Looking at a young child’s first attempts at coloring a picture, you will invariably notice that charming as it is, it is also imperfectly rendered. The red crayon may escape the black line boundary. The normally blue sky is painted in brilliant orange. Or perhaps some areas are left altogether blank. Contrast this bit of artwork with the same child’s several years later. Colors obey their boundary lines, the sky is a lovely shade of cerulean blue, and the picture receives equal attention all over. This is a perfect example of skill progression.
Just as learning to color an image takes time and practice, so too does writing a paragraph. In podcast Episode 293, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss why students sometimes put forth paragraphs that are awkward, especially at first. Emphasizing process versus end product, Andrew explains why awkwardness in writing is to be expected in students. During the podcast he will describe why the checklist is such a useful tool and how reading aloud to children and having them memorize poetry contribute to their linguistic “marble.”
As educators and parents we all eagerly look forward to seeing our students improve in their writing. This doesn’t happen overnight, much as we might like it to. As Andrew says, “Instant improvement is a lovely thought, but gradual improvement is a more realistic thought.” Listen to the podcast to learn more about these ideas.
