Prepare for the End of the School Year

By: Scott Lindsey, Executive Director, Sylvan Learning of Fredericksburg and Stafford, (Patch Partner)

Only a little more than two months to go until school breaks for summer vacation – which means it is time for the dreaded end-of-year essays. For students and parents alike, the last weeks of school can be both exciting and challenging. Students are looking forward to the summer break and, as a result, their interest in schoolwork may wane and they procrastinate writing their final book reports. For parents, you want to help motivate your child to finish the year on a high note, even as you are planning summer learning activities. So, how do you get your child excited about writing as the school year winds down and summer begins?

Now is the perfect time for children to explore their creative writing skills. Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, recommends that students ask themselves the goal and audience of their assignments so they can more easily write their end-of-year reports while strengthening writing skills that can be fun to utilize over summer break.

Students can ask themselves:

What is my goal in writing this piece?

Is it to persuade the reader?

Students should include enough information to convince the audience of the validity of their research.

Is it to inform?

Students should help the reader comprehend the topic at hand.

Is it to entertain?

Exciting or funny details should be part of the prose.

Who is the audience?

What is the role of your reader?

More formalized verbiage is appropriate for academic audiences or older readers.

What is the reader’s knowledge of this topic?

Will technical language be understood?

Is the audience expecting an academic essay or a friendly, informal piece?

What resources do I need to begin writing?

Do I need to conduct historical or background research?

Do I need to review important literature on the topic or conduct empirical research, such as a survey or an observation?

In Sylvan’s Academic Writing program, we work to equip students with strategies for analyzing audience and purpose. We also teach students a step-by-step process to pre-write, draft, revise, edit and publish.

Skills and knowledge gained throughout the school year fade during the summer months. That’s why it’s important to practice writing skills – in fun ways – over summer break. Our Writing Camp for grades 4-9 will help your child learn strategic and creative writing techniques to boost confidence not only in Language Arts but in all subject areas. Camp is only $149 per week.

For additional educational resources for children in grades pre-K through 12, visit www.SylvanLearning.com/us/stafford-va or call 540-602-2360.