Friday, October 28, 2011

Your Child's Writing Life - Pam Allyn

Synopsis from Barnes&Noble: An illuminating, first-of-its-kind resource to help parents foster a love of writing in their child's life.



New educational research reveals that writing is as fundamental to a child's development as reading. But though there are books that promote literacy, no book guides parents in helping their child cultivate a love of writing. In this book, Pam Allyn, a nationally recognized educator and literacy expert, reminds us that writing is not only a key skill but also an essential part of self-discovery and critical to success later in life. Allyn offers the "the five keys" to help kids WRITE-Word Power, Ritual, Independence, Time, and Environment-along with fun, imaginative prompts to inspire and empower children to put their thoughts on the page.

I picked this up at the library as a resource for work. And while it is primarily a guide for younger writers, there are some prompts I can use with my 7th and 8th graders.

I love that it breaks it down by age/developmental level to look at what writing skills to develop and gives prompts for parents to use at home. And tips to create a “writing life” at a young age. Definitely a book I will be purchasing to have on my shelf as a resource.

I tell my students on a regular basis that writing is so *integral* to whatever they want to be and do later in life (yes, even for you pro-ball players and singing sensations). A lot of times they don’t get it because it hasn’t been a part of their life until school…and really, to be honest, until they hit middle school.

My girls will also benefit from this read (although they might not feel it’s beneficial)…I see Christmas and summer break writing projects heading their way. 

So, for anyone with a child of any age, pick it up and read it.

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