Below Grade Level in Comprehension

If you can find the time, I highly recommend reading the book, Discover you child's learning style by Mariamma Willis and Victoria KIndle Hodson. This books is inspirational and a good read. Your daughter can read it too and both of you can find out together what works best for her. We all learn things and process information differently. Unfortunately, our schools are not set up to meet our children's needs but instead have standards and expectations that do not fit all. This book has great insights on how to meet these without much struggle and make learning enjoyable.
Best,
-R.

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You didn't say how old she was, but this seems fairly common for any age. Remember that she just may not like it or excel in it like she does in other subjects and that's okay....she just also needs to learn that she has to do it even when she doesn't want to....that's the tough part! ;) Does she use some sort of outline or writing organizer before she writes? That would be step 1....make sure she has her thoughts organized in some sort of way, and there are organizers for every age group, even Kindergarten! You can probably look them on line if her teacher doesn't give you any suggestions. Based on your post, I would say that is her biggest need. Having an organizer frees her from being "creative" she just has to fill in the organizer and then use that to tell her what to write next. She will still have to make up the sentences and use creative word choice and add details, of course, but this is a huge help!Secondly, maybe you could get her started in a journal. That way she can just free write and not have to worry about spelling, punctuation, etc. That can get her more involved and more confident in her skills. Also, figure out if that's her problem...some kids freak out when they write because they feel like it has to be perfect the FIRST time...it DOESN'T! In fact, try to encourage her to write and just get her thoughts on paper. Then she can go back and edit her thoughts and style. You really shouldn't focus on spelling, etc. until she is completely done writing her content and ideas. It is so hard to see your child struggle in school, but try and take some of the pressure off and make it easier and more fun for her. Maybe (depending upon her age) you could even start reading some books she likes and trying to write a similar story together. You can totally publish it, even using sites like Snapfish or whatever, you can scan her artwork (or even take a picture of it) in and copy the text into the book and viola...she has her own published book...that can be a huge motivator! Good luck!

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I think the journal idea is a good one. This could help with writing practice, and also help her with her memory of past events. Some people remember better when they write things down, even if they don't have it handy, just the fact that they wrote it makes it stick in their heads. (it helps me!)
Also the strategies for brainstorming, with the bubbles (sometimes called a web)

I would like to call attention to something in your request:
"The school doesn't feel she has a learning disability"
---First of all, only a trained psychologist can determine if a student has a learning disability, by using a verified and clinically proven testing process.
There are many types of learning disabilities, some are hard to detect without testing, and some are even related to organization!
Also, if a parent says they suspect a problem and say to the school that they want their (public school) child tested, by law, the school MUST TEST, and MUST DO IT in a very SPECIFIC TIME FRAME.
The reason I know this is because my child's school first ignored my request, then tried to refuse, saying it wasn't necessary, then they stalled for 5 months (which is illegal), saying they were "overloaded". In fact, he has multiple difficulties...but the staff were convinced he was just giving them "attitude" and only "pretending" he didn't understand things.

So if you ever do WANT to check for a problem, keep in mind that what the "school feels" is not relevant and won't help your child.
I'm not suggesting that she does have a disability--I just want you to know your rights as a parent, in case things don't improve with her writing.

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Three ideas spring to mind. The first I did with students I was tutoring. I filled a fishbowl with paper fish. On each fish was written a writing prompt. The student would go fish to find their topic for the day. They liked that they never knew what to expect. Examples on non fiction prompts might be...our last trip to a restaurant, my favorite field trip, the last time I played outside. I wouldn't correct for grammar or spelling on these journal writes, and just let her enjoy the process of writing without feeling the pressure of perfection. The other game my children love to play while we are driving is that I start a story and then stop mid-sentence. We go around the car continuing the story as long as we can. I usually do fictional stories but it would be easy to substitute a shared experience non fictional story. Once she becomes comfortable doing this orally she can write down the story once she gets home in her journal. The last idea is to have her illustrate a story without any words and then go back and fill in the text. This is great for a student that loves to draw and the drawings will serve as their own prompts for you daughter.

