Suggestions for a writing program for 2nd grade.

[RobinF]

I am planning for next year and am looking for a writing program for my 2nd grader who is a reluctant writer. He has a vivid imagination but his fine motor skills are not great. So the act of writing is hard for him.

 

The older boys are going to be using CQLA but I am going to wait and start him in 3rd grade.

 

So is there a good stand alone writing program to use for one year. We have tried WWE and didn't love it and currently have level three and four so I don't want to rebuy level 2.

 

I have Writing Aids from TOG but need more hand holding on writing than they offer.

 

Suggestions?

[boscopup]

I would recommend listening to the teaching writing in the elementary years audio lecture found on the PHP site. You could implement the ideas of WWE without purchasing the book again. While copywork, narration, and dictation aren't the most exciting thing in the world, they are fabulous for getting a reluctant writer the skills needed to come up with good thoughts and put those thoughts on paper.

 

Later when he's not reluctant to do the physical act of writing, he'll probably creatively write on his own.

[RobinF]

I would recommend listening to the teaching writing in the elementary years audio lecture found on the PHP site. You could implement the ideas of WWE without purchasing the book again. While copywork, narration, and dictation aren't the most exciting thing in the world, they are fabulous for getting a reluctant writer the skills needed to come up with good thoughts and put those thoughts on paper.

 

Later when he's not reluctant to do the physical act of writing, he'll probably creatively write on his own.

 

He is reluctant because of his skills but he is extremely creative. I guess I am reluctant to use a program which we have tried (2x) and not found to be what we need. I want to get him past the point of dreading writing and I think we need something fun for now.

[mrs.m]

He is reluctant because of his skills but he is extremely creative. I guess I am reluctant to use a program which we have tried (2x) and not found to be what we need. I want to get him past the point of dreading writing and I think we need something fun for now.

 

Why not be his scribe using some fun and creative writing prompts and then let him copy the words you have written for him? I do this for my DS's creative writing assignments from CLE. It is the same thing as writing it himself he just isn't developing bad habits and frustration from not having the physical writing and spelling skills.

[boscopup]

He is reluctant because of his skills but he is extremely creative. I guess I am reluctant to use a program which we have tried (2x) and not found to be what we need. I want to get him past the point of dreading writing and I think we need something fun for now.

 

It sounds like you're trying to put separate skills together before he is ready. That's why I suggested listening to the audio lecture, so you'll understand *why* she has you working on those skills. Yes, they seem boring until you realize there is a real purpose! :)

 

If you assign creative writing when he is having trouble physically writing, you're just going to make him hate writing altogether. So why not work on the skills separately? As a PP mentions, you can scribe for him if he wants to write creatively (if he doesn't want to, I wouldn't push it). Separate the skills from each other. Work on the physical act of writing separately from the act of coming up with something to write and separately from the act of holding a thought in the head to put it onto paper. Copywork teaches them to physically put words on paper. Narration (done orally at first - you scribe if anything is put onto paper, though not every narration must be written down) teaches coming up with a thought. Dictation teaches holding a thought in the head long enough to write it down. You start with copywork and narrations (orally) and then move into copying those narrations and dictation. Eventually you put them all together once the skills have been mastered by themselves.

 

I would advise against forcing him to do creative writing if the physical act of writing is difficult for him. My first grader's school did those journals that schools all do these days. He came home with a folder full of writing prompts that he had copied, but he hadn't put anything after the prompts. He wasn't physically or developmentally ready for that type of work, and frankly, it just made him MORE pencil phobic. Now he's doing copywork and oral narration, and I can see the creativity coming out more because he knows that he doesn't have to worry about writing down those thoughts when he's not ready to do that himself yet. His physical writing skills are improving greatly too, because we're working on those skills by themselves, at a developmentally appropriate pace.

 

Creative writing just isn't "fun" for a kid that physically has difficulty writing. You gotta get past the physical issue first. I won't be surprised if my son starts writing fun, creative stories later on. It might be late elementary or early middle school before it happens, but I'm sure it will eventually. But right now? It would be torture to make him write creatively. He needs to work on the separate skills involved with writing, and then when those skills start to be put together (closer to 3rd grade), he'll probably have a lot more confidence and maybe be ready to do a tiny bit of creative writing (if he wants!). But at this point, it would be torture to have him do that, without me scribing for him (which again, is perfectly ok!).

 

Hopefully I'm making some sense here. :)

[peacefully]

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