When did your dc write across the curriculum?

[FairProspects]

Yesterday ds did cursive penmanship practice (1 sheet), wrote 1 short sentence and 2 phrases from dictation in spelling, did a copywork sentence in grammar, completed a math worksheet, and re-wrote his narration from SOTW (also 1 sentence, although a longer one). By history, I was really getting the whining and hand-hurting comments. Mapping was a joke because he said his hand was too tired.

 

I thought the implication from WTM was that WWE only had students write a sentence or so, but that they were also writing in their other subjects? But then IIRC, Valley Forge participants came home and dropped some writing. Did SWB address this issue at that conference?

 

When can you expect dc to write across the curriculum? How much writing am I actually working towards here? Am I being reasonable or does it not matter since ds's hand hurting is the definitive measure for too much? Do others deal with this and how have you handled it?

[go_go_gadget]

All of that sounds appropriate, so I'm wondering if perhaps your DS had a long summer break and may need to build his hand strength back up, or if he doesn't get enough of a break between subjects. My second grader does about the same, but we almost always finish our last few subjects after lunch and our afternoon quiet time, so there's about a three-hour break between the morning and afternoon sessions. We didn't take the summer off entirely but spent the summer focused on reading and math, and he did need a few weeks to build his hand strength up again when we resumed a normal subject load.

[Miss Tick]

If you are struggling, you might try suspending penmanship for a while (or do it on days with less other writing), and just "practice" with copywork.

 

Once mine started writing in other subjects I stopped penmanship practice. I get better looking results when they don't have to do quite as much. Next year I hope to start cursive and reintroduce practicing writing just for practicing writing's sake.

[boscopup]

How long is the handwriting sheet? In first grade, my son couldn't do a whole page of handwriting and then do other stuff. In fact, this week, we're doing the cursive writing workbook, but doing just ONE LINE. We do the letter in salt, then do the letter on paper. This went well yesterday.

 

Our first grade writing entailed:

 

WWE1 copywork (3 sentences per week) - this doubled as "handwriting" for us

WWE1 oral narrations (2 per week)

SOTW oral narrations (3 per week - I did not have him copy these)

AAS dictation (10 words, 2-3 sentences... all done on the white board so it was way easier)

Bible oral narrations (5 per week - no writing)

 

Then he also wrote his math, though I don't assign all the problems.

 

This year in second grade so far we are doing:

 

GDI cursive italic workbook (5 days per week - currently doing one line at a time)

WWE2 copywork/dictation (3 days per week... sometimes 1 sentence, sometimes 2 short sentences in a day)

WWE2 oral narrations (2 per week... one of these he gets one sentence back as dictation included in the above)

SOTW oral narrations (3 per week - still not having him copy them yet)

Wheeler's Elementary Speller (5 days per week - days vary, so some are 16 words, some are 2 long sentences or 4 lines of a poem - either copywork, dictation, or writing from memory)

FLL3 worksheets - this is usually a few words here and there - nothing major. We don't do the optional dictation since we have dictation in WWE. We do the non-optional dictation.

BJU Science 3 workbook - this is fill in the blank a couple times a week... probably writing 10 words maybe?

 

Later in the year, I'll probably start dictating some of his SOTW narration sentences and maybe have him writing one sentence himself by the end of the year?

 

Listening to SWB's lectures, I did not get the impression that you needed to do physical writing across curriculum everyday for a first grader if you're doing WWE also, but I could be wrong. It's been a while since I listened to her lecture. I should probably pull it back out. :D I know she does say that if the child is saying their hand is about to fall off, it really is about to fall off. :tongue_smilie:

 

You might try doing some of the non-handwriting/composition subject writing on the white board instead of paper and pencil. Save the hand for the writing subjects, and gradually build up his strength. And yes, if he hasn't been writing much over the summer, I'd back waaaaaay off and build it back up to where you think he should be.

[FairProspects]

How long is the handwriting sheet? In first grade, my son couldn't do a whole page of handwriting and then do other stuff. In fact, this week, we're doing the cursive writing workbook, but doing just ONE LINE. We do the letter in salt, then do the letter on paper. This went well yesterday.

 

 

You might try doing some of the non-handwriting/composition subject writing on the white board instead of paper and pencil. Save the hand for the writing subjects, and gradually build up his strength. And yes, if he hasn't been writing much over the summer, I'd back waaaaaay off and build it back up to where you think he should be.

 

Well, the penmanship is only 2 lines of copying E, one lowercase and one uppercase, so I didn't think it was a lot. As far as the white board, his OT doesn't want him using it because the feel and sensory motor planning is too different. He has been writing all summer so taking a break isn't really the issue. I could just use SOTW as an oral narration I guess but I keep trying to take the next step and it just never works. :banghead: I swear he will be graduated and not able to write a paragraph by hand!

Edited September 7, 2011 by FairProspects

[dcjlkplus3]

For first grade we do:

 

SOTW - I write their narrations

WWE - They do the copywork and I write the narrations.

Handwriting - everyday

CBS - 1/2 page lesson, fill-in type, some sentences - they do the writing - copy their answers fromthe board

FLL - very little writing in year 1

Science - if it is writing intesive I will help, usually have picture option as well (myds's (6.5) hands are NEVER too tired to draw!

no spelling in 1st grade

[boscopup]

Well, the penmanship is only 2 lines of copying E, one lowercase and one uppercase, so I didn't think it was a lot.

 

Ok, that doesn't sound too horrible. :)

 

As far as the white board, his OT doesn't want him using it because the feel and sensory motor planning is too different.

I think that may be why it worked well for us. :lol: But you should probably listen to your OT. I wouldn't want to mess up the work you've done there, ya know? Have you talked to the OT about how much you're doing?

 

He has been writing all summer so taking a break isn't really the issue. I could just use SOTW as an oral narration I guess but I keep trying to take the next step and it just never works. :banghead: I swear he will be graduated and not able to write a paragraph by hand!

:grouphug: Think back to where he was a year ago. How big a change is it? I mean, what you just posted is quite a bit of writing. So think back one year and compare the two. Progress? Huge progress? I'll bet it is. In another year, you'll have another leap forward. He still has plenty of time to learn to write paragraphs. He doesn't need to be able to do it in first grade. Just continue nibbling it to death by ducks, and he will be writing well before he graduates (or you'll at least switch to typing for the logic stage :lol:).

 

By the END of first grade, my DS1 was finally able to copy a 3 sentence paragraph in one sitting. That was after working for months and months, gradually building him up. By the end of first grade, I'll bet your son will be able to do it too. What he's doing now, I don't think my son could have handled at the beginning of first grade. :)

[FairProspects]

The problem is the classic input/output mismatch. Cognitively, he is ready to be coming up with and writing his own narration, but his fingers aren't ready to write it down. I'm just having a heck of a day today...

[boscopup]

The problem is the classic input/output mismatch. Cognitively, he is ready to be coming up with and writing his own narration, but his fingers aren't ready to write it down. I'm just having a heck of a day today...

 

Same place here. Narrations are excellent. I wouldn't dare have him write it down himself yet. We'll get there! :D

[Mommy22alyns]

Becca was never pencil-phobic, but in first grade, I wrote her SOTW narrations for her.