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I am a teacher and I recommend having her read short passages that she is interested in and writing summaries. magazines she likes, stories she likes, etc

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One thing that may be an issue is self esteem for her writing. My daughter has a bit of a problem with this. She loves to read and usually has no problem with understanding what she read. But sometimes she feels like she did not do well enough so decides not to do anything at all. Getting her to expand on her writing is a struggle sometimes. She is at her level but just at the level while she excels everywhere else. The laptop may help. If you go this route, have her write on the laptop and save to a file. One thing the teachers have mentioned is any writing is better than none. Once she feels better about actually doing it, she should have less writer's block which may be kicking in because she is not confident about what she is doing. This is what is suggested to me so maybe it is something you could use. A suggestion for homework is break it up. Once other homework is done, talk about the topic for her paper. Let her take a short break and then come back and right up some ideas (facts or who what where, etc), another short break, and then bakc to write a paragraph. I do this with my son when he says how hard his homework is.

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I do not have experience with this..but an idea popped into my head...how about if she has her own journal or diary....and let her know she can write her own thoughts etc...and it is only for to see, etc..

I remember having writers block starting in high school and it drove my mother nuts....it just takes practice...by the time I got to college it was easy for me but a very hard battle to get there...good luck.

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Have you thought about getting her a tutor? When my son was young, I got him one and it helped so much. Maybe get someone who can come once or twice a week and work with her.

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Hi S.,

I used to teach 4th grade (and now I teach 2nd), and I know that can be an issue for a lot of kids. I know you got some suggestions for tutoring--sometimes kids work better with someone that is not their parent or teacher, so that's something to consider. I also like the idea of a journal--let her pick out something that she likes. The laptop idea might not be a bad idea. Before buying her her own, you might want to try it out with your computer (family computer?) Does she struggle with the actual writing--handwriting or just writing the words? Some kids who just hate the physical act of writing will do so much better when they are able to type.

The only other suggestion I have is it seems like she needs some sort of graphic organizer to organize her thoughts for writing. I'm assuming her teacher does this with them in class, or provides some sort of prewriting exercise? If they are just expected to write a 5 paragraph essay from scratch, I can see why she's having difficulty. If you think graphic organizers would help, you can check out a teacher supply store (or ask her teacher), or I can give you some ideas.

I hope something works for her!
Jen

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My son - 8y - is going through the same thing. He tries to get the sentence perfect in his head before he writes anything down. In the end he doesn't end up finishing the work because its all still in his head.

Have you ever watched the Disney Channel show 'Imagination Movers'. They have a song about brainstorming. That is the method that we've been trying to use to help my son. Creating a brainstorm page.
Basically you write the topic in the center of the page, draw a circle around it. Then as you think of anything to do with that topic, it becomes a seperate bubble, attached to the topic bubble. My son says they are moons orbiting the topic. WHATEVER works!

My co-worker is in his 40s. He still does this with his work meetings. He has a nifty notebook, colored pencils, the works! It works wonders for him, especially when he looks back and tries to remember stuff.

Good luck
M.

M.

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I am a great grandmother who loves to write and read and am now tutoring through the early literacy program at the senior center. My husband and I tutor at a nearby elementary school and this year are working with 3rd graders. We listen to them read, sometimes take turns reading and help them write their responses to what they have read. In this school, they seem to do a lot of book reports in various ways (oral, written, diagrammed).

It seems to me that the children today at least in peninsula schools are expected to do a lot of things earlier and earlier. By third and fourth grades they are very self conscious if they do not do some of these things as well as the other children.

I have not had a lot of specific training about 3rd and 4th grades, but some suggestions in general might be helpful:

The more success your daughter has with writing and the less pressure she feels, the more she will relax and just do it. It seems to have become an emotional issue where it should just be a natural and fun thing. If she wrote just for her own pleasure, keeping a journal, writing to friends or to grandma, writing her dreams and plans for the future, etc she might find it fun. At first the main thing is just to write without the stress of spelling punctuation and even sentence structure. Once she gets into doing this (either in a notebook, pretty journal, nice stationery OR on a new laptop which can be connected to a printer) she can make whatever changes she wants to make to get better at the finer points of writing.

