What do I do now??

[dakarimom5]

I'm really struggling with hs right now. My 12yo ds is miserable and so am I. I pulled him out of ps because he is so far behind and they were passing him on to 7th grade with the writing and handwriting skills of a 2nd grader. He can't put a sentence together correctly and doesn't know that you can't put capital letters in the middle of words. The school he went to last year never sent graded papers home so I had no idea until the standardized testing scores came home. Putting him back into school is NOT an option but trying to find cirriculum that is on the grade level he needs and not "baby" work is hard to find.

 

But even more frustrating is his lack of excitement over learning. He just doesn't care and fights me constantly because he misses his friends. This drives me crazy since he didn't have friends...he was bullied quit badly which is the other reason I pulled him out.

 

I guess I just need some ideas for making school fun but not "baby". And any BTDT stories would be welcome. On the plus side he is zipping through pre-algebra...it's just language we are struggling with.

[JudoMom]

Have you downloaded SWB's A Plan for Teaching Writing lectures from Peace Hill Press? In the Elementary one, she covers how to remediate writing; if you haven't listened to it I would highly recommend it.

 

:grouphug:

[Jean in Newcastle]

Has he been tested for learning disabilities in language?

 

My ds13 is still doing handwriting for me - A Reason for Handwriting - which is for younger kids but he does it anyway. This book is Christian in that you are copying Bible verses so that may or may not be what you want. Evan-Moor has a secular version that you can find at teacher supply stores like Lakeshore Learning.

[Carol in Cal.]

I would start with engaging literature. Read it aloud to him every day, and have him read it to himself as well. Good writing soaks into your brain and helps you to know it when you see it--eventually it even helps you to produce it! You might start by reading him an old-fashioned adventure book like Treasure Island, and assigning him something funny like Half Magic (that's a pretty easy book for this grade level, but that might not be bad for starters.) Talk about the vocabulary as it comes up.

 

The other thing I would do right away is start assigning copywork from that literature. Be utterly insistent that he gets it perfect or does it over, every single day. This is hugely effective--it helps him to notice correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It should not take more than about 10 minutes to copy and check a paragraph.

 

Wait a week or two and then start a spelling program. Spelling Power or Phonetic Zoo would probably be the ones to use--neither is levelled to a specific grade. PZ is pricey but phonetic and easy--all on CD's--and self-paced. SP is cheaper but less phonetic and includes more parent involvement. It's perhaps a bit more complete. Again, 10-15 minutes a day. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to language arts.

 

Then start either science or history, whichever he likes better, and assign subect area writing--lab reports for science or summaries for history. And start Writing Strands 3--it's a deceptively simple but effective program, and you should read their Evaluating Writing book before you start WS, so that you know how to address your DS's writing.

 

This is not going to be so bad! Just chunk it and it will come together. If he needs more editing practice after a couple of months, maybe add in Editor in Chief--it's less fraught than having him edit his own work.

 

You can do this!

[Pretty in Pink]

Is he involved in any activities? You don't necessarily need a homeschool group, but if he doesn't have many outside activities then maybe it's time to try something new where he can socialize with peers a few times per week? I really began to notice a true need for this in my ds12 over the last year or so. He is so much more pleasant to spend time with now that he is involved in a few activities and making friends.

[MamaSheep]

How is his reading? Is it all of language that he has a problem with or just the writing? If it's a matter of there being a big gap between reading abilities and writing abilities, I can relate. My ds is totally like that. And you're right, it's very hard to find materials that don't either ask more of him than he's realistically able to give, or seem so babyish as to be insulting. If this is the situation your son is in, I would very heartily second JudoMom's recommendation of SWB's lectures on teaching writing. They have absolutely been a Godsend around here. For one thing, I've been able to ditch "creative writing" assignments and "journalling" with absolutely no guilt, and that is a relief to both of us. But the really nice thing about her approach is that the reading level and the writing level don't have to match up. I can have him read advanced texts but give his written responses at a level that is appropriate to his delayed writing abilities. In science, for example, he's reading from books that are at a high school level (he loves science), but is doing the kind of writing SWB describes as appropriate for a 5th to 6th grader--which I'm thrilled about, as last year it was more like her approach for about 3rd grade. She talks about how to start from a very beginner level and work all the way up, step by logical step, to writing papers. And her steps really make sense to me, and seem to work very well with the way ds's mind operates. And it lets us work at his actual level both in the reading and in the writing, which has been so hard to find in any prepackaged program.

[Belacqua]

The library I use has a section for adult learners. It offers books and workbooks for improving fundamental skills but for older learners who don't want to read about childish topics. Maybe your librarian could point you toward something like that?

[dakarimom5]

Thanks everyone for your input! We just started using Writing Strands 3 this week so we will see how this goes and I'm going to download from Peace Hill Press so I can ge more help.

[Parrothead]

Just stop for a week and regroup.

 

Talk, reconnect, find out what he is interested in. What kind of literature, science, history get his curiosity up? Gather things that fall into those categories. Go to the library. Take a few math assessment test. Lots of math curriculum providers have free downloadable assessment. But make the assessments fun.

 

While you are reconnecting take a drive, go get coffee or hot cocoa, grab a burger, shoot some hoops, whatever. Give yourselves time to be with each other.

 

Then the following week work on reading and math pretty exclusively. Slowly add in the other subjects. Keep communications open so you know how he feels about what he is doing and so he knows why you are giving him particular work to do.