Lesson 5. Learn to write correctly and without errors

The skill of beautiful and competent writing can easily be considered an indicator of the development of a person’s personality and individual culture. Unfortunately, no one is born with the ability to write letters in an exemplary manner, follow the rules for writing them, and not make mistakes. Only the hard work of parents and children makes it possible to develop the ability to write grammatically correct at an early age.

In the preschool period and in the lower grades, children make many mistakes in writing, even in cases where they are copying text from some sample or board, listening to someone else’s speech, or expressing their own thoughts. And this, along with teaching children to write block and capital letters, is another topic that should definitely be considered. We will begin the sixth lesson with a description of the basic principles of teaching children to write correctly, and will continue with methods of teaching children to copy from samples and write from dictation.

Explain to your child why it is important to write correctly

Not all schoolchildren, especially younger ones, clearly understand why they need literacy. Therefore, the parent should explain why it is important to write without errors. For example, a competent person makes a good impression on others, people have more confidence in his professional qualities, etc. Good motivation will allow the child to be more attentive in class and learn the rules more diligently. And the result will not take long to arrive.

Every parent should believe in their child, support him and help him in every possible way. You shouldn’t allow harmful attitudes like: “it’s too early, we’ll hire a tutor for the exams, he’ll help” or “he’s a boy, not everyone can be literate.”
Marina Semyonova, Russian language teacher at the Adukar educational center

How to teach a child to cheat

So, your child will go to school very soon (unless, of course, he is already a first-grader), and you need to teach him to copy (meaning copy, and not peek into a friend’s notebook) written or printed text, for example, from the blackboard , from a book or textbook. The child may already be rewriting texts, but at the end of the day, half, if not more, of the words come out with errors, typos and omissions.

The reason for these shortcomings is that the child’s gaze, not yet accustomed to full and effective work, wanders from the source of the text to the notebook, and the written letter simply disappears from his field of vision. This forces the student to spend energy and effort searching for a lost word or letter, get tired and tired faster, and become less attentive.

But teaching a child to rewrite text from a sample can be very simple, because there is an effective method for this (it is suitable for children of senior preschool age and students of 1st and 2nd grades). It is based on the child performing several sequential actions.

Child:

Reads the word that needs to be rewritten out loud, and the way it is written, and not pronounced, for example: “dog”, “Nut”, “dew”, “sun”, etc.
Counts and names the number of letters in a specific word
Rereads the word again

These three steps can be called preparatory. They contribute to the development of visual memory, which is most directly related to the ability to write correctly. Next are the following steps:

Child:

Covers the sample (or looks away) and writes the word in the notebook
Spells a written word and counts the number of letters in it
Compares the number of letters from the sample with the number from the written word
Checks each letter of the written word against the letters of the sample word

If you notice that the student has made a mistake, ask him to check the word again and tell him what is wrong. Then the algorithm is repeated for each word from the beginning.

If your child learns to rewrite words in this way, in school and subsequent grades it will be much easier for him to learn how to correctly and quickly transfer text from a sample into his notebook, and do this with fewer mistakes.

When copying words is mastered, you can move on to whole sentences. Difficulties may also arise with this, but they can also be easily overcome by following effective step-by-step instructions.

Child:

Reads aloud the sentence to be rewritten
Tells what the sentence is about
Counts the number of words in a sentence
Rereads the first word and writes it down
Rereads the first and second word, writes the second
Rereads the first, second and third word, writes the third
Repeats these actions with each word of the sentence
Rereads a written sentence aloud
Determines whether the meaning of what is written is clear
Determines whether what is written matches the pattern

Having learned such a simple technique of cheating, each time the student will write better and better, while at the same time remembering the correct words based on the sample. And the next step will be learning to write from dictation.

Teach your student to understand the rules

Let us emphasize: I did not cram, but taught with understanding. When reading the rules, it is important to remember a clear algorithm, why a certain word is written according to one point of the rule, and the second word - according to another. To do this, a parent does not have to be a teacher. It is enough to take an example from the rule and analyze it step by step, as is done in the explanation. Let’s say it’s difficult for a child to remember why the letter O must be written in the word “mountain.” To do this, the word needs to be checked by choosing a root word for it or putting it in another form so that the emphasis falls on O.

An explanation might look like this. We write the word on a piece of paper, highlight the root in it, emphasize the vowel O (spelling) and change the form of the word (gor-a - gor-y) or select the same root (gor-a - gor-n-y). So, all the conditions of the rule are met. You can begin to reinforce the example of other words so that you understand the rule. It is worth learning only the exceptions, and there are many of them in the Russian language.