Writing about oneself should be the easiest and most enjoyable, because she knows the material better than anything else, but if she is better at make believe, then suggest she try writing make believe stories for younger relatives or friends, maybe with illustrations...

The teachers tell me that children are not learning cursive writing as much as was common when I was in school, because they get into using the computer and typing instead. If she has a laptop, she can practice and get good at all the things that challenge her...and do it in private on her own and then surprise her family, friends and teacher.

Best of luck. I do not know how to work it in with her math or other skills at which she excels, but making an association with what she does well is also a thought. Often people who are good at math are also good at art, so that is always a good combination with writing. Maybe she would like to illustrate her writings. Reading with your child is an important thing to do even after she has learned the skill and writing is associated so closely with that.

Best of luck, she will get over this!! N.

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Dear S.,
I think a lot of kids go through this when it comes to writing. Writing composition can actually be the easiest of subjects because it's based on our own thoughts. If trying to think of things to write are difficult and you're up until 11 at night with her finishing a writing assignment, it's not fun or good for anybody.
I encouraged my children from the time they were very little to begin writing their own stories. When they were too little to do the actual writing themselves, they would tell the story and I would write it down for them. Some of them were so cute and I still have them!
At Halloween one year I bought my son a thing that we call a voice changer. You talk into a little microhone and it distorts your voice to sound like a monster or an alien...He loved talking into that to make up his stories and in fact made up a story about his voicechanger.
I think the main thing is letting our kids know that they aren't expected to write something epic like Tolstoy, they just have to write something. And, since your daughter has really struggled with this, unless the assignment is very specific such as "you must write 100 word essay on your favorite shoes", the actual content can be overlooked to an extent as long as she makes attempts until she gets more comfortable with it. BUT, giving up isn't an option.
Just as an example, if she has to write about what she did last summer, get 4 pieces of paper and have her come up with 4 different things, one for each piece of paper. Went to camp. Visited Grandma. Went swimming. Played with my friends. Fold them up and put them in a jar for her to choose one randomly.
Okay...it's "Went swimming".
Now, on that same piece of paper, have her write 5 thoughts about going swimming.
1. It was sunny
2. There were a lot of kids
3. I learned to dive
4. My fingers got pruney
5. I went with my friend Mary

Now, for each of those things, ask her a few questions about each.
For instance, it was sunny: Was it hot? Windy? Was the water warm or cold?
There were a lot of kids: Mostly boys? Girls? Where there babies and bigger kids there?
Learned to dive: Were you scared? Did it take a lot of practice? About how many times did you dive?
Pruney fingers: How did they feel? How long were you swimming when you noticed it? Did your toes get pruney too?
Went with Mary: Did her mom drive you? How long have you known Mary? Is she a good swimmer? Did she dive too? How long did you stay?

Those are all things that she can easily answer on the paper regarding the 5 things. In the process, many more things may come to her as she does this which is great!

Believe it or not, she's just created an outline.

Now, every story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end.
All she has to do is come up with a title, juggle the 5 main points into a sequence and finish with final thought such as she had a great time or she can't wait for summer to go swimming again or whatever her ending thought may be.

Now, she has a rough draft that she can go back over and check for punctuation or cross out thoughts or sentences or add adjectives. (Adjectives really help describe things for the reader and make reading interesting!)
Viola! She has a story!

She's ready for her final draft!

