Our class 4 son writes three-word answers and his teacher wants full sentences

maple_sketch_833219 Aug 2026

He reads well above his level and talks endlessly, but on paper every answer is the shortest possible version. 'Why do plants need sunlight?' 'To make food.' Correct, and marked down, because the teacher wants a full sentence that repeats the question. I can see two ways forward. A little practice at home, which he resents because in his view the answer has already been given. Or the English writing class near us that a few parents have mentioned, which would solve it with somebody else's patience but adds another evening out. I'm not sure which is better at this age, or whether it simply sorts itself out once marks start to matter to him.

2 comments

maple_notebook_342019 Aug 2026
My younger one was exactly like this. We used a silly rule: the answer has to carry the question's words, like a game. 'Plants need sunlight because...' She hated it for two weeks, then it became automatic. No class needed, but someone does have to sit with them for a while 🙂
peach_kettle_984820 Aug 2026
mine was like this till class 5 or so. i never really fixed it. it changed when he got a teacher he wanted to impress
- maple_sketch_833220 Aug 2026
  That's reassuring and slightly worrying in equal measure. I can't arrange the teacher, so I'll try the home version for a few weeks and see where it goes.