DawnM Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 He is terrible in spelling and writing and gets very frustrated and angry if he has to write more than simple sentences. I really have a goal of him being able to write a paragraph (5 sentences or more) by the end of the year if possible. He also writes painfully slow! He is an Aspie and reads at about a 3rd to 4th grade level. Abeka LA grade 4 last year about sent him over the edge and once they started asking for reports we ditched it because he could not do it and the frustration and fit throwing were more than I could take. Thanks, Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela&4boys Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I really have a goal of him being able to write a paragraph (5 sentences or more) by the end of the year if possible. If you have a chance to listen to SWB's Writing Without Fear, it may encourage you. She said that (boys especially) struggle with writing and if they are writing three or four coherent sentences at the end of 4th grade, then they're successful. And considering your ds's needs, I think your goal is very practical. Have you considered Writing With Ease? My 9yo ds does not like any writing, but this has been tolerable. It helps that he can orally narrate to me as I write it down and he then copies it. Breaking those two steps up (meaning putting in from thought to paper) is a cumbersome task for most dc, but especially for those of us with LD's. We completed WWE 1 last year and have started WWE2. I have seen the fruits and am so thankful there is something that's methodical and not overwhelming for mother or dc! If you were to consider it, the only suggestion I would make is to have him use paper other than what's in the workbook. The lines are very wide and my ds just doesn't write that big. Also, we have used IEW successfully with our 12yo ds. Although he doesn't have any severe LD's, he needs the simplicity and structure it offers. We began it last year and it's my understanding that many dc with LD's do well with it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 (edited) You know, we attempted WWE and he hated it. It gave snippets of stories he had never heard of and he kept saying, "Who is Laura? What does Pa mean? Why is she living there?" He wanted to know the story before needing to write. It was very frustrating for both of us. Maybe I did something wrong or should have started at a higher level. Dawn Edited October 3, 2009 by DawnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 My Aspie LOVES IEW. She is never faced with a blank piece of paper and told to just write or given a prompt with no idea how to proceed. IEW starts off with a model. You outline the model and then retell/rewrite based on your outline. Your ds would probably do best with either SWI-A (Student Writing Intensive level A) or one of the theme-based programs like All Things Fun and Fabulous. These programs are geared for 3rd-5th graders, so the reading level should work for your ds. My Aspie's writing has improved tremendously with this program. My dyslexic dd doesn't do well with the program because of the structure (the very thing that makes it perfect for my Aspie). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 (edited) My bf has a son with Sensory issues and he has been diagnosed as 2X (twice exceptional). He is brilliant in some areas but in writing and math he is really struggling. He takes forever to write one simple sentence. Her husband is a Special Education teacher and he borrowed an Alpha-Smart to bring home. My bf says it is so amazing, and her ds is writing and doing so well. It's pricey, I have seen them for sale on eBay as well as schools who are upgrading. Good Luck! Edited October 4, 2009 by Pongo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 He is terrible in spelling and writing and gets very frustrated and angry if he has to write more than simple sentences. I really have a goal of him being able to write a paragraph (5 sentences or more) by the end of the year if possible. He also writes painfully slow! He is an Aspie and reads at about a 3rd to 4th grade level. Abeka LA grade 4 last year about sent him over the edge and once they started asking for reports we ditched it because he could not do it and the frustration and fit throwing were more than I could take. Thanks, Dawn Dawn, How about Wordsmith Apprentice....it's a prelude to Write Shop!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 He is terrible in spelling and writing and gets very frustrated and angry if he has to write more than simple sentences. I really have a goal of him being able to write a paragraph (5 sentences or more) by the end of the year if possible. He also writes painfully slow! He is an Aspie and reads at about a 3rd to 4th grade level. Abeka LA grade 4 last year about sent him over the edge and once they started asking for reports we ditched it because he could not do it and the frustration and fit throwing were more than I could take. Thanks, Dawn I would allow him to write on a keyboard and teach him to if he doesn't already know how to. Wordsmith Apprentice is gentle, but it is in workbook format. IEW is very good for kids who struggle with writing. Get the DVD's for the teacher (you'll need them to know how to use the program. You can't "get it" from the notebook. It's just an outline of the DVD's and you'll miss huge parts.) Once you've "got it" though, IEW is very flexible. You can use the method for any subject. I don't have an Aspie, but I'm guessing that the checklist format for grading would appeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 Thanks all. For some reason I was thinking IEW was for older kids. Maybe that would be a good starting point. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 You might want to check out Basic Paragraph Practice from PCI Education. http://www.pcieducation.com They give you a topic. You write a topic sentence, 3 supporting details, a conclusion and then you copy the whole thing at the bottom of the page into a complete paragraph. The topics are actually quite clever. Its very basic but very effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela&4boys Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 You know, we attempted WWE and he hated it. It gave snippets of stories he had never heard of and he kept saying, "Who is Laura? What does Pa mean? Why is she living there?" He wanted to know the story before needing to write. It was very frustrating for both of us. Maybe I did something wrong or should have started at a higher level. Dawn I can see where that could be very frustrating for him. My ds doesn't look forward to it, but he is progressing and I don't know of anything else I'd use for him right now. I may look at IEW if he keeps sighing when I pull the book out. Thanks all. For some reason I was thinking IEW was for older kids. Maybe that would be a good starting point. Dawn I agree, especially now that they have more Themed-Based Lessons available. There are more levels to choose from and they won't have a big 'ol grade number slapped across the cover. :tongue_smilie: (An issue with my db's anyway.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela&4boys Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 You might want to check out Basic Paragraph Practice from PCI Education. www.pcieducation.com They give you a topic. You write a topic sentence, 3 supporting details, a conclusion and then you copy the whole thing at the bottom of the page into a complete paragraph. The topics are actually quite clever. Its very basic but very effective. They have some wonderful resources! Thanks for sharing these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verity Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Just wanted to share, My 10 year old (will be 11 this month!) Aspie boy is another with the fine motor problems and gets very overwhelmed with writing assignments. They are usually like pulling teeth. I'm using a combination of writing programs and switch them out every other or two weeks just to keep things fresh and his complaints to a minimum. We are using: -FLL 4 and Winston Grammar for Grammar and Language Arts -IEW Ancient History Based Writing /or WWE 3 Also we used the free website at BBC called Dance Mat Typing to start learning keyboarding skills, he really likes it though he still needs lots of practice. A typical day includes a section from the grammar/LA category and either IEW or WWE. We tried Classical Writing and it was a bust! Neither WWE or IEW require a large amount of writing and for IEW rough and final drafts we are doing those on the wordprocessing program. I let him narrate his rough draft (from the KWO we did together) to me while I typed it, then printed it out and let him work on it with my suggestions. Then he sat down at the computer and made all the corrections and changes. While I expected the writing to be hours of agony we did a whole paragraph rewrite in under 30 minutes! A major win at my house. Don't give up! I highly recommend the IEW smaller workbooks. We chose Ancient History Based writing because that is the history section we are working on. I'm planning to use Fun and Fabulous (?) when we are done with AHBW. They are also very reasonably priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 You might want to check out Verticy Learning's Reading Supplelment. It has 4 levels of placement. The downside is cost but the 2 parts are available to purchase separately. www.verticylearning.org Another option is the Writing Skills series put out by http://www.epsbooks.com. It is very logical and step by step and also includes grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherdear Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 My son loved this writing program when he was young.It's no longer published, but I know you can get it used; I've seen it on FS boards. It's called Pencil Playground and is probably a perfect solution for your situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineMM Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 The IEW teacher DVDs are for all levels. You said you thought IEW was for older kids. They sell 3 levels of the student DVDs, elem, middle & high school. So the answer is indeed IEW can be for your 11 YO. I don't have an Aspie child but from what I have read seems to me IEW would be a good fit as there are rules and guidelines, note taking from an example. That may be a good fit. Another gentle program is Brave Writer. Totally different approach from IEW about finding the child's voice & appreciating literary elements, a more Charlotte Mason flavor. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCW Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Our kids hate the read a paragraph, outline it, and rewrite it approach. They argue it was well enough written in the first place, why bother rewriting it? We started with very easy outlining workbooks, and now use Bravewriter. Bravewriter uses a Charlotte Mason approach that includes many SWB suggestions - dictation, copywork, poetry, etc. There are tons of suggestions on her website www.bravewriter.com as well as on her blog. We began using the Tuesday Teatime, Friday Freewrites, and copywork first (probably because they were easiest for us all) and have moved on to adding more. It's a very gentle approach because you are completely in control of what you expect from your child, but the support is there from the author. She also has online classes, both writing and literature. We do a lot orally, as well, and keyboard also. I was speaking with Michael Bend, the author of ABeCeDarian reading materials, and he suggested the Whimbey Writing Program, so I found the student workbook "How the Analyze, Organize, and Write Effectively" - but haven't started it yet. Just pulled it out last week because I think we're almost ready to add ideas from it. FWIW, the Whimby grammar is the very first grammar program that my dd has actually retained information from. What a blessing Michael Bend's materials and suggestions have been for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Dawn, How about Wordsmith Apprentice....it's a prelude to Write Shop!!!! :iagree: Wordsmith Apprentice is very gentle. My ds really enjoyed it last year. We did it in just one semester and it built his confidence tremendously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 Thank you all so much. I am looking at all of these options and hope to start a more structured writing program in November. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 We are using Imitations in Writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela&4boys Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Thank you all so much. I am looking at all of these options and hope to start a more structured writing program in November. Dawn, please let us know what you decide! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 How do I bookmark this thread?? I really love the info here! Shari, thanks for the links. Just the help I've been looking for! Thanks to the OP for starting this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 I have really just been doing our own thing for now. I had intended to do a formal lesson/book, but I have been having his write summaries (very easy ones) of stories we are reading, as well as some journal writing. I am continuing to bookmark this thread and will refer back to it. I have decided not to get too formal until the Fall. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 (edited) Thanks all. For some reason I was thinking IEW was for older kids. Maybe that would be a good starting point. Dawn Check out Meaningful Composition 4. It uses much of the IEW approach, but walks the child through each sentence of a paragraph. It's called "Directed Writing." We will be using this next year as IEW alone was too overwhelming for my kids. We have it all, TWSS, DVD's, writing books, the works. I love the approach, but my kids just needed it broken down into smaller, more manageable "chunks." Your goals should be met using only the first semester book: http://www.tfths.com/comp.php?page=mc4-1longdesc#book4-1 Product description http://www.tfths.com/docs/samples/mc4iwk9.pdf sample page of week 9 HTH, Geo Edited May 13, 2010 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjbeach Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Check out Meaningful Composition 4. It uses much of the IEW approach, but walks the child through each sentence of a paragraph, called "Directed Writing." You see more We will be using this next year as IEW alone was too overwhelming for my kids. We have it all, TWSS, DVD's, writing books, the works. I love the approach, but my kids just needed it broken down into smaller, more manageable "chunks." Your goals should be met using only the first semester book: http://www.tfths.com/comp.php?page=mc4-1longdesc#book4-1 Product description http://www.tfths.com/docs/samples/mc4iwk9.pdf sample page of week 9 HTH, Geo I think I'm going to try Meaningful Composition this year because it is more workbook style (which fits my son) then make the move to IEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Yes, I think WordSmith might work for you..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 I also am a fan of IEW for you. Start at the beginning and take it at your son's pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*~Tina~* Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 A couple of these have already been mentioned, but definitely take a look at the EPS resources. They are specifically geared towards kids who struggle. The Paragraph Book Writing Skills Just Write They have samples online. . . http://intervention.schoolspecialty.com/ IEW is also excellent. You can purchase the Teacher/Student Combo, which includes DVD's that teach directly to the student. Blessings, ¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) ((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-Tina ~ -:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* My Blog - http://seasonsoflearning.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*~Tina~* Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 Just want to add that the EPS resources are also available through Rainbow Resource and Christian Books at a cheaper rate that EPS offers them! Blessings, ¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) ((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-Tina ~ -:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* My Blog - http://seasonsoflearning.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bicycle Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 I am using The Paragraph Book from EPS for my 12 year old that struggles. I bought it from CBD. It is very easy to use and after lesson 1, the student writes two paragraphs per lesson. There are 4 books in the series and at the end of each book, there is an multi-paragraph essay to write. I highly recommend it because it is specifically designed for remedial students. You do need to purchase the teacher book and the student book, because the quizzes and assignment sheets are in the teacher guide. CBD has samples to look at. Take care, Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 We've been using it a couple of years. He writes his key word outline with pencil and paper. All other writing is done on the computer. He wrote a 5 paragraph paper by the end of this year and was actually very excited about it! It's a winner here. Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.