Need help getting 5th grader to write a paragraph/essay.

[Guest Cozette]

My DD doesn't like to write. It's purely a motivation issue. She's perfectly capable and an advanced reader (read son 7th grade level.) I have tons of curriculum, but nothing seems to be inspiring her. Help please!

[MEmama]

Reading level has nothing to do with writing ability, or with spelling for that matter.

 

Does she understand the fundamentals of writing? When you say nothing inspires her, could it be that she doesn't know what's being asked of her or where to start?

 

Programs like IEW can be very helpful in scaffolding the writing process. Do you have specific concerns? Has she taken any writing courses?

[OneStepAtATime]

Agree with the above poster, reading and writing are two different processes, even if, in some ways, they are intertwined.  There are many kids being posted about on these boards that are advanced readers and struggle terribly with writing.  It can seem like lack of motivation but in many instances it is actually that the student needs a more systematic approach to internalize the steps involved.

 

Writing is actually a VERY complex process, involving many subtle and not so subtle parts.  What sort of writing programs has she experienced?  IEW is an excellent program for those that need something systematic to help learn all the steps of the writing process.  Have you tried any writing programs with her that are very systematic and help break things down into more manageable pieces?

[Dory]

My son is reading well above grade level and has beautiful cursive but he struggles with writing. It comes across as a motivational issue sometimes, but he honestly is overwhelmed and can't think through it. He has processing problems though and while it doesn't affect his reading, it really makes him struggle to put much out with his writing. He needs very structured instructions and lots of time. He is getting there slowly. It takes patience.

[4peanuts]

I know you say you have tried tons of curriculum, but because you mentioned it may be a motivation issue....Have you looked at Writing and Rhetoric by Classical Academic Press?  It is high interest because writing activities are based on fables, parables, etc. (at least in the levels we are on).  I've read many positive comments here on the forums about kids really enjoying it who did not necessarily enjoy other writing programs.  My 4th and 5th grader love it, and I feel that they are gaining solid writing skills.  We're in Book 2 and the focus is still on narrative/story writing (I can't recall the scope and sequence right now), so this may not speak directly to your need right now.   I guess it all depends on the reason she's not motivated, which of course is sometimes hard to figure out!  :)  But if it's fear of a blank page, she won't face that in Writing and Rhetoric.   (and you can download the first 3 weeks of the curriculum for free to try it out!)

 

 

[JenneinCA]

How much pre-writing are you doing with her?

 

My ten year old fifth grader is working on a compare and contrast essay but we have done it in stages.

 

Day 1- decide what we are going to compare and contrast. In this case the elements rhodium and chlorine

Day 2- gather details about rhodium. No sentences just notes.

Day 3- gather details about chlorine. No sentences just notes.

Day 4- using notes write list of how they are the same and how they are different. This was hard.

 

Day 5- using notes write the topic sentences for each of the four paragraphs. One for introduction, one for how similar, one for how different, one for conclusion.

Day 6- write the introduction, using the topic sentence already written.

Day 7- write the paragraph about how similar, using the topic sentence already written

Day 8- write the paragraph about how different, using the topic sentence already written

 

Day 9 - write the conclusion, using the already written sentence

Day 10- edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other easy to fix problems

Day 11- edit for word choice and voice.

Day 12- final copy and celebration!

 

We have four day weeks so this essay is a three week project and I expect that he will need this level of help for a while. He just isn't capable of the sustained work to go faster. He can't write more than one paragraph a day and I am willing to give him the time to gain confidence and stamina.

 

I hope this helps.

[knitmama]

Does your daughter balk at writing certain things, or writing anything at all?  

 

I've had success in mixing it up.  Some days I assign labeled pictures or cartoons with captions (often about some topic we're studying in history or science); other days, letters to family/friends/ other days, an outline, or a page full of notes take from a reading, or a more formal report.  Or poetry, or a short script, or a dictionary definition plus a word used in a sentence... You get the idea.  Lots of variety and lots of throughput, but writing every day.  On completely uninspired days, I assign copy practice (always something well-written and informative, because I'm a big believer in modeling good stuff.

 

One thing that helped when my DD was younger and going through writing-resistant (okay, everything-resistant) patches was a game I invented called "Write yourself out of THAT corner!"  I'd start a silly story--just a few sentences about a make-believe animal that had just stepped out of its burrow when...  Full stop.  And then I'd hand the notebook to my daughter and have her write a sentence or two, picking up where I left off.  And she'd do the same--stop in the middle of a cliffhanger sentence.  The goal was to describe wild situations that would be hard for the other person to come back from.  Ridiculous stuff, but it got us both howling, and when you're laughing it's not hard--it's fun.

 

And I echo what some other posters have mentioned--structured how-tos and reasonable milestones (like a draft one day, an edited version the next). 

 

I've found I have to be careful in terms of how I give feedback, too.  It's easy to crush a budding writer's spirit. (Heck, it's easy to crush an established writer's spirit.)

[matrips]

Does she know how to write? How to get started and what to do in easy steps?

 

We haven't tried much curricula, but have stuck with IEW. I liked the structured approach and it has taken the stumbling block out of writing. The "I don't know where to begin" or "what to write about" or how pare down the information to write. He teaches them all that. My kids didn't like to write until they knew how to write. Now they have fun with it. They aren't always thrilled at having to write, but they do enjoy many of their papers, and at the very least, can whip out a paragraph pretty quickly.

 

We did SWI a for third grade and are finishing up sicc a here in fourth. Those are the videos where Pudewa teaches to the students. They are just starting five paragraph essays.

 

I love that they aren't fazed by writing. They know how to take a request- report, creative story and now essay - follow the model, and get to work. This week they had to pick a subject for their essay. Then they had to pick three topics for that subject and write a paragraph for each. Next week they will work on an intro and conclusion. He just breaks everything down so easily, so they know how/where to begin writing, which is often the hardest part imo.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I wouldn't even be talking about paragraphs and essays in the same sentence.  If she's struggling to write paragraphs, focus on that.  Essays can wait till 7th-8th grade.

 

If you tell us more about what you've tried, and what hasn't worked about it, and where she's at with writing, we can make better suggestions.  My go-to suggestion for someone in your situation is to look at my expectations, and to help with that you could listen to Susan Wise Bauer (our host's) audio lecture on teaching writing.  It's an inexpensive download, and worth every penny:

 

http://peacehillpress.com/index.php?p=product&id=128

 

Julie Bogart of Bravewriter also has some really nice free podcasts you can listen to:

 

http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/

[Serenade]

For my older son, writing ability didn't really come together until about the 5th or 6th grade.  There are so many processes at work in order to write well, and many kids can't put them all together until they are practically middle-school aged.

 

A bit of a bunny trail here, but I always thought it funny that my dyslexic kid had no trouble getting thoughts on paper, the only problem was you couldn't read it.  My older son, however, had plenty of thoughts, but couldn't figure out how to get them on paper.  It's hard.  Those of us who have been doing it all our lives think writing is easy, but it's not, really.