Dear Mr. Reid,
I am writing you in regards to your sons’ literacy learning
needs. Andrew is a very driven student that gives anything he tries a hundred
and ten percent. He is one student that will listen to the instructions and ask
for assistance when needed. In class currently we are working with Andrew on
developing a persuasive essay. Andrew is able to come up with ideas of why it’s
important to keep zoos as well as backing up his statements with facts. We are
trying though to work with Andrew on developing his thoughts more. Specifically
using descriptive words and organizing the flow of his thoughts throughout the
paper.
To help support Andrew in developing the skills to organize and
enhance his paper we have been having him fill out a graphic organizer that
breaks down the structure and specific
points of the paper such as thesis, three main facts with supporting
data and then a conclusion. By using this organizer it helps Andrew organize
his thoughts and where exactly everything fits.
As well three practices that are being implemented in order
to differentiate instruction for Andrew are having him refer to word walls that
are posted in the classroom for vocabulary to add to his paper, reread each
paragraph to check structure and having him use various leads in the first sentence
of his paragraphs such as a question, quotation, or a comparison.
Overall through these various strategies we believe we have
been able to aide Andrew in developing his writing skills and pushing him to
advance his works of writing. If you have any additional questions on the strategies we are using or would like a follow up on Andrew’s progress let me know and I will be more
than happy to meet with you in person or over email.
Thank you,
Megan Muer
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Megan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for informing me about my son’s literacy development in the previous letter. Andrew has always struggled in articulating his thoughts, even in speaking. Recently, I have noticed the improvement of his speech, in which ideas and random thoughts are not just thrown around at random times. Instead, he can tell me an incident that happened at school from beginning to end, and making critical comments about it.
Nonetheless, writing is different from conversational talks. I am pleased to see how you are working with Andrew on formulating a well-written persuasive essay in its structure and content. Because Andrew struggled (still does sometimes) with organization of thought, the graphic organizer will definitely help him articulate his thought on paper and orally. Gradually through scaffolding, I believe that he can grow independent from a visual graphic organizer to mentally organizing his thoughts in a reasonable order. I also agree that vocabulary-building is essential for essay-writing, so having him refer to the word walls will be helpful.
I still have some lingering questions about how, as a parent, I can help my son improve his literacy skills at home. Would you recommend that I read more books with him at home to increase his knowledge of vocabulary? Or is there something else that you recommend that I do? Please keep in mind that I am always willing to assist my son’s learning, so do not hesitate to ask!
Thank you,
Christine Chern
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Muer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving me an update on Andrew’s literacy needs. It is great to hear that he is focused and doing what he is supposed to with all of his effort. I have noticed that his writing is very jumpy. He has good thoughts and interesting things to write, he just can’t seem to put them down in the right order. I really think this graphic organizer will help him. Knowing what order he is going to write things before he really attempts will help the cure some of the frustrations he has been having. Having this graphics organizer is a great way to scaffold his organization abilities.
I understand that he needs more help when it comes to writing formal essays. His old jumpy writing style will not work anymore and it’s time to focus on getting his thoughts straight. I also agree that Andrew’s vocabulary could use a boost. If at all possible, could I get a list of the word wall words? I’d like to make sure we (our family) are using them in conversations so he is able to get a feel for how they are used in conversation. I didn’t know that they started using quotes and questions in their writing yet! I’m glad I know now. How will you help him start to use these in his writing? It is great to know what things he needs help on, I want to assist as much as I can. If you could give me any suggestions of how we can help him at home that would be greatly appreciated! I’m proud of all he has accomplished this year and I want to help him along in any way I can. If you could give me further updates on his literacy needs that would be great!
Thanks,
Mrs. Reid