As a junior high English teacher, I have spent much of my time in the classroom working with students on essay writing. Research reports, persuasive essays, fictional stories - you name it, we've done it! I've noticed over the years that when a student comes into junior high, he or she is quite capable of story writing. But, when it comes to the essays, even the highest achieving students really struggle.



I also found that when my own children started school, and I began helping them with their writing homework, they had many of the same issues with essay writing that my students at school had. Like my students, they had trouble with coming up with ideas, with how to write clear details, with organization...the list goes on. So, being a writing teacher, I used many of the same methods at home that I used at school.

*Start with having your child read non-fiction. Reading and writing go hand in hand, and they need to see examples of good non-fiction writing.

*Help your child brainstorm a list of things about which he or she is interested. Most students write best if they are interested in their topic.

*Help your child with the organization of the information. Write an outline together, putting information into categories and grouping it together. Discuss what should go at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the essay.

*Don't focus on grammar and spelling too much. I know, this is a foreign concept to most of us. This can come after the essay is written in rough form.

*Let your child "write" on the computer, using a word processing program, or software designed to teach them. Kids are much more excited about writing when the computer is involved.

When my students come to my classroom in the fall, most of them have written a multitude of "stories" in elementary school. Most of them also tell me they wrote one or two reports in fourth and fifth grade. Junior high is where essay writing becomes the main form of writing, continuing on into high school and college. Helping your child at home is key to his or her success.

For more information on software that can help your child write outstanding essays at the junior high, high school, or college level visit http://paydotcom.com/r/1011/tluken/2633460/