Anamika63
asks:
In Topics:
Helping my child with reading, Helping my child with writing, Learning a second language
Q:
How can I help my 11 year old in English comprehension and creative writing? English is his second language and he finds it a challenge to write.
> 60 days ago
Answers (2)
Hi,
Read, read, read. Reading is the best way to expose yourself to the English language, use a dictionary to look up words that you are not familiar with. The more reading he does, the more he will learn to comprehend what he has read and will become familiar with descriptive words that will eventually lead to more creative writing.
The 4th link I've included is to Book Adventure- it is a FREE site, that has a reading list of over 7000 books. After he has read a book, he can take a test on the computer for points. Then he can exchange his points for FREE prizes. This will help practice comprehension skills and it's fun too!
The 5th link is to Pizza Hut's program -Book It-there are many reading tips and worksheets available with reward incentives.
Also, maybe by playing word games together such as Mad Libs, Boggle, Scramble, Scramble Upwards (one of our favorites) will help too.
I hope you find this helpful! Best Wishes!
Read, read, read. Reading is the best way to expose yourself to the English language, use a dictionary to look up words that you are not familiar with. The more reading he does, the more he will learn to comprehend what he has read and will become familiar with descriptive words that will eventually lead to more creative writing.
The 4th link I've included is to Book Adventure- it is a FREE site, that has a reading list of over 7000 books. After he has read a book, he can take a test on the computer for points. Then he can exchange his points for FREE prizes. This will help practice comprehension skills and it's fun too!
The 5th link is to Pizza Hut's program -Book It-there are many reading tips and worksheets available with reward incentives.
Also, maybe by playing word games together such as Mad Libs, Boggle, Scramble, Scramble Upwards (one of our favorites) will help too.
I hope you find this helpful! Best Wishes!
Here's a fun idea to help young ELL students develop early creative writing skills:
It starts with a game of "I spy." If you're not familiar with the game, it goes a little something like this: one person chooses an item in the room. Then, they proceed to give descriptions of that thing until the other player can guess what it is. For example, "I spy with my little eye, something black and gray." The other person tries to guess. If they can't, the spier gives them another clue, "I spy with my little eye, something rectangular and thin." "Aha! It's your computer!"
Simple enough, right? Now, add a twist. Have them come up with ten nouns (person, place, or thing) or give provide them a list. Have them write three sentences describing the noun using comparatives and superlatives (adjectives of comparison) about the objects. For example, "It's larger than an apple. It's tastier than banana. It's the healthiest fruit when you're sick." It's an orange! You can even devise a scavenger hunt that requires them to go find the described noun in the house. Once they've found the "orange," for example, you have another set of clues that reads, "It's messier than your brother's room. It smells better than the bathroom (smiles). It's more comfortable than the living room." It's his bedroom! And so on and so forth.
If you feel that he's at a more advanced level, ask him to think of his favorite activity, thing, place, person, whatever. Have make a list detailed list his favorite thing using the five senses as a guide: seeing, smelling, touching, tasting, and hearing. Then, have him put his list into paragraph form. For example, "I can feel the cold sand on my feet. I feel the warm sun. I can feel the wind on my face. I watch boats passing by." He's at the beach, right? Great! Now, ask him to go back and see if there are ways to eliminate the "I" from the sentence, providing an example, "The sun feels warm on my cheeks."
Anyway, I hope that's helpful :)
It starts with a game of "I spy." If you're not familiar with the game, it goes a little something like this: one person chooses an item in the room. Then, they proceed to give descriptions of that thing until the other player can guess what it is. For example, "I spy with my little eye, something black and gray." The other person tries to guess. If they can't, the spier gives them another clue, "I spy with my little eye, something rectangular and thin." "Aha! It's your computer!"
Simple enough, right? Now, add a twist. Have them come up with ten nouns (person, place, or thing) or give provide them a list. Have them write three sentences describing the noun using comparatives and superlatives (adjectives of comparison) about the objects. For example, "It's larger than an apple. It's tastier than banana. It's the healthiest fruit when you're sick." It's an orange! You can even devise a scavenger hunt that requires them to go find the described noun in the house. Once they've found the "orange," for example, you have another set of clues that reads, "It's messier than your brother's room. It smells better than the bathroom (smiles). It's more comfortable than the living room." It's his bedroom! And so on and so forth.
If you feel that he's at a more advanced level, ask him to think of his favorite activity, thing, place, person, whatever. Have make a list detailed list his favorite thing using the five senses as a guide: seeing, smelling, touching, tasting, and hearing. Then, have him put his list into paragraph form. For example, "I can feel the cold sand on my feet. I feel the warm sun. I can feel the wind on my face. I watch boats passing by." He's at the beach, right? Great! Now, ask him to go back and see if there are ways to eliminate the "I" from the sentence, providing an example, "The sun feels warm on my cheeks."
Anyway, I hope that's helpful :)
> 60 days ago
