Composition writing is a fundamental skill that primary school students should master, as having a solid grasp of the basic elements of story-writing is the key to writing a good composition.
Furthermore, effective written communication is crucial for success in secondary school and beyond. Thus, it has an impact on both your child’s exam grades and future career opportunities.
Whether your child is just starting to learn how to write compositions or is preparing for PSLE, there are several common effective strategies to help them improve their composition writing skills at home.
In this article, we will explore some effective tips to aid your child’s creative writing process.
1. Identify the composition’s central idea
In the simplest form, most well-written compositions follow a 4-part structure – introduction, rising action, climax and conclusion. This framework helps the writer to organise the story in a cohesive and logical manner and enables the reader to easily follow the plot of the written composition.
The main topic or theme, is the core message or primary point that the writer is trying to convey through their writing. In PSLE Continuous Writing, the topic that students should write about is explicitly spelt out in the question. To score, students should ensure that the main topic should be core to the plot, or underlie the entire narrative of the composition.
Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your child knows to study the key words and picture from the question to understand the theme that the composition should be based on.
For example, if the given topic is ‘memorable event’, the focus should be on what the experience is and why it is unforgettable for the character(s) in the story.
2. Develop a writing routine
Consistency is key to improvement. You cannot expect your child to deliver a well-written composition without having put in the effort to constantly upgrade their literary and story-writing skills.
Encourage your child to establish a daily or weekly writing routine. You should let your child take the lead, but be there to provide support or suggestions.
Whether it’s writing in a journal, composing short stories, or working on school assignments, regular practice will surely lead to significant progress over time.
3. Encourage your child to read more
Reading and writing often go hand in hand, particularly if your child prefers to write literary compositions. The more your child reads, the more exposure they will have to different writing styles, vocabulary, and ideas.
Encourage them to read a variety of materials, including storybooks, newspapers, magazines, and online articles. Engage them in conversation about what they have read to improve their comprehension and critical thinking skills.
At the PSLE level, good compositions should reflect a student’s creative, linguistic, literary and storytelling abilities. Coherent and well-crafted stories that show originality are always appreciated by markers.
4. Let your child practice freewriting
Instead of forcing your child to practise writing essays or compositions only for academic purposes, allow them to occasionally do some freewriting exercises to overcome writer’s block and generate fresh, novel ideas.
Set a timer for a short period (e.g., 10-15 minutes) and encourage your child to start writing whatever comes to mind without worrying about grammar or spelling.
This activity is very useful when writing compositions which are more descriptive and creative rather than factual in nature.
5. Explore different writing styles
Composition writing encompasses various styles, including descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and expository writing.
Encourage your child to experiment with different styles to broaden their writing skills and to improve their ability to express themselves in diverse ways.
Keep in mind that only by letting them explore would they be able to discover and develop their own distinctive writing style!
6. Expand their vocabulary library
A rich vocabulary is essential for good writing. As we like to say, big words are not always the right words. What matters more is using the right words in the right context. An effective composition is based on aptly chosen words that capture the reader’s attention and evoke the desired effect.
As a matter of exercise, try asking your child to replace ‘very easy’ with as many equivalent words, phrases or expressions as he or she can.
Introduce your child to new words and figurative language (including metaphors, idioms, similes, etc) regularly and encourage your child to use them in their writing.
Ensure that your child keeps a vocabulary journal where they can jot down interesting words they come across and their meanings.
Help Your Child Achieve Better Results With Joyous Learning Now!
At Joyous Learning, our team of nurturing and passionate educators offers personalised composition writing tuition lessons to help your child improve their written communication as well as critical thinking skills.
We do this by designing the conditions for joyous learning with a focus on holistic constructive engagement, from our curricula down to class size.
For example, our classes are limited to a maximum of 9 students to ensure each student receives the guidance they need to develop and flourish.
This ensures a conducive and positive classroom environment that fosters not just academic growth but also captures young minds. Our objective is to cultivate their interest and understanding in each subject rather than relying on just rote memorisation.
Furthermore, given how hectic life can be for Singaporean parents, we also provide online classes for a more convenient and effective way to accommodate both you and your child!
From primary to secondary school, our goal remains unwavering: to provide quality education that inspires and empowers.
Experience the joy of learning with a FREE trial class today!