Parent Tip: Spacing

Jan 10

In Lesson 1.1, we teach kids spacing conventions. This can surprise some adults because we take it for granted that words don’t have spaces between letters, and there should be consistent spacing between words, punctuation marks (with varied forms), and lines. Why would anyone need to teach this? But the writing of young children—even the brightest young children—reflects minds that are often just beginning to embrace the gravity that binds together material and conceptual elements. So, beginning writers often have all manner of spacing errors. That’s why your young child may run over to you, excited to show you a story that runs across a whole page with letters and words strewn this way and that, and then look puzzled when you furrow your brow like you’re dissecting the Enigma Code. Take heart: you and your child are good company. The earliest writing in the Western World had no spaces between letters (or punctuation marks). It took our forefathers generations to figure out a system of consistent spacing. It will only take your child one lesson.

Here are some tips for helping your child navigate practices in Lesson 1.1: Spacing:

Hidden Spacing (Practice 1.1.2). Students usually have no problem noticing the spacing between words, but they often do not highlight the spacing between the number plus period and the beginning of their first word. They also rarely notice the spacing between lines. When you give feedback, be sure to point these out. Otherwise, many kids do not intuit these conventions.
Editing Spacing (Practice 1.1.3+). For most kids, this will be the first time they’ve edited anything, so this is a chance to teach them an editing method. We recommend having them read the text slowly–out loud–from the beginning and stopping when they notice a spacing problem. Have them restart their reading at the beginning of the sentence after they make any corrections. Using this method establishes a good editing practice for your students.
Advanced Punctuation Marks (Practice 1.1.4). Our videos at the beginning of lessons teach kids the foundational information to get them started on a skill, but we also introduce new conventions later in a lesson (when we think they’re ready to take on yet more information). In Practice 1.1.4, slide six introduces students to conventions for spacing around more advanced punctuation that they may not recognize or be able to name. It’s okay if your child(ren) isn’t familiar with these marks yet. Read the background information out loud and, if you think your child(ren) would benefit from it, give examples of the convention. We will teach them how to use these marks in future lessons.
Em Dashes (Practice 1.1.4). There are varying conventions for spacing around em dashes. Chicago and MLA style guides call for no spaces around an em dash, but the AP style (followed by newspapers and other media types) calls for one space before and after an em dash. We follow the Chicago and MLA style guides because they are associated with academic work, which is what your child(ren) need to learn in school.
- I fed the cat—too late! (Chicago & MLA style)
- I fed the cat — too late! (AP style)