HSMom2One Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 How much writing does your 6th grader do each day and over a period of a week? How often do you do reports, essays, dictation, and handwriting practice at this level? I am curious about this because I have a feeling I may not be pushing dd with writing enough this year. If so, then I will have to step it up a notch during our second semester. Thanks in advance for your input! Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani3boys Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I have a feeling I need to step things up with my 6th graders too. We have done some IEW theme book work and we are also testing out SWB's 5th grade writing lessons. I recently listened to SWB's writing for middle school MP3. I am trying to figure out which direction I want to take them in. Right now I'm thinking of leaving IEW behind, but I'm not sure where I want to go for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 We write a lot, always have. In 6th - at least a paragraph or more a day, frequent 5 paragraph reports. End of the year 5 page paper, with bibliography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 My 6th grader writes at least for 30 minutes every day - but most of it is creative writing which he loves to do. We do no handwriting practice, no dictation, no spelling, because he writes beautifully and makes almost no spelling mistakes. He writes a short report or essay maybe every two weeks, with one bigger project (6-10 pages typed) per semester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 We write a lot, always have.In 6th - at least a paragraph or more a day, frequent 5 paragraph reports. End of the year 5 page paper, with bibliography. I won't be asking for a 5 pg paper from my 6th grader, but we write at least a paragraph/day with frequent 5 paragraph reports too. We do the occasional research paper - probably only one this year. The length will be more like 2-3 pages typed plus bibliography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 How much writing does your 6th grader do each day and over a period of a week? How often do you do reports, essays, dictation, and handwriting practice at this level? An average week for my 6th grader would include: CW - one writing assignment history - one outline, one or two 1 paragraph summaries, and 1 longer essay (2-4 paragraphs) science - 1-2 outlines and 1-2 short summaries She also does a book report on average every other week and a R&S writing assignment every few weeks. We aren't currently doing dictation or handwriting practice. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 How much writing does your 6th grader do each day and over a period of a week? How often do you do reports, essays, dictation, and handwriting practice at this level? For each week of grade 6, my ds did one or two two-level outlines from about five or six paragraphs of his reading, and one or two one-paragraph narrations. (So, four assignments total each week - and the ratio of which ones varied) He got his writing material from his science, history, or literature reading. He didn't have formal handwriting practice anymore, because his handwriting was fine. I did a dictation with him every couple of weeks or so, just to help his memory with getting words on paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeJM Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 It's official -- I'm delinquent in this department. There, I said it. Glad to see what you all are doing. I'm nowhere near that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 When you all mention DC is writing a summary or paragraph or essay for history and science and literature, how much editing goes into it? My son is a 5th grade. WE're doing History Odyssey. The only editing we do for those narrations is spelling for common words. For writing that we're doing in Writing With Skill, we take more time discussing paragraph construction, connecting words/phrases etc. That takes more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 When you all mention DC is writing a summary or paragraph or essay for history and science and literature, how much editing goes into it? My son is a 5th grade. WE're doing History Odyssey. The only editing we do for those narrations is spelling for common words. For writing that we're doing in Writing With Skill, we take more time discussing paragraph construction, connecting words/phrases etc. That takes more time. In grade 6, I edited for spelling, and punctuation and grammar that ds had already learned. I think I also made sure his paragraph was about one topic. It sounds like WWS has a bit more editing/teaching detail, and I can't wait for it to be published! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 WEll, it's a combination of WWS (the topic and method) and the editing is from MCT Paragraph Town. So it takes time. I ask DS to tell me what a paragraph is, what a topic sentence is, does his paragraphs fit his definition? Yes. Remember we discussed how to connect paragraphs w/ connecting words or phrases or sentences or even entire paragraphs? Do you have good transitions in your paragraphs? No, how can you change it? Then sit there while DS thinks. THe process takes some time. WWS has just one of these each week. I can't imagine doing any more than one of these each week. I guess my question goes back to the teaching in context or maybe I should put this question over there.....but if you're teaching writing in context, then you're doing the writing and discussion in context of their history summaries and essays. So that's why I asked how much editing you are doing with history, science and lit paragraphs and essays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks for the replies. This is all very interesting and helpful to me, so keep it coming in please! Could someone please tell me about WWS? I've never heard of it before. