tutoring a 2nd grader in writing

Hi! I'm an elem. teacher (on leave right now) so I am tutoring to make some extra $$.

DH's boss wants me to tutor her second grader because he hates writing and has a lot of difficulty with it. I'm not even sure where to begin, I usually tutor in math and reading.

Should I give him writing "tasks" to see how he does and go from there, should I look at some of his writing from school, should I help him with homework/writing assignments that he already has to do....??? Where should I start? TIA!

Re: tutoring a 2nd grader in writing

Start with the basics. Does he know what a sentence is, what a paragraph is? Then do fun writing like based on sports or something that he likes. Have him make pics using stickers or paint of something, and then write a story about the picture. You can help him with adjectives and such. Make it interesting!

Re: tutoring a 2nd grader in writing

You can definitely look at some of his work from school to get an idea of what his capabilities are. Maybe you can have him create a list of possible topics that he is interested in so that the writing is more meaningful for him.

Re: tutoring a 2nd grader in writing

Shes right, start with basics. Many times they hate to write because they are always critisized too harshly. Conventions should be the least of your worry. Work on meaning and development. Have him write about things he likes, about books he reads, ect.

Re: tutoring a 2nd grader in writing

Honestly, I'd stick with the TC stuff for writing, because I think its basis is really brilliant. Have him write about anything he likes. If he has trouble thinking of stuff, have him create a writer's notebook with pictures on things that he loves on the front. Then, he'll have something to help him think of ideas when he gets stuck.

Once he has written something (he may use invented spelling, depending on how good a student he is in that area), you can talk about some of the things that good writers do to help make their writing pieces more interesting and ready to publish.

Hope this helps a bit!