I tried WWE again this week...Sigh

[Capt_Uhura]

bonniebeth4 - I can tell you that it doesn't take the teacher telling DC that he/she is the smartest. They can quickly figure that out all by themselves. A friend's DD had ranked each child in the class according to how smart she thought they were. WHile DS's teacher never told him he was the smartest, the other kids in the class did! And I had a couple of parents tell me that they asked their DC who the smartest kid was and they answered my DS. Now we won't even go into why you would ask your DC such a question....:lol:

 

Anyhow, thanks for not being upset by the hijack....I think that's the 2nd time I've done that...

 

As far as skipping ahead, my DS never did WWE1. He started w/ WWE2 and was just fine. It was perfect for him. He likely would have been OK w/ WWE3 although a bit more of a challenge than WWE2 but a little bit of challenge is OK. I gave him the year end assessment at the end of WWE Teacher's book for WWE1 and he passed w/ flying colors. I take the same tactic...if something is boring and too easy, DC has demonstrate mastery before we move on. I've had it go both ways...something was boring b/c it was too easy BUT something was boring b/c it was too hard. They keep us on our toes, don't they?

 

Capt_Uhura

Edited January 9, 2010 by Capt_Uhura
adding more info

[EKS]

"I HATE DICTATION! I'M NEVER DOING DICTATION EVER AGAIN!!!!"

 

 

Frankly, this type of response in my own children alerts me to the idea that they may need extra practice in an area, and in fact, what it usually means is that we need to back up and handle foundational areas first. Now, granted, it sometimes means that a task is too easy, but the fact that you were having to remind her to leave space between her words makes me think that wasn't what was happening here.

 

So in the case of dictation, the foundational area would be copywork.

 

Now, I would *also* use the MCT materials, because I think they are by far the most wonderful language arts materials ever produced in the English language (and I'm not exaggerating), but I think WWE has its place, particularly in making the mechanics of writing automatic.

[lovemykids]

Thanks. ;) I have the text for all 4 years, so I think I am going to go ahead and start with the principles from the first year (which I never did). I'll evaluate how she does and probably skip ahead as soon as she shows proficiency/willingness to do the work. I think I'll look into CM dictation if WWE continues to be too painful...

 

Last night, I told DH some of things that people have said in this thread. Then, I overheard him talking to DD. It was interesting hearing him tell her that being unwilling to do a task is the same as being unable to do it. That she would be going back to 1st grade work until her attitude shapes up and she shows that she is able to do the 1st grade work. She started whining, and then they had a nice little discussion on how responsible people do things they don't like to do, b/c it needs to get done. "You don't think Mommy likes doing the dishes do you? But she does them anyway, without complaining." :D (Well, maybe I complain sometimes).

 

I'm still grinding my teeth at the damage DD's schoolteachers did to her. She used to come home and tell us, "I'm the youngest one in my class, and the smartest." Why do they feel the need to tell kids they are the smartest?! I think a sincere, "great job" is a lot more meaningful and appropriate. Kids should be rewarded for their efforts, not for their innate ability. But that's another post.

 

And thanks for all the input on altering dictation. I have a hard time with scripted materials, b/c I forget that the text should be a suggestion, not ironclad rules. If I give myself the freedom to alter things to suit us, the instruction goes so much more smoothly.

 

BTW, I got my MCT materials yesterday and I've been reading through Grammar Island. I won't start it up immediately, but oooh. Finally I get to learn grammar ;). I was never taught any sort of grammar (beyond the definitions of nouns, adjectives, and verbs). I had no idea that articles were a type of adjective.... I remember suffering through my sophomore year of high school when the teacher was trying to teach everyone else how to use commas and question marks. And the reaction I got from my technical writing professor when I asked what a preposition was (I'd had him for senior level chemistry classes and he couldn't believe I was asking such a dumb question). But I digress. I think this text will work very nicely with DD's learning style, too.

...

 

Aww, that’s nice that your DH is getting involved. Well, I’m sure it will all work out just fine. The WWE text is a nice resource to have, Susan did a wonderful job on it. It is set up perfectly for an accelerated pace through the levels if need be. I misunderstood your intentions; I thought you were going to backtrack and use the WWE 1 workbook.

Yes, you should feel free to alter the dictation, even if you should decide to stick with WWE. Since WWE was not around when I started homeschooling my oldest, I gravitated towards a CM style of early composition in addition to our grammar studies in FLL. And years later, I tried WWE with my youngest dd, but I didn’t feel she was ready for the dictation, so we backed off and went back to a CM style that includes copywork for the bulk of her writing this third grade year. But now my six year old son is ready to start WWE 1, and I may give it a try, I do think it’s an excellent program; it just may not be the best for some children.

MCT: nooo…don’t tempt me! :leaving:I am trying to hold back from purchasing the grammar materials; we have enough elementary grammar in this house. I am pretty set on ordering the vocabulary though. Enjoy!

[lovemykids]

So in the case of dictation, the foundational area would be copywork.

 

Now, I would *also* use the MCT materials, because I think they are by far the most wonderful language arts materials ever produced in the English language (and I'm not exaggerating), but I think WWE has its place, particularly in making the mechanics of writing automatic.

 

:iagree:

 

MCT?:svengo: I need to see it!

[PeterPan]

Glad it's coming together for you! :)

[Matryoshka]

Frankly, this type of response in my own children alerts me to the idea that they may need extra practice in an area, and in fact, what it usually means is that we need to back up and handle foundational areas first. Now, granted, it sometimes means that a task is too easy, but the fact that you were having to remind her to leave space between her words makes me think that wasn't what was happening here.

 

So in the case of dictation, the foundational area would be copywork.

 

Now, I would *also* use the MCT materials, because I think they are by far the most wonderful language arts materials ever produced in the English language (and I'm not exaggerating), but I think WWE has its place, particularly in making the mechanics of writing automatic.

 

:iagree: I'm using both WWE and MCT Island with my just-turned 9yo. They cover entirely different skill sets, imho, and actually complement each other well.

[Capt_Uhura]

:iagree: with Matroshka - I'm doing WWE3 and MCT Island level w/ my 9yr old and they are different skill sets.

[PeterPan]

I'll just interject here that the observation WWE and MCT cover different skill sets is not surprising, since WWE/WTM's goal is to take a different path in their approach to writing. The difference should not be taken to mean WWE is inadequate or not fully rounded. WTM is intentionally different and not doing those things in the more typical ps order. Not saying you can't combine. Just pointing out, for those who are prone to feel guilt-tripped or that they aren't doing enough if they don't do 13 programs and EVERYTHING, that it's ok to stop and use WTM's approach.

Edited January 10, 2010 by OhElizabeth