The difference between a Mom and an editor is that an editor gives corrections without a lecture attached. An editor does not give grades; he helps prepare a piece for publication. He is an assistant rather than a teacher. With children, your goal is to help them produce a finished product they can be proud of and teach by "editing" not "correcting."

#2 Holding back help. In our syllabus, we overcome the problem of "I don't know what to write about" by providing content through "source text." This is the equivalent of teaching music by assigning specific pieces to learn and practice. First we provide content to use, teaching the "how to write," before charging into the "what" to write. But even so, children hit blocks. As we work through the syllabus of stylistic techniques, we might easily hear children complain: "I can't think of a 'which' clause." "I forgot what a "prepositional opener" is. "An '-ing opener' just won't work in this paragraph." Does this mean we have failed? Of course not! It simply means that that technique is not yet easy and fluent.

Some teachers, meaning well, might think: "It won't be 'fair' if I help too much. I shouldn't just tell them what to write, it wouldn't be their own work." There's truth to that statement, but let us not forget our purpose and goals: To model structure & style, teach through application and develop confidence and fluency. It is OK to help a child past a block, even so far as dictating to them two or three possible "which" clauses, and allowing them to choose one and use it. Did they think of it themselves? No--but so what? They chose one, they used it and in the process of using it, they have learned. You may have to "spoon feed" some examples many times, but ultimately, they will start to think of possibilities on their own. Children who read a lot will be more likely to come up with the words and constructions needed for success with the stylistic techniques, but there's nothing "illegal" about teaching by providing examples and options. It is especially important for reluctant writers. How else will they learn?

#3 Unclear assignments. This is perhaps the most frustrating problem for children, whose basic nature it is to want to know exactly what is expected of them. "Write a 3 page story set in the 1800's; be sure to add plenty of descriptive words." Ugh! How about this: "Write a paragraph about a friend; include three specific details." Or perhaps: "Write a two-page book report on "Little House on the Prairie." These types of assignments are tough for children, especially those who don't really like writing, because they are vague and open-ended. Most of us would prefer an assignment which is as specific as possible, perhaps like this:

Write a six paragraph story set in the 1800's. It could be the Old West, the South, during the Civil War, or in a foreign country. The first ¶ should describe the setting, the second ¶ should introduce one or more of the characters. In the third ¶, create a problem for one of the characters, using ¶ four and five to have them solve the problem. The last ¶ should give a little bit of epilogue and hint at a message or moral. Each paragraph should have the following stylistic techniques: '-ly' word, who/which clause, dual verbs, dual adjectives, an adverbial clause and a prepositional opener. The title should repeat key words from the last sentence. Write a first draft in pen and do not erase. Take it to your editor before typing your final copy.