Most eighth-grade curriculums include some form of language arts— the study of spelling, grammar, research skills, and writing techniques. The presentation of language arts material varies from district to district, as does the tendency to group students according to ability levels,
but the purpose of the program is the same across the country. In the long run, the goal is the improvement of a student's written and spoken usage of English. A more immediate benefit, however, is better research papers—and, as a result, better grades!
By eighth grade, a teen has written and received grades on many compositions and reports, and so should have no difficulty determining his weakest language arts skills. However, if your child is unable to pinpoint areas that need improvement, you can review samples of his work and make that determination together. Of course, his language arts teacher should also be a good source of information.
Because strong language arts skills result in better written work, the expertise your teen acquires in this class will serve him well in all of his studies throughout his academic career. The following are some suggestions for helping your teen get the most from his language arts course work.
TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE LANGUAGE ARTS SKILLS
■ If your child's spelling is very poor, he may need the support of a dictionary or spelling guide at his desk at home. Consult your child's teachers about the possibility of his using one in class, as well.
■ Suggest that your Looker try to picture a word in his mind, or that your Listener pronounce it carefully to himself before putting the word on paper. Either method will help avoid careless misspellings.
■ After your teen has composed a rough draft of a theme or report, ask him to read it aloud to you. Doing so will make him aware of most grammatical or structural errors without your saying a word.
■ Explain to your child that a first draft is expected to contain mistakes. Suggest that he make corrections in blue pencil before beginning his final copy.
■ Keep on hand a reference book like Margaret D. Shertzer's The Elements of Grammar by Macmillan Publishing (New York, 1986). Such a book will help both you and your teen clarify issues of capitalization, punctuation, and parts of speech.
■ To improve your teen's enjoyment of composition, suggest that he
enroll in a creative writing class. There, ideas and feelings will carry much more weight than grammar and punctuation.
■ If your child has trouble getting started on creative writing assignments, suggest that he record his story or essay on a cassette as he makes it up. Then, he can revise and edit as he transfers his thoughts from tape to paper.
■ Show your teen how to "map," rather than outline, a planned theme. By organizing his material in graphic form, he will be able to see the interplay among his various ideas. One way to map is to place a main idea in the center of a sheet of paper, circle it, and then write secondary points on lines that branch out from the center.
■ For teens with access to a word processor or computer, the ability to type can cut paper-writing time in half! If your child's school doesn't offer a typing class for eighth graders, check local vocational or technical schools for the availability of a summer or weekend program.
■ Give your child a Franklin Spellmaster —a small computer that verifies and corrects the spelling of over 80,1300 words.
■ To improve your teen's grasp of foreign-language vocabulary and usage, rent a foreign film with English subtitles. Or, plan a family excursion to an ethnic neighborhood or city in which the language spoken is the one your child is studying.