[HELP!! I feel that I have spent 100s of hours looking at Writing/Grammar programs]

Your post made me smile because I think he is being a little lazy, but even that is to be expected. Tell him that if he writes another 4 sentence paragraph then you will set him to counting sentences in paragraphs in any non-fiction text you can find just to prove your point

 

"Mentally Lazy, but Adorable, Dedicated and Gifted" could be the title of his autobiography :)

 

I like your idea about having him look at paragraphs in his favorite books (albeit they are fiction). For instance, he LOVES Edgar Rice Burroughs who can sometimes write an entire paragraph that is only one giant run-on sentence that takes up half a page (of course that creates a whole new problem:)).

 

Rules are there to help make writing easier but if they are being stuck to too formally then creativity goes out the window and you lose the appeal of an original viewpoint.

 

Precisely!!! Thank you soooo much!!!

 

That is the thought I have been struggling with, and you said it so succinctly. And he is very rule-oriented and literal in EVERY aspect of his life. I think that is why FLL did not work for him at all. He learned the diagramming rules and could do it in his sleep, but the reasons why went in one ear and out the other.

 

So, what I need is a writing curriculum that encourages the creativity OVER or IN SPITE OF the rules...is Writing Strands that curriculum :confused: If not, is one of the others?

[HELP!! I feel that I have spent 100s of hours looking at Writing/Grammar programs]

Have him narrate into a voice recorder and give him feedback on his output.

 

That is a GREAT idea!!! Thank you! The logical progression of that would then be to have him type in his own dictation. He is VERY creative and if he is moving around and talking then he does great. Never considered letting him dictate to himself. :D

 

Did you look at Classical Writing? It is a bit teacher intensive so it may not be what you are looking for. On the other hand I didn't come across any rigorous writing program that wasn't teacher involved.

 

Most bright kids should be able to get through a grammar program mostly on their own. Have you looked into Analytical Grammar? I finally settled on it for dd's last year of middle school this fall.

 

Thanks. I have looked at Classical & Anaytical Grammar. For some reason, neither really "rang" with me, but can't really tell you why.

 

Not in our house.

 

Back to the op, if I could urge just a touch of compassion... There are definite gender gaps in writing. There's also what's called in initiation hump. There could even be a touch of ADHD or something going on when you talk about a kid who's super bright but really struggles at a couple of things. Writing in particular draws on executive function. Read "Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World" and see if anything clicks.

 

 

Put it on the list for next library trip. Everyone in my family (myself and DH included/especially) is most likely high-functioning ADD/ADHD :) I have a very good friend who is a child psychologist who labels everything I tell her about every one of my children and myself :glare: I have no interest in labels, but the good part of that is that she has really shown me how to incorporate our strengths and weakness from day to day and reduce stress for one another. So anything I can learn about coping strategies I appreciate.

 

Writing Strands. And one of the reasons I like Writing Strands is that it doesn't teach formulas such as paragraphs having one topic sentence and three supporting sentences (that formula is not uncommon :glare:).

 

And I'd start him at Level 3.

 

For grammar, Easy Grammar Plus, although truly, he might not need it this year.

 

:) Thanks. I like that Writing Strands seems to encourage details by making lots of suggestions and explaining to HIM what he needs to do. And he obviously doesn't need any more "formulas". As I said earlier, he CAN do it, it's just getting it to become second nature instead of re-inventing the wheel every time we have a writing prompt. I need to go back and look at that one more.

[HELP!! I feel that I have spent 100s of hours looking at Writing/Grammar programs]

Just as a suggestion, you might take the $10 option and get SWB's cd on Teaching Writing for K-12. She shows the whole progression and might help you figure out where he is in that. IEW would work for him. To me you got a pretty logical response for a male when you ask a very girly, thinky question. If he is super-tight on something more typical or normal to write (a description of his science lab, narration of a book), I'd be more concerned.

 

Have you taught him to type? He's beyond ready to do that. You shouldn't need to type for him. If it's actually a problem and not clicking (haha, clicking, keys), try the Dvorak keyboard layout. That plus the Mavis Beacon software has been amazing for us.

 

Try SWB's cd, listen to it, and then see what you think. Might save you some money.

 

Thanks, I will definitely look for the CD. :)

 

He just scored an 8.7 on his WJIII Writing Samples section (his actual grade level is 5.8). So he can definitely do it when he needs to...it's the getting him to do it on a daily basis. His dad is the same way...brilliant but takes a major crisis for him to apply his brain power to any extent more than ABSOLUTELY necessary.

 

He can type just fine, and produces 75% of his work in Word. It's just that it seems like his thoughts flow better if he is walking around and dictating to me instead of sitting still behind a keyboard.:001_smile:

[HELP!! I feel that I have spent 100s of hours looking at Writing/Grammar programs]

:001_huh::001_huh::001_huh:

 

All the writing programs are starting to run together in my mind!!! I know there are a million threads on this already and that all have their pros and cons....

 

but here goes another...

 

We are planning to do TOG Year 2 next year. It will be our 4th year homeschooling but our 1st year with TOG. My oldest (gifted 6th grader for next yr) needs a writing/grammar course. We are currently finishing up Growing Up Heroic from Duke TIP, and I have really noticed that he needs serious encouragement about beefing up his writing.

 

He has AWESOME ideas, and they are fully-flushed in his mind. But when he writes them down, he writes the bare minimum, and it is like pulling eye teeth to get details. At some point along the way, he decided that a paragraph had a topic sentence and 3 supporting details. So, every paragraph he writes has exactly 4 sentences - no more, no less. If I really work at him (and type while he talks) I can get some amazing work out of him. He is definitely a "do as little as I have to and get away with it" type of student. Example - Question: "What would you do if you and your family were in this situation?" His answer: "I would do what I had to do.":tongue_smilie:

 

He did FLL in 3rd. - At the end of the yr he could diagram a sentence perfectly but still could not tell me what the subject and verb were.

 

He did Young Reader Series: Dog Stories between 3rd & 4th from JHU/CTY and got awesome feedback on his writing - but seems to have forgotten it all :glare:

 

We did 2 years of MBTP that included scattered grammar and writing...

 

 

I have looked at MCT, WWE/WWS, Writing Strands, Latin Road to Grammar, CTY's writing classes, Bravewriter, IEW, you name it.

 

My preference, hands down, would be to do CTY's grammar and then their creative writing course, but as I am already spending $1,900 a year on Math through CTY just for him, I can't afford that right now.

 

I will also be teaching a 2nd grader and a struggling-to-read-3rd grader while running two businesses from home, so I don't have all the time in the world. PLUS, in addition to TOG and writing/grammar, he will have

-Math

-Getting Started in Spanish

-some intermediate Latin program (just finished Getting Started in Latin) thus the reason for looking at Latin Road to Grammar, and

-Science

-along with guitar, gymnastics and TKD

 

so I don't know that I want to spend an hour and a half a day on grammar/writing....

 

Are you as confused as I am??? All advice is GREATLY appreciated.

 

MMM