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks for the replies. This is all very interesting and helpful to me, so keep it coming in please! Could someone please tell me about WWS? I've never heard of it before. Blessings, Lucinda Hi Lucinda! My oldest (now 7th grade) only does what is required of her for Classical Writing. Which is one rewrite of a story or one rewritten poem a week. Both have her doing outlining of the model. She also does 5 minuets of copy work per day as handwriting practice. Dictation I am a huge fan of. She does 4 sentences a day from AAS and one from CW. But she is a natural speller and both are easy for her. Takes her all of about 5 mins to do all of them. She was doing pretty much the same thing in 6th. The next level CW teaches essays and is a lighter workload, so I will have her begin writing up her science work weekly, and probably add in a history assignment here are there (not sure she is ready to do both weekly). Outside of school she loves to write fiction and does so all the time for her own enjoyment. Oh and I am not changing a think for the younger kids. I think pushing too much writing just makes kids hate writing. Yes they have to learn to express their thoughts, but Jr. High is a period when they are still trying to figure out what they think. Too much just drains their brains dry, KWIM? Oh and you didn't mention analysis, but CW is also heavy on that and I am not having her do it anywhere else yet. Again I will probably alternate weeks with history, literature and maybe science. I just don't feel the need to have her do it all now and science is probably the one she would benefit from the most because she has the most problems remembering it. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dani3boys Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Could someone please tell me about WWS? I've never heard of it before. Blessings, Lucinda I think WWS is Writing With Skill. It's the next part of SWB's writing curriculum for the logic stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Some of us are beta testing SWB's middle grades writing curriculum titled Writing With SKill. She has a possible Fall publication date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlynn Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 We have found that SWB's writing mp3's were very helpful in this area. My DS does one writing assignment every day: 2 outlines a week, usually from Science, but sometimes from History. Either working on Sermon Notes from the previous Sunday or 1 literature analysis, as described by SWB, nothing earth-shattering, just making sure he got the point of the current book he's reading or a short story etc. 1 assignment from English - we use Rod & Staff and usually have one writing assignment per week 1 Journal entry..this can be whatever he wants...copywork, a description of something he learned that week or just something that happened to him, or just a made up story. He doesn't mind it or I wouldn't force a journal entry like this on him. Sometimes we throw a letter to his cousins into the mix. He prefers typing when it comes to stories, letters or lit-analysis. We don't use a separate handwriting or spelling program any longer. If his writing is sloppy, he redoes it. If he misspells a word that he should know...he writes it 20 times, if its a word he should have looked up in the dictionary, he writes it 10 times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) In grade 6, I edited for spelling, and punctuation and grammar that ds had already learned. I think I also made sure his paragraph was about one topic. It sounds like WWS has a bit more editing/teaching detail, and I can't wait for it to be published! This is where I am too, and like you -- I can't wait for WWS! As for this year, I just ordered WS7 to add to this semester's work. We did WS last year in combination with some other writing, and dd liked it. After reading through the other posts and wondering what would be good as a one semester option, I came to the idea of implementing more of the WS program. Since she has used it before I think adding it to what she's currently doing in R&S English 5 will get her more up to speed this year. Then I'd like to do WWS next year for 7th grade. {Too bad we start school in August and it is scheduled to be available in October though.) I have sure been enjoying reading all of the posts on this thread. Seems like there's a broad range of approaches to writing among us for this grade level. Blessings, Lucinda Edited January 28, 2011 by HSMom2One Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 We are using MCT's Essay Voyage this year. Ds is doing a 5-paragraph paper with bibliography on science or history every 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 When you all mention DC is writing a summary or paragraph or essay for history and science and literature, how much editing goes into it? My son is a 5th grade. WE're doing History Odyssey. The only editing we do for those narrations is spelling for common words. For writing that we're doing in Writing With Skill, we take more time discussing paragraph construction, connecting words/phrases etc. That takes more time. At the beginning of the year editing for history, science, and literature only included the basics of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Now that we are later in the year, I check for good topic sentences with supporting details that are logical in sequence. I also check content and will have her go back and make additions if I feel she left something important out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crimsonkelley Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It's official -- I'm delinquent in this department. There, I said it.Glad to see what you all are doing. I'm nowhere near that. You're not the only one! Wow - I had a panic attack when I read this thread. My daughter is in an IEW class and writes one "paper" a week - which is usually just a few paragraphs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeJM Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 You're not the only one! Wow - I had a panic attack when I read this thread. My daughter is in an IEW class and writes one "paper" a week - which is usually just a few paragraphs. Maybe only the super-high achievers answer on threads such as this, lol!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Funny...since this thread was started I made what I feel is a better choice for us than WS. I took a closer look at the writing program within TOG that I already own and realized I have a great resource already at my finger tips. I just had not used it to its full potential. It all started when I ran across two workshop audio files that I had purchased and forgotten about. (How often does that happen, friends? Sometimes we buy things and stick them away for awhile and well, "outa sight, outa mind"!) Once I listened to the audios, I pulled out the WA and TOG books and figured out how to make it all work. Now that we're in second semester, I'm increasing her writing to fit the TOG/WA model and so far, so good. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the year, but I'm still going to keep a look out for the premier of WWS. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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