Our virtual English Tutoring Programs and English Tutoring Programs in Bloor West Village are available to students in Grades 4-university, but whatever the grade, there are reading and writing skills – from essay writing to paragraphing and reading between the lines – that most students struggle with these days.
1. Essay writing
Research, planning, first drafts, editing… middle and high school students all struggle with this, regardless of ability. When I ask what they know about writing essays, the response is usually: “Oh, I know that! We learned how to do it in school!” But there is a difference between learning how to do it, and knowing how to do it. There simply isn’t enough time allotted to essay writing in schools – so students can tell you how to write essays, but they haven’t had enough practise to do it well
2. Paragraphing in creative writing
Almost all the time, when I give my students a creative writing prompt, they complete it in a single block of text. As they read through they work, they rarely notice the absence of paragraphing. “I know there are rules about paragraphs for essays,” one student told me, “but are there rules in creative writing? I don’t know, and that’s why I don’t use paragraphs.”
3. Punctuating direct speech.
Perhaps they give this some attention in school – but not enough. And because they are unfamiliar with how to punctuate speech, students avoid using direct speech in their writing, so they lose an important and dramatic tool.
4. Using Apostrophes
As with essay writing, this just doesn’t receive enough time in school. Why does it matter? When we write well, we signal something about ourselves.
5. Reading between the lines
The enormous range of texts explored in Language Arts and High School English (graphic novels, websites, social media posts, advertising materials) means that insufficient time is allotted in schools to dense and challenging texts. Students are less proficient than ever at decoding implied meaning, whether in an article, an essay or a piece of creative fiction. This is an essential life skill.
6. Appreciation for Shakespeare… and literature in general
Students who excel at English and love words deserve to be taught an appreciation for all forms of literature because reading is likely to enrich their entire lives… yet it’s not unusual for us to work with a keen and talented 16-year-old reader who has never read anything that wasn’t written in the past fifty years. This may not be essential for all students, but for some, it opens the door to a whole new world. All our students Grade 6 and up study Shakespeare. We focus with them on how to articulate theme, and we explore how words on a page become meaningful action on stage. Shakespeare can offer so much more, too: an understanding of how English evolved, and an opportunity to increase our vocabulary. Our gifted English students also spend time exploring epic literature, pre-twentieth century poetry, the Brontes, Dickens, Modernism, Canadian and American literature, and more.
7. Understanding poetry
Most of our high school students can recite a list of poetic terms and techniques. They know what alliteration is, can define simile, metaphor and assonance. But they treat this simply as a way to decode a poem – something that is a barrier to the enjoyment of poetry – and to writing about it. Having these terms at our fingertips is important, but poems are not puzzles. We teach our students to appreciate poetry, and to articulate meaning not only by referencing techniques the poet uses, but also by articulating how a poem works on our senses, our emotions and our intellect. This not only improves their ability to think and write sensitively, but it gives the a lifelong enjoyment of poetry, and helps them understand poetry can be accessible, meaningful to their lives – even playful and fun.
8. The ability to write formally
Student essays are generally full of colloquial phrases. We explore the importance of adapting the tone of our writing to purpose and intended audience. The result is greater versatility in writing style and improved marks in school.
9. A love of reading for pleasure
Narrative immersion teaches single-tasking, a skill most young people do not have. I believe these days, this is the most vital skill students develop when we help them to become keen readers – it impacts every area of their lives. Reading deeply and widely is also linked to empathy; when we experience life from the perspective of characters, our understanding of the world increases. Study after study has also shown that students who read for pleasure do better in school.
10. The ability to edit their work
Students are given time to edit their work in school – but they do not always understand what this means. It’s more than spotting typos and correcting spelling mistakes. Our instructors are published writers who have worked professionally as editors. We teach our students structural editing, stylistic editing and proof reading skills.
Julie Hartley
Centauri Arts
Bloor West Village, Toronto
Https://centauriarts.com