Language is like a pyramid. Each of its bricks has its place. Without any component, the structure falls apart. Spelling is based on two pillars: the part of speech and the part of the word, and then it’s the choice of the rule. It is impossible to write correctly, based only on the sound of the word: RIDICULOUS and DEprivED, to stay at the dacha and to arrive at the dacha, pumped out barrel and pumped out oil.
Marina Semyonova, Russian language teacher at the Adukar educational center

Tikhomirov method

The method was based in the 19th century on the theory of the famous teacher and public education figure Dmitry Ivanovich Tikhomirov. The researcher believed that in order to teach a child to write correctly, it is necessary to force him to read the text exactly as it is written, without fear that the child will begin to speak in exactly the same way. Every child understands that people speak differently than they write.

In practice, this theory is implemented very simply - you need to teach the child orthographic reading, during which special attention is paid to the syllables of words. Give your child the task of reading a text out loud, clearly and loudly, but not the way people speak in everyday life, but syllable by syllable. You need to read at a fast pace, but manage to highlight and emphasize syllables.

With this reading, motor, auditory and visual memory is activated. As a result, when faced with already familiar words in the text, the child will mentally pronounce them correctly, and therefore write them too.

Among other things, Tikhomirov himself, and many teachers who have used and are using his method today, are confident that literacy through spelling reading is best taught using classical literature, for example, the works of A.P. Chekhov, A.N. Ostrovsky, A. From Griboyedov, A. S. Pushkin, I. A. Bunin and other authors.

And so that classes do not turn into “torment” for a child, you need to form his attitude towards them as an interesting game, because playing is much more interesting than studying. Spelling reading will be a pleasant pastime and fun, because words read syllable by syllable can sound very comical.

Up to 10 years of age, you can read with a child in this way for 10 minutes a day. If you have vocabulary blocks for your child, let him read them in the same way - syllable by syllable, clearly and loudly, and several times. When a child pronounces words not as they are written, but as they are spoken, you need to immediately pay attention to this and ask him to re-read.

According to D.I. Tikhomirov, daily systematic spelling reading classes contribute to the development of a child’s sense of natural literacy. After just a few months of lessons, children begin to write words without errors, even complex terms.

Using D.I. Tikhomirov’s method in the learning process in combination with writing from dictation and copying from a model, you will teach your child to write exactly as needed - without typos and mistakes. His vocabulary will also expand, which means that from the first years of education he will begin to show excellent results in lessons at school and in completing assignments at home. In fact, your child will grow, constantly developing and improving in the skills he has acquired.

Here we want to warn you: if the above methods do not work for some reason, then there may be two reasons: either you are conducting the classes incorrectly, and in this case only you can influence the situation, or the child has minor problems with phonetics - phonemic perception. In such cases, the child hears everything, but the abundance of merging sounds creates obstacles for him to comprehend the words. A consultation with a speech therapist will be a way out, because a specialist will always be able to choose an individual correction course. However, visiting a speech therapist will never be a bad idea, because... a professional can hear and see things that parents simply won’t pay attention to. By nipping at the roots of difficulties at the very beginning, you will create fertile ground for successful writing learning in the future.

In the next lesson, you will learn about literacy indicators for children of different ages, several interesting spelling exercises and games for solving problems with punctuation, you will become familiar with the principles of working on spelling and other information on what to do if a child writes illiterately.

Write dictations at home

It is not necessary to force your child to write poems every day. It is enough to dictate 3-5 sentences a day and sort out the words in which mistakes were made. Even such a half-hour practice trains literacy well. Of course, it’s better to dictate not just any text, but one tailored specifically to your child’s age. A teacher, a bookstore consultant, or an online store can help with searching for literature.

The foundations of literacy should be laid by a specialist. Often a child has formed negative attitudes due to low school grades. The child is confused and has no idea that learning can be fun. And here we are already retraining, providing psychological assistance and support. And this, you see, is many times more difficult.
Marina Semyonova, Russian language teacher at the Adukar educational center

Features of school education

When a child comes to school, he brings with him a certain amount of knowledge and skills acquired during preschool education.

You cannot demand that a first-grader write competent dictations if he learned his letters six months ago. Even if a child has been reading since the age of four, it is difficult for him to write a dictation without mistakes.

In order to be literate, he needs to learn the rules of spelling and punctuation.

The inner sense of literate speech helps a lot in writing dictations. It develops through reading books and learning the Russian language.

