Osmosis Mom Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Dd 9 cannot write one grammatically correct sentence and I am not quite sure what to do. Apparently then she is not transferring her lessons to her real-life writing. Her spelling is also only so-so even though she is an avid reader. Not sure what is going on and which approach I should take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Has she done copywork and dictation? Narration? Those might be the place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 She has actually done copywork and is really good at narrations (orally). She basically does not do punctuation and most of her sentences are run-ons. She is not grasping the genitive cases. Basically her writing is a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 How is her reading? When she reads aloud, does she pause appropriately at commas and periods? How does she read her own writing? Does she know what she is trying to say and add in "verbal" punctuation, or does she read it as a run-on? Maybe if you type up a few sentences for her without punctuation and ask her to read it, she will "get" that she needs to punctuate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 What are you currently using for grammar? Is it laziness or does she not understand the concept? My dd11 will frequently leave out punctuation simply because she is so panicked to get her thoughts onto paper before she forgets them. We frequently have to go back and edit for punctuation. It may just be a matter of consistency and repetition on your part to make her go back and edit her work. I agree that copywork and dictation are wonderful tools for cementing these concepts. Especially if you spend several weeks doing passages that concentrate on different types of punctuation. Another thought, does her grammar program require her to do written lessons? The above mentioned daughter has shown marked improvement in her writing since we began using Rod and Staff. She has to write out the sentences for half of her lesson and I think it has made a huge impact on helping to cement it into her brain. Just a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBP Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 My DS had a similar problem and I got several wonderfully helpful responses here. Probably the one that helped him the most was the suggestion to have him read his papers starting with the last sentence first, and work backwards from there. When he does that, he can hear the sentence errors so much better. He's still not a perfect writer, but he has come a long way in the last year or so. Hang in there! SBP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 My approach would be to lay off the 'lessons' and read several well-written read alouds....I believe hearing the written word helps a long their understanding of sentence structure....is she reading above her grade level? At this age we read Heidi, The Door in the Wall, Adam of the Road, A Single Shard, Robin Hood (by Pyle)....we easily spent 2 hours a day reading aloud.... I decided against doing a formal grammar/writing program and just encouraged journaling/free writing....each year I was amazed at how they improved on their own in grammar/sentence structure....we are now using Analytical Grammar for 2 years...they're flying through it and acing it..and it's quite tough..tougher than anything they had in the primary grammar books I bought...I will say that I was extremely picky over what they read....Sonlight lists/Ambleside Online selections/1000 Good Books list and of course WTM list... HTH Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 Thanks for the input. I am actually thinking now it might be extreme laziness on her part. She will read the sentences accurately (with correct pausing and intonation) so that makes me even more impatient when I then get to look at her work!! I have used different things (consistently) over the last couple of years. Right now she is still on official summer break. I am planning on using OM 5 LA, WWE 4, EG along with the grammar instruction in OM. I was considering Megawords instead of the spelling in OM and either a formal vocab program like Wordly Wise or what's included in OM. OM is new to me this year as would Megawords be. We might augment with MCT. She is actually pretty bright and reads very advanced books. However, her school-work is in general sloppy (she is quick and temperamental). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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