yet developed enough to enable them to grasp the concept. When a child is significantly frustrated while attempting any new concept, either the necessary foundations have been skipped, or the child is not developmentally ready to take hold of the next step.
So, what does the teacher need to do? The teacher should back up to the instruction level, where the child can function, and figure out what needs to be reinforced. Also, the best readers always become the best writers. The teacher should read quality books out loud to the student, or the student should listen to audio books on his or her instructional level of reading. Have the student also read quality books on his or her independent level of reading. Simply put, at the independent level students can read with no help, while at the instructional level the literature will usually be longer, have a harder vocabulary and basically be a book the student would struggle to read out loud. Quality literature that students read or hear encourages their brain development and prepares them for abstract thinking.
Children need to be mature enough to deal with abstract thinking to master writing. When tackling abstract thinking, it is better to attempt the writing concept at an easier level and fly through the material, than to begin where the student is overwhelmed and hates the teacher for making them go through this torture. Students are at an advantage if they wait until they are mature enough before they tackle the writing process and structure.
Sentence to Paragraph: A few are ready by age 11, more at age 12, many at age 13, but some need to begin at age 14 or even 15, so they are mature enough to begin learning how to organize abstract thoughts in writing at the level dealt with in Sentence to Paragraph. At this level, students write basic one and two-paragraph compositions using a variety of brainstorm techniques and outlines, while using the writing process to organize their writing.
Paragraph Writing: A few are ready by age 12, more at age 13 and many at age 14, but struggling students may need to be 15 or even 16. If a student is 14 or older, they may be able to begin with Paragraph Writing, but again this depends on their maturity and writing experience. This level helps students improve their writing skills, challenging them to quickly grasp pieces of the writing puzzle, while advancing to a 5-paragraph college-level essay.
Essay Writing: It is better for many older students to start with Paragraph Writing. A very few age 15 and a few 16 and 17 year old students could begin at Essay Writing. If students are very mature in their ability to grasp abstract concepts, but the teacher feels they do not have a solid foundation of the writing process and writing structure, only then should they begin with Essay Writing. Essay Writing assumes students know how to brainstorm, write a standard outline and follow basic writing rules such as no incomplete sentences and no run-on sentences.
Using the step-by-step concrete method laid out in The Write Foundation, students learn how to logically think through the writing process and effectively use structure to produce well written essays.