The middle school years—typically 5th-8th grade—are the time to
reinforce and build on previously-learned writing concepts.
Motivated or advanced children will be able to take their
current writing skills to a new level, while reluctant or
resistant children, or those who lack fundamental writing
skills, may need to go back to basics. Use these middle-school
years to make sure the foundation is strong. This is the time to
work on: - Writing complete and more complex sentences. -
Writing a well-developed paragraph. - Improving grammar,
punctuation, and capitalization. How Much and How Often? Provide
your middle schoolers with a steady diet of writing activities.
- Have them write 3-4 days a week. - Aim for 8-15 writing
projects per year (1-2 each month), meaning paragraphs and short
reports that go through all the paces of the writing process. -
Tuck in other writing activities along the way—such as book
reports, journal writing, and current events—that don’t require
revisions. - Spend no more than 45-60 minut