Some people are lucky enough to meet a professional teacher who delivers the material competently and with love. It is thanks to such teachers that children find what interests them and choose their path in life.

But the responsibility lies not only with the Russian language teacher; in order for the student to write correctly, he needs the help of his parents. This help includes checking homework and correcting mistakes, and working together to understand new rules and exceptions.

Dysgraphia

Previously, children who constantly wrote with errors were not paid much attention, and grades were pulled to C grades. Today they are officially diagnosed with dysgraphia. Today, among primary school students in Russia, approximately 30% of students have this diagnosis.

Such children, despite knowing all the spelling rules, cannot apply them in practice. Let's look at what signs you can judge the presence of dysgraphia in your baby:

regular omission of letters in words;
systematic incorrect spelling of vowels in stressed syllables;
rearrangement of syllables;
lack of word endings;
duplication of letters;
mirror image of letters;
the absence of a soft, hard sign in the child’s letter;
leaving the fields;
lack of even spelling of words;
there are no periods in sentences, and capital letters;
no spaces between words;
incorrect transfers.

How can I help you

Parents can use these methods to solve the most common problems.

To avoid missing letters, you need to write “magic dictations”. For this purpose, you will need to pronounce up to four words, and the child must pronounce them out loud, syllable by syllable. Now, instead of syllables, you need to draw dashes in your notebook. At the next stage, instead of dashes, we use dots, in the amount of letters in each word.
If the words are not completely written, you can play “Image of a Word.” Say the word and ask the child to name a new one that begins with the last letter. You can also suggest naming from the penultimate or third from the end.
If you have problems with vocabulary words, you can play the game “Funny Cartoon”. Invite your baby to close his eyes and imagine the objects that you will name. Your task is to pronounce vocabulary words. At this moment, some images may form. It is desirable that the words are somehow interconnected, and the child can create a whole associative line. Ask him to tell you everything he has imagined. Now you need the child to write from memory the words that have been deposited in his head.

Factors influencing poor results

Parents should understand that dictation can become stressful for a child, because children can worry about making the slightest mistakes, but there is a lot of work ahead. However, you need to remember that dictations in the school curriculum are selected taking into account the material covered. Not always, even excellent students fully cope with writing test papers. It is quite possible that your child will receive a bad grade. What could affect this?

Features of child psychology. When the question arises of how to teach a child to write a dictation, it is necessary to take into account your child’s predisposition to stressful situations and the ability to overcome them. There are cases when a child, who knows all the rules, is so worried that he is unable to concentrate and makes the most stupid mistakes. In order to prepare your child for the upcoming task, it is necessary to simulate conducting a school dictation at home as often as possible. If it is possible to bring your offspring’s friends, sit them nearby and give them a task similar to the school one. So, once in the lesson, it will be much easier for the child to survive the dictation. In addition, some children worry that they will not cope and will receive a bad grade. Explain to your child that you will not scold or punish him for bad grades.
Poor spelling awareness. In order for children to be better able to write dictations, it is necessary to develop this skill. For this purpose, various exercises are performed, for example, tasks in which it is necessary to fill in missing letters or analysis of mistakes made by another child or a mother who wrote an incorrect dictation in advance.
Don't forget that not all children write at the same speed. There are known cases of bad grades for dictation due to the fact that the child did not have time to write even half of what the teacher read. If you know that your child does not have good motor skills, you need to train him. Give him home dictations more often. In addition, such children need to be able to instantly apply a rule to words, so as not to waste time thinking about how to spell this or that word correctly.
Practice introducing your child to different words, this will allow you to write test papers faster and better. For this purpose, you can allow texts to be rewritten, especially if the child is dealing with an explanatory or spelling dictionary.

At what age to start

When a child turns five years old, it is necessary to pay attention to the development of his skills in mastering writing and reading. To prevent difficulties while learning a language at school, you need to see a specialist if you suspect dyslexia or dysgraphia.

These are specific disorders that prevent a person from correctly perceiving what is written and reproducing independently when reading or writing.

Dyslexia and dysgraphia are not signs of mental impairment. Their occurrence is associated with heredity.

There are genes responsible for the manifestation of these disorders. How to teach a child to write correctly if he suffers from dyslexia or dysgraphia?

For parents, this is an impossible task; in this case, only a specialist can teach how to write a dictation. It is important to identify violations in a timely manner so that there are no nervous breakdowns and tragedies at school, or accusations of pedagogical neglect and laziness.