Principle 1: Good writers set a “purpose” for their writing. Setting a purpose for writing helps to provide direction and focus. There are several types of purposes for writing such as persuasive, technical, professional, etc.

Principle 2: Good writers consider their audience. The audience is the group of people who will be reading the piece. I have my audience (you) in mind when I write my articles.

Principle 3: Good writers personally apply the writing process. This refers to beyond the standard writing process and reaches to setting the purpose, brainstorming, reorganizing and then beginning to prewrite phase.

Principle 4: Good writers use all available resources. This is needed to fulfill the needs of the audience. So, research is required even when I write my weekly articles for you! I have to cross-reference, read through pages of research and then begin the writing process.

Principle 5: Good writers use graphic organizers. Using organizers helps to create fluidity of the piece. The organizer do what they are called – they organize. The graphic organizers help students to brainstorm and then they can map out their story. I personally enjoy using mind maps. You can google Buzan Mind Maps for more information.

The good news is that the new writing programs all contain these five principles and will teach them to your child and require your child to interact by providing input to the program. I recommend that you take a look at the programs mentioned above and have your child work through them over the summer.

Source for data:

Reading First and beyond
By Cathy Collins Block, Susan E. Israel

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