TOG Writing Aids users-do your kids mind how they spread out the writing so much?

[HappyGrace]

I have TOG 1 and am not sure if I'm going to use the writing portion yet. Dd10 is used to a writing assignment (usually IEW) being spread out over a week, not several weeks like WA does it sometimes. She is not very interested in long-term assignments like writing different articles to eventually put together for a newspaper, etc. Would WA be a bad fit?

[Guest ME-Mommy]

I have TOG 1 and am not sure if I'm going to use the writing portion yet. Dd10 is used to a writing assignment (usually IEW) being spread out over a week, not several weeks like WA does it sometimes. She is not very interested in long-term assignments like writing different articles to eventually put together for a newspaper, etc. Would WA be a bad fit?

 

What Unit and Level are we talking about??

 

My suggestion (without knowing the particulars) would be to either compress the writing assignment into less weeks OR move up or down a Level to a different assignment if that is comfortable for both of you.

 

Ultimately, though, she is going to have to work toward long-term assignments...especially as she enters D or R level. ;)

[Leanna Tomlinson]

In my experience, TOG writing assignments are assigned at a slower pace in Unit 1 and then they speed up.

 

I always move between levels as the assignments suit us. (I really don't see a point in forcing creative writing on a dc who hates it.) However, our favorite assignment has been the newspaper. We are going to do this every unit in our co-op. They loved having a place to display their work.

[Kipling]

I am not particularly fond of the extended writing assignments myself. I didn't run in to this problem during the first year because my dd did level 1, and WA didn't have that level do the extended projects. However, as I look over level 2, I find that my dd will be doing a display board for 5 or so weeks and then a newspaper for 9 weeks. That seems like a looong time for a 7 year old to work on a single project. However, I agree with ME-Mommy that she will need to learn how to do it, and I think that she (and I) will be happy with the final results.

So, after debating whether to change up the assignments or not, I decided I would keep with the Writing Aids assignments (because, overall, I really like WA). However, I decided to break the larger assignments into smaller chunks. So, when it calls for a newspaper, we will write one complete newspaper article each week (diagram, rough draft, and final) and keep them in her notebook. At the end of the assignment, we will then put them together as a newspaper. That way, she'll have the more immediate feeling of completion, but she will still learn the skills of news writing, and we can have the final assembled project.

[Guest ME-Mommy]

In my experience, TOG writing assignments are assigned at a slower pace in Unit 1 and then they speed up.

 

:iagree: -- although I didn't see newspaper writing in Unit 1...

[johnandtinagilbert]

I couldn't help but laugh...my kids are happy for the extensions b/c it means less work each week! :D I do like that the assignments are project oriented sometimes, as they will prepare the dc for research and long term projects. If you're looking for more writing, make sure she writes summaries, ala WTM history, for each core book used.

[choirfarm]

I rarely spend as much time as they suggest, but then we haven't written the story. If it is a newspaper, then we tend to spend 2 or 3 weeks. I then just move to a different level and do that assignment. The only exception is the research paper which often does take 6 weeks.

 

Christine