Reading and Writing at Columbia Schools

Columbia School District teachers and principals work diligently to partner with parents.  They feel that when children are learning about reading and writing in school, they will be a more successful learner if they complete fun skill building activities at home.  It is important to work with your children to write along with practicing reading.

Parents will want to encourage their children to write even if the end results appear to be a mess.  One of the secrets to interpreting their early writing attempts is to have them draw a picture then write a caption underneath.  As the parent or caring adult, you will simply ask them to read the caption and then you will write the correct spelling beneath their caption.  You can also suggest that they write a letter to a friend or relative, complete with pictures, and you can interpret the words that may be illegible. 

In addition to drawing a picture and having your child write a caption, you could ask your child to tell you what the picture shows.  Ask him or her to tell you a story describing the picture, then write down the story and read it back to him or her. 

To help reinforce your child’s writing skills you may want to talk about what you are writing, even something as mundane as a shopping list.  Talk about the list and the reason to make a list. Your child will have a deeper understanding of the use of the written language if you model the reasons to write. 

To further encourage your child to build his or her skills in writing, you may read your child a short book or a chapter of a longer book, then have him or her draw a picture of the next adventure of the characters in the book.  You could suggest that your child write a sentence or two depicting the exciting adventures for the characters in the story.

These writing strategies and tips will assist you as you work with your young learner at home.  The time you spend with your child reading and writing will lead to success as he or she learns today and becomes a leader tomorrow.  If you have questions regarding Columbia School District, call 5175926641 or email Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org.