6 typical essay errors to avoid
Picture stories are the simplest form of the essay, but already pass through typical essay errors. They are not a popular topic at all, neither boys nor girls. Collective groaning is often the first reaction when a picture story is pending as classwork or as a homework assignment. The students face the task of an abundance of requirements, which occurs to them like an insurmountable working mountain. And many students fail at the task. Without motivation it is not possible that I experience this again and again in my learning practice – and demotivate mistakes if they are not recognized and discussed.
These are 6 typical essay errors
1st typical essay error: history not understood and told wrong
The excitement of a class work can lead to some students not being able to concentrate. As a result, they do not look at the pictures of a story so accurately or read the task exactly. This leads to typical essay errors that can be easily avoided. Some students start writing right away, even though they have not understood the punchline yet. Others misinterpret the pictures.
My tip: Think about how you would pass the story on to your best friend so that he laughs or becomes thoughtful.
2nd typical essay error: Forgot the title of the picture story or select the wrong title
For most picture stories the headline is missing and the students have to find a suitable title for themselves. Some students do not take this seriously and tend to ignore a headline, even when reading or reading aloud. You must first learn slowly that a headline is an important part of a text. It should make curious and lead to the topic.
My tip: You should already formulate a preliminary heading after the first image has been viewed. This should be adjusted after writing. If you forget that, however, at least the provisional title is still above his text.
3rd typical essay error: No change in the sentence beginners
It is not easy to pay attention to the writing style in addition to the correct writing, inventing the story and time pressure. Different sentence beginnings belong to a good essay style, which must slowly learn students.
My tip: In the practice phase, assign a finger to each finger of a hand that can start a sentence. Exercise this regularly until you automatically choose different sentence beginnings. Example: Thumb: First | Forefinger: Subsequently | Middle finger: And then | Ring finger: afterwards | little finger: At the end of the day
4th typical essay error: Temporal form not met
A picture story, an essay or a report must be written in certain tenses. The retelling is in the present, the picture history may be chosen freely from the time to be written. However, the respective time must be consistently adhered to. Since this point is important in all types of essays, you should practice this well.
My tip: Before giving the picture story, you should take a closer look at the text, i.e. all verbs, to see if they are in the same time.
5th typical essay error: feelings are not described, details are missing
A story lives on the feelings of the main characters. These can be recognized by the faces or the attitude of the drawn or described people. Whether someone is happy or sad, sees you on the face. But details are important and should be described.
My tip: practice with you the exact description of pictures or photos. Do not let up too fast, but try to get at least three statements for each picture. Where is the person? How does the person feel? What is she thinking about?
6th typical essay error: No verbal speech incorporated
An essay becomes alive and interesting only when the persons are brought to life. This works best with individual contributions, the expression of feelings or exclamations. The use of verbal speech (and the difference to indirect speech) is not easy and is still very difficult for elementary school students. You can hardly distinguish between direct and indirect speech.
My tip: When reading aloud texts or stories, always point out the verbal speech. Just read the punctuation, the colon and the quotes, in a loud voice. Or say: “Now comes a verbal speech.” So you gradually understand better what it means.
Debriefing helps
Go through a picture story or other essay together if you wrote it. If you aren’t satisfied with a result, you should visit https://www.amblesideprimary.com/essay-help where you’ll find effective help.