There was another discovery from the meeting.
At our visitation, after practicing to make sentences orally we also want children to actually write a composition. We will not insist them to use 5w1h format that they learn just before, but we want them to start getting used to writing.
About letters, because there is no culture to exchange letters here and no one teaches how to write, most children had been making a repetition of the same or similar contents. So we shall once stop to expect that this occasion or action of writing letters can help improve their writing skills. We should cultivate their writing skills from different angles.
When I asked our local staffs which theme is easy for children to write about, they said “family.” I could still imagine many children would be frozen even with that seemingly easy theme. Some may end up with only their family members’ names written down…
Then a staff suggested that we tell children to make a mind map first. We shall ask them to write out ①family members, ②personality & characteristics, and ③what he/she does – not just an occupation but also some roles in the family. However these info doesn’t so much differ from a matter-of-fact questionnaire, so it will be best if they can add ④how they “relate” with each of those family members.
Firstly a child may lists up grandma and elder sister for example for question ①. Then, next to “sister,” he/she’d write ②kind, tall, big voice?! ③help with housework, and ④send me off to my school. Something like these notes will be brought out. And then he/she can put these info into sentences.
I sometimes draw a mind map when I brainstorm on our project plans or life plans, but I didn’t think of using it as a step stone to write a composition. Surely, by visualizing ideas, children will find it easy to compose!
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