#3 - 5W and 1H

Today, I am going to take about the 5W and 1H method that I use to transform a simple sentence into something that looks like it has been written by a professional.

So what is the 5W1H method?

The 5W1H method essentially requires the child to ask 6 questions: Who, What, When, Why, Where and How.

The 5W1H method when combined with the five senses approach is a very powerful way of writing narrative types of essays.

Let’s start with a simple sentence.

John was walking home.

Add one detail by asking “How was he walking?”

John was walking home slowly.

Now add another detail by asking why was he walking slowly.

John was walking home slowly. He was thinking of the argument he had with his best friend during recess.

Now add another detail, “What was the argument about?”

John was walking home slowly. He was thinking of the argument he had with his best friend, Steven, during recess. Steven had accused him of taking his eraser.

I think you get the idea. As you can see, applying the 5W1H technique will help your child to construct sentences and develop a plot or a story so that he knows what to write. Sort of killing 2 birds with one stone.

 To make the story interesting, the child could then use descriptive words, idioms or even metaphors to explain what you saw and felt. He could the character’s feelings and emotions as events unfold and also add life to the characters in the story.

Let me give you an example:

Ken was walking back home from school. Suddenly, he saw a dog.

You could let the story flow using the 5W1H technique and develop the story to:

Ken was walking home from school. Suddenly, he heard a loud bark coming from a house across the street. Upon closer look, Ken could see that a dog was backing at a man.

Taking this one step further, you could add more life to your characters using descriptive words:

Ken was walking home slowly from school. His mind was deep in thoughts, thinking about his lessons earlier on. Suddenly, he heard a loud bark coming from a house across the street. He snapped out of her thoughts. Ken went forward to check. Upon closer look, Ken could see that a dog was backing ferociously at a man. The man holding a screwdriver in one hand.

The next time you go out with your child, try this approach and see if you can create an interesting piece of article with your child.

Do it together with him. It helps to foster bonding and makes it more fun.

Watch out for tomorrow’s post where I will share with you some topics that your child can blog about and that will keep your child engaged throughout the school holiday.

 

Now, here’s the good news.

Mind Sprout Pte Ltd will be conducting a 4-hour website building workshop for children. And parents are encouraged to attend the workshop together with their children. The children will actually be building their own website in the class. By the end of the workshop, they will walk away with their own website that they have built. Plus, they would have acquired the skills of building a website.

If you think this is something that will benefit your child, come and attend this 4-hour workshop.

The details are in the link below...

http://www.mysonbuiltawebsite.com

P.S: This is great for both parents and child to come together and bond while experiencing growth.