Dear teacher,
My kid does not like to write. How do I know if he has a problem with writing?
Dear parent,
The nature of writing is changing, with children texting and e-mailing friends throughout the day. Writing is a very important part of their lives.
Not liking to write does not necessarily mean that your son actually has a writing problem. By studying his written work and talking to his teachers, you can get a good idea of if he actually has a writing problem. If it appears that he does have a problem, it may be related to one of these causes:
• Reading and writing are tied closely together. Good readers are usually good writers, and vice versa. Is your child currently reading on grade level?
• Can he talk about what he knows but cannot express it well in writing? He is losing points on his work because of an inability to state what he knows in writing.
• His writing is unreasonably slow. He is writing a couple of sentences when other students are writing 10 times that number.
• He is trying to pack too much information in a single sentence.
• He is a perfectionist trying to write the perfect sentence or paragraph.
• He is easily distracted after writing for a short period of time.
• He avoids writing — even using it in social media.
• He makes a lot of mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar in his writing.
Improving reading comprehension
Dear teacher,
My son, a fifth-grader, is a good reader; however, he does not comprehend what he has read. He cannot tell you what a story is about after he has finished reading it. How can I help him comprehend what he has just read? — Needs to Understand
Dear parent,
Reading comprehension is the number one reading skill you want your children to have. Your son does not have this skill, so he cannot be considered a good reader. Here are some things that you can use to help him improve his reading comprehension:
• Preview a story and then read it to your son, or have him read it to you. Before reading the story or part of a story, ask him to find the answer to a question about the setting, characters or problems that the characters are facing. This will help him learn to focus more on the content.
• In order for him to learn how to read school textbooks, teach him the SQ4R study technique, which is explained in great detail under “SQ4R” on our website, www.dearteacher.com. It involves surveying what is to be read, writing questions to be answered, reading content, answering the questions aloud and then writing the answers and finally reviewing what has been read. Because this technique involves a lot of steps, your child will need to practice it many, many times to master it. If you use the technique with him, he will master it faster and quickly see the advantage of using SQ4R.
Handling a learning disability
Dear teacher,
What should you do if you suspect that your child has a learning disability?
Dear parent,
First of all, keep in mind that children with learning disabilities usually have normal IQs; their problem lies in how their brains process and use information. They could have an auditory processing, visual perception, communication or other disorder. There is no one description that describes all children with learning disabilities.
If you suspect that your child could have a learning disability, your very first step is to find out as much as you can about what learning disabilities are. This is quite easy to do because many websites will give you good descriptions of learning disabilities. Two helpful sites are: LDonline at www.ldonline.org and the National Center for Learning Disabilities at www.ncld.org.
Your second step is to gather as much information as you can about your child that makes you think that he or she may have a learning disability. Then take your concerns to your child’s teacher. If the teacher agrees with your concerns, the next step is to ask for a formal evaluation of the child. Should the teacher not agree, talk with the principal.
The next step is an observation of your child in the classroom. On the basis of this report, a decision will be made on whether or not the school will have a psychometrist test your child for a learning disability. When the testing has been completed, you will receive a copy of the results and a meeting will be scheduled to completely go over everything in the written report. At this meeting, you will find out whether or not your son has a learning disability and if the child qualifies to receive special education services.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com or ask them on the columnists’ website at www.dearteacher.com.
©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2014.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
