Help! Need suggestions for 7th grade writing program

[Tohru]

My son is 12 and 7th grade. He's an incredibly reluctant writer. We have been using IEW and no matter how many key word outlines he does, he just doesn't get them.

 

Does any one have a suggestion for a solid writing program that teaches basics, like maybe writing a paragraph? Ideally it would be nice to have non-fictional and creative. Secular is a plus, but not necessary.

 

Any advice will be very appreciated.

Thanks!

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

We made it through the KWO units in IEW and then stalled.

 

I bought this and it walks you through outlining all different types of paragraphs and then using the outlines to write paragraphs. It discusses topic sentences, clinchers, and transition words.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Paragraph-Writing-Made-Rosemary-Shiras/dp/0439207649

 

The TOC and introduction are available on this link. Click on Sample Lesson Plan

http://www.bookrags.com/plans/SCH0439207649/

[MistyJ]

I am starting Classical Writing [email=http://home.att.net/~classicalwriting/]http://home.att.net/~classicalwriting/[/email] this year with my 4th and 7th graders.

 

They have a book, Classical Writing for Older Beginners, for use with older children starting the program later.

 

So far, it's working just great.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I noticed your sig line. Is he the D&D player, or is that just you?

 

I ask because each game is a big story, and if he could perhaps be taught to see the story in the game, writing might seem less mysterious to him. A story has a few basic parts: a setting, a conflict, a resolution, and a conclusion. When playing, we start by figuring out who is playing and where. In the first few sessions hopefully the mystery develops and we start feeling like we have a goal, something to do, get, or fix, saying, something's leaving torn apart elves everywhere, and we find it's an ogre: that's the conflict, building and established once we know. The resolution is the part where we kill the ogre. The conclusion is getting the goods and divvying them up.

 

I was just thinking that if he is so reluctant, it may be 'cause writing seems impossibly hard and foreign. But if he's a D&D player, it's right in front of him constantly.

 

He could write a four sentence story. Sentence 1, setting: My halfling rogue and my sister's gnome are in the woods. Sentence 2, conflict: We need money, and we see unicorns. Sentence 3, resolution: We capture unicorns and sell them. Sentence 4, conclusion: We have money so we buy a house in the city.

 

My kids like writing four sentence stories and it may help him get over the notion that there's no way he could come up with a sentence he wants to write down next to another sentence.

[Katiebug_1976]

My 7th grade dd is a VERY reluctant writer. We have tried many different programs, and non of them have worked for her. We are in our 4th week of using Apologia's Jump In writing curric. and I have not heard one complaint from her. It is done pretty much independently, and she has done ALL of her assignments without complaint (which says a lot right there!). It is a writing program that is designed for reluctant writers. I know you can get it at www.christianbook.com , and Rainbow Reasource also carries it.

[MIch elle]

or The Elegant Essay?

[Sunshine State Sue]

We are using Write Shop for 6th-7th-8th. It has been good for my reluctant writer. You may read my review here. It can be completed in 1 or 2 years as well.

 

ETA: I updated the thread link to a more current review. One of the reasons I like WS is that they always give the student the length of the paragraph they require (ex. 6-10 sentences). This forced my reluctant writer to expound upon the 3 sentence paragraph that he so loves. I suppose if you had a verbose writer, it would help to reign them in.

Edited September 3, 2009 by Sue in St Pete

[ManyXsBlessed4]

WriteShop.