Exploratory Action Research

HOW TO DEVELOP WRITING SKILLS FOR CLASS V STUDENTS

Name: P V Ramana

Designation: Secondary Grade Teacher

School: MPUP School, Danta

State: Andhra Pradesh

Introduction:

         There are many reasons for students to avoid writing. ... They struggle to organize and use the mechanics of writing. They are slow and inefficient in retrieving the right words to express an idea. They struggle to develop their ideas fluently.

     I took five students Mahesh, Akhil, Siddartha, Ramya Sri and Bindu Madhavi from class V for my action research. I noticed poor vocabulary, awkward phrasing and unconventional grammar, inappropriate use of colloquial language, difficulty with sentence structure and word order in those students. Primarily I observe mistake while they writing a text. I collect those texts and find out mistakes in their writing. 

Paragraphs: Organizational Issues

• Contains too many main ideas.
• No topic sentence or concluding sentence.
• Lack of transitions from one main idea to the next main idea within the paragraph.
• Lack of transitions to the next paragraph.
• Insufficient analysis of evidence.

 questions related to Handwriting for class 5

1. What are the Students feelings about writing?

2.Are they writing copy books?

3.How is their handwriting? Is it improved or not?

4. If it is not, Why?

5.How much time did they spend time on writing at their home?

6.What is their parent's reaction to their children?

7.What my colleagues are doing to improve handwriting?

Activities To Improve Kids' Writing Skills

1. Read Up. Regular reading is a stepping stone to better writing and helps kids' strengthen their writing skills. ...
2. Make it Fun! ...
3. Create Writing Worksheets. ...
4. Try Different Materials. ...
5. Write Letters. ...
6. Encourage Journalling. ...
7. Create a Writing Space. ...
8. Invest Time.

     

      As part of my action research, I find out some mistakes and problems in their writing. I suggested them to write the text in four rule as exercise. I observed their performance while they are writing. I encouraged them by applauding and set competition among them. 

    Result:

     1. By practising thoroughly they improved their writing skill slightly.

     2. I tell them different stories daily and ask them to tell some new stories they knew 

    3. Ask them to write those stories neatly in their notes, and also ask them to draw a concern diagram of that story which pulls their interest to write.

    4. I introduce the seven cognitive strategies of effective readers: activating, inferring, monitoring-clarifying, questioning, searching-selecting, summarizing, and visualizing-organizing..

I noticed some problems while they writing text. Those are

Problem: Proper Nouns Not Capitalized

Example: I saw dr. smith in new york.
Solution: I saw Dr Smith in New York.

Problem: Sentence Fragments
Example: Going to the grocery store for milk.
Solution: I am going to the grocery store for milk.

Problem: Run-on Sentences
Example: I like riding my bike after dinner first I have to help with the dishes.
Solution: I like riding my bike after dinner, but first I have to help with the dishes.

Problem: Lack of Subject-Verb Agreement
Example: He run every day.

Solution: He runs every day.

Problem: Incorrect Noun Plurals
Example: The berrys are ripe.
Solution: The berries are ripe.

Problem: Incorrect Plural and Possessive Nouns
Example: My parent’s wedding photo is beautiful.
Solution: My parents’ wedding photo is beautiful.

Problem: Wrong End Punctuation
Example: What are you doing.
Solution: What are you doing?

Problem: Not Forming Compound Sentences
Example: Tom likes baseball his friend likes hockey.
Solution: Tom likes baseball, but his friend likes hockey.

Problem: Lack of Commas in a Series
Example: Our flag’s colours are red white and blue.
Solution: Our flag’s colours are red, white, and blue.

How Parents Can Help
There are many ways you can help your children enjoy and improve their writing.

• Give positive feedback. When reviewing their essays, give positive feedback along with talking about what needs improvement. Engage them in the revision process by discussing the mechanics of writing without the disapproval of their ideas. Students should understand that writing is a process and all writers revise their work. children need encouragement as much as a correction. Also, speak in private to avoid possible embarrassment.
• Incorporate writing into family activities. There are lots of ways to bring writing into daily family life. Inquire them to help you make lists and record messages. Ask them to write poems or skits for a family event or movie reviews to share at the dinner table. Journals and pen pals are also great writing outlets. Encourage them to write about what interests them—even if it’s just a paragraph.
• Don’t rush writing. Make sure they have a quiet place to write and help them gauge how long it will take to complete a writing assignment. Writing usually takes longer than we think. If the assignment is rushed, students may feel they can’t write, when they just needed more time to revise.
• Get extra help. Recognize when extra help is needed, either from the school or outside professionals. Often children respond well to having a personal writing tutor. They have after school programs that target writing. Most importantly, don’t ignore writing problems—working with teachers and utilizing available resources can make a big difference.