Mommamia Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I just finished reading the Writing With Ease text by SWB. On page 9 and 10 she wrote..."In years 1 through 4 it's not necessary for the student to do original writing. In fact, original writing is beyond the developmental capability of many students." and "There is plenty of time for original writing as the student's mind matures." I've noticed that many homeschoolers are starting IEW and other writing programs as early as 8 yrs old. I'm a little confused by this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 We do WWE for the first few years, and then switch to IEW. IEW is not 'original writing', it is more like outlining and re-writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Here's my take, someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I've read this section a gazillion times because it goes against what I was taught as a teacher, but resonates with everything I KNOW as a teacher... She goes on to explain that with all the narrations the kids are supposed to do in reading, history, and science, plus their grammar study, they should have a firm foundation in sentence structure and conventions. You are guiding and teaching as you correct and coach their narrations. She suggests using WWE, Writing Strands, or IEW (can't remember more) only if the parent is uncomfortable teaching writing or feels like they need more structure. My take is that she doesn't believe it is necessary for kids to be forced to produce original pieces until they have developed their basic writing skills to the point that skill doesn't hinder creativity. There is no reason children should be frustrated by writing due to their lack of ability to spell or form complete sentences. That said, I have two very different children in 3rd grade. I have one who will probably spend two more years, at least, in WWE, narrations, and letters, but nothing else (no stories, etc.). I have another child who is very gifted in writing and I've been toying with adding IEW to her 4th grade schedule. She's ready for more structure and style instruction. That's my take! Kind of like math....master the concrete, give exposure to the concepts, but save the abstract until they have a solid foundation. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Thank you both. Makes perfect sense! I'm still wrapping my head around the idea of original writing vs narration writing, etc. Hmmm, because wouldn't narrations be considered original. This confuses me. :tongue_smilie: BTW-For me, in school I got all A's. I would do the work, get it right, and retain very little. Especially in English class. Sadly, grammar and such stresses me out now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Mmmm, think of it this way, if it helps... Narrations are where you (or a piece of text) are feeding the child the content and all they are doing is summarizing. Original writing is where you may give a prompt, but it's the child's responsibility to provide the content. That's how I think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) Mmmm, think of it this way, if it helps...Narrations are where you (or a piece of text) are feeding the child the content and all they are doing is summarizing. Original writing is where you may give a prompt, but it's the child's responsibility to provide the content. That's how I think of it. :iagree: I don't agree with SWB's advice not to start original writing until grade 4. Every kid is different. We do WWE for the first few years, and then switch to IEW. IEW is not 'original writing', it is more like outlining and re-writing. We skipped the KWO & the re-write portions of IEW. Dd is on IEW Unit IV (paragraph writing) after completing WWE 1, 2, 3. IEW provides style & structure -- but we tweak it to make it work for us. Dd loves the SWI-A videos taught by Andrew Pudewa. He is her absolute favorite. We are working on paragraph structure (topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, clincher) this year for grade 3. We will also use SCFES and a bit of model re-writes a la CW Aesop. As with math, I could not use just one method or curriculum. It would get too boring for us. All this to say, if your dc is confident in writing original thoughts, go ahead and put WWE aside and try sentence and paragraph writing from a prompt. Kids love writing about things they love and enjoy. Follow his/her lead. Dd did a 5 sentence paragraph this week about dinosaurs. We took it slow and worked on her topic/clincher. She thought it was fun. That is the key. My dds love writing narrations so we will continue that also. I look forward to WWS coming out in the fall. :) HTH! Edited May 20, 2011 by Beth in SW WA typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen+4dc Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My take is that she doesn't believe it is necessary for kids to be forced to produce original pieces until they have developed their basic writing skills to the point that skill doesn't hinder creativity. There is no reason children should be frustrated by writing due to their lack of ability to spell or form complete sentences. . :iagree: Every kid is different so ymmv, but I think her point (SWB) is to get the kid putting words into coherent thoughts and then coherent thoughts onto paper in a grammatically correct manner that makes sense. Those are two separate skills! I use WWE and IEW with my kids. We use WWE until they are comfortable putting their thoughts into words and putting those words on paper (doesn't matter how simple the thoughts or sentences are, just get them on paper properly). Then, we switch to IEW to help give some "style" to what they are writing. I'm very much looking forward to Writing With Skill coming out this fall!!! I'm hoping it will be a good follow-on to my reluctant writer ds who doesn't want the extras, he just wants to get it done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momoftwogirlsandtwocats Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I have been using Shurley English for my daughter for two years now. That curriculum has her writing paragraphs about various topics on a weekly basis. Do I need to enhance her writing with a specfic writing program? I have her write out her book reports in the summer (we do literature in the summer). I used a pre-formulated report book last year. Should I try to incorporate a writing program with that? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed that I will not ever be able to get everything taught that she needs to learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I just finished reading the Writing With Ease text by SWB. On page 9 and 10 she wrote..."In years 1 through 4 it's not necessary for the student to do original writing. In fact, original writing is beyond the developmental capability of many students." and "There is plenty of time for original writing as the student's mind matures." I've noticed that many homeschoolers are starting IEW and other writing programs as early as 8 yrs old. I'm a little confused by this. A few thoughts I've had. I bolded the word "many". Some kids are ready for more by third or fourth grade. Then, too, some of us get a little nervous because we have children that we are comparing to school children the same age, who are doing more creative writing and just writing more in general. Add to that that some posters have had children who are just coming out of schools, or who may have to go to school within the next few years, and they want the children to be ready for that. Not everyone who posts here is following TWTM or even trying to classically educate. I find that very confusing sometimes. I haven't used IEW, but my impression of the first 3 or 4 units of IEW is that it gives MORE handholding and produces less original writing than WWE does. With WWE the student is having to phrase and rearrange things in his own words, to synthesize what he reads and develops his own style. IEW starts with copying several words of each sentence and reproducing the original writing sentence by sentence. I understand it doesn't stay there, but my point is that in grades 2 and 3 or so, IEW and WWE seem to have the same philosophy of not requiring original writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 oops I meant to start a new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 I was considering using IEW in the next couple of years. Would WWS be used instead of IEW (ie..another choice)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Kind of like math....master the concrete, give exposure to the concepts, but save the abstract until they have a solid foundation. :iagree:Another former teacher (Lang Arts) here, agreeing whole-heartedly with this statement and SWB. Also, every child moves at a different pace. Some kids are ready for creativity IF their foundational understanding/mastery is strong. I wouldn't push this any earlier than 3rd grade, however, and even that is a stretch, imho. Fifth grade seems more appropriate to me, but waiting later may be even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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