Tutor Courses
WRITE A STORY FOR YOUR CHILD
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General aims of these sessions:
Explore the computer as a tool for creativity Practise basic computer skills such as Word and Paint Explore creative applications on the computer and Internet Create a special book for their children
| Topic | Content |
|---|---|
| 1. Keyboard skills review basics | Reviewing Microsoft Word applications, e.g., paint, inserting pictures. |
| 2. Making pictures | Making adjustments, saving and retrieving. How to use graphic software. Fun with colours and shapes. Creating a picture based on a child’s interests. |
| 3. Getting creative | Making a list of children’s hobbies and interests. Exploring different kinds of stories (biography, adventure, animal stories). Choosing a topic, practise writing a short piece using a variety of fonts, font sizes. Inserting/replacing words using the thesaurus. Inserting ClipArt images to enhance written work. |
| 4. Planning your story | Planning a story based on a child’s interests. Using “who, what, when, where, why and how” as a framework for generating story ideas. Using a spidergram to sketch the story. Writing the story. Using the thesaurus/dictionary. Reviewing, editing and saving. |
| 5. Putting it all together | Making final adjustments to the story. Choosing and importing pictures to illustrate or scanning photographs. Designing a cover for the story. Printing and binding. |
| 6. Explore creative websites for children | Visiting various websites that can support children’s writing. Looking at Lifesteps library series ‘Using the Internet for…’ |
Websites
www.dictionary.com
www.lifesteps.ie
www.meddybemps.com/9.700.html
Topic 4: Planning your story
Materials:
Selection of age-appropriate children�s books
Computers and Internet connection
Sample story beginnings
Worksheets with spidergram
Worksheets with key question words
Selection of picture books
Lists of adjectives
| Task | Suggested Activities |
|---|---|
| Gathering ideas | Invite parents to explore a selection of children’s books to gather ideas. Ask them to consider what would appeal to their children. Choose one example of a well known story. Ask who is the main character? When and where does the story take place? What happens? Why? How? Look at the design of the book, e.g., how illustrations and text are placed on a page. |
| Planning your story | Ask parents to review the list they made of their children’s interests and hobbies. Invite them to choose a topic for their story. Using the framework above, ask them to work out answers to who, what, when, where, why and how for their story. Discuss how parents can use this framework when talking about books with their children, e.g., doing reading homework. Show parents how to use a spidergram to sketch a story. |
| What happens next? | As the parents begin to work on their stories, prompt them with questions to stimulate language. What clothes was the Princess wearing? How did Billy show his disappointment at not being picked for the team? Provide support as parents write up their stories on the computer. |
| Illustrations | Search for images to suit story, or scan photographs onto pages. Adjust text around images. |
Literacy Links:
Following instructions. Participating in discussions. Identifying common features of texts. Using reference material
Writing creatively. Combining writing with visual material. Using a spidergram and writing framework. Sequencing writing in a logical order. Writing words, phrases, sentences. Appropriate to audience Spelling words/using capitals/using punctuation correctly
Numeracy Links:
Spacing of text and illustrations
Selecting font sizes
Selecting text design
Using numbers or number concepts in a story
Describing time, space, etc. in a story