It's my opinion that she should learn to do this by hand, the old fashioned way. If you get her anything to aid her in tracking her thoughts, you could get her a mini tape recorder for her brainstorming sessions and then she can write things down as she listens back, but I would only advise that for when she becomes SO filled with ideas, she can't write them down fast enough.
I think 4th grade is too soon for a lap top as a writing tool.
Also, I have friends who are teachers and although children do need to know how to use a computer, it has backfired in many instances. Fewer and fewer kids know how to use reference materials like dictionairies or encyclopedias because they just look things up online. Spelling skills suffer with spell check and the new text shorthand lingo. Legible handwriting is becoming a rare occurance. I think kids should learn the fundamentals the fundamental way. As your daughter masters her outlines, etc, then perhaps a lap top of some kind might be beneficial. A lap top will not help with comprehension, a lap top will not help her with brainstorming. It just seems to me that then it's complicated by someone having to teach her how to do all that on a lap top IN ADDITION TO what she's already having trouble with.
My friend gave her daughter a lap top in her senior year thinking it would make things easier for assignments, etc. It took her 3 times longer to get something done. So, the final draft for a huge report was fine after she'd already done the other work first.
Get your daughter a journal and have her write in it 10 minutes a day. Set a timer. She has to write for 10 minutes, non stop, even if she just wants to say how much she hates writing and why or that you made her favorite dinner or she hates folding laundry. Doesn't matter what it is. It won't be graded, she just has to do it. She can share it with you or not but just spilling...there's a fly in my room. I have pink slippers. Rained all day.
These are all things she can perhaps go back to for ideas about other things.
Keep reading with her. Books with shorter chapters are excellent because you can ask her to explain the gist of the chapter before going on to the next one. It will help her see sentence structure, how expression and punctuation are important to a story.

Best of wishes!

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My son's teacher suggested cutting pictures out of the newspaper or a magazine (even ads) and having him make up stories for the pictures. I cut up a bunch and let him choose the picture that inspired him most that day (an animal, a woman and a washing machine, a car...). I would try to have him write for at least 15 minutes using the picture if he wanted, or just something he was thinking about.
He still doesn't like writing if he's told too, but he'll often sit at the computer and type out a story. His stories now (he's in 5th grade) often take him several days. Many times he writes a chapter or two and abandons the project, but sometimes he gets really far.

I have noticed he's much more willing to write on the computer than with a paper and pencil. I think he enjoys "spell check". :)

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We got a book called "Writing in 15 minutes a day" that helped my stepson. It's short little exercises to help. They also have one for Reading that he has as well. We got both of them at Costco.

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Many children have things they prefer to write about, but may struggle with the writing curriculum at their grade level. It sounds like she needs to practice writing in a non-stressful situation. Does she have an email account? When my children were younger, we used to send email letters to each other. It's a fun, unstressful way to practice writing. You can also journal back and forth with her in a writer's notebook. She could also start a writer's journal in which she can write about anything she desires. Also, you may want to use mentor texts-find short books (even picture books) that are written in interesting ways and use them to inspire her writing.

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Huntington Learnng center is a great tutoring option. they "tested my child on the first visit" then spelled out a game plan and it was a success for her. she was in 6th grade when we did it and she had some gaps in her education all the way back to the 3rd grade level. pricey but helpful!

I think the laptop idea is GREAT! Have her journal her days. If you can't get her a laptop yet then get her a really pretty blank paged journal book. It's necessarily a diary. It's not meant to be the personal stuff. Just the things about her day. Maybe at first you can sit with her & assist her. Go through the days hours & have her try to recall events. Even if possible have her do a hourly type of agenda with notes of events to journal that night. Then when she needs to write about herself; etc. then she can refer to her daily journals. They don't have to be lengthy. There will be days where not much happens. On those days still have her note something. Like "Not much happened today, but it was a good day (or whatever kind of day). Have her put how the day left her feeling. Just remind her that it is not a diary. It is not meant to be personal, but something she could share with others.

Please let me know if this helps her. Which school does she go to? Von Renner or Hunt. I don't care for Hunt. I feel Von Renner is a lot more helpful.

Good Luck,

:-}

Lyn
____@____.com

I was just reading some of the comments you've gotten. One person says how you have rights as a parent. You do!!! My son is in SDC classes. It took me 'til mid 1st grade to get him in there. What you need to do is request an IEP mtg & put your foot down & tell them you want all the testing done. Try to get resources for her. There should be no reason that she can't get a certain percentage of time in resources. If they won't do an IEP then they have a problem!! Then you need to contact NCLUSD office. Speak with the superintendant Dr Fause. Complain to him. But every parent has the right to request an IEP (individualized educational plan). You fill out your request & then be firm as to what you want them to do.

I have become an expert in this dept. My son is in the 6th grade & I have been doing this kind of stuff since kindergarten.