kidsnbooks8 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I need some suggetions for a writing curriculum for a 14yo without any writing experience. Where do we start? I am not a writer so I need a lot of hand holding, so please keep that in mind. I feel really bad that we are in this position, but I need to get her up to speed. She is a nuts and bolts type of person, she does not enjoy writing or any school work for that matter, she just wants to get it done. There are other things we are beginning to work on that may help her and who knows she may eventually enjoy writing. We are going to change churches so that she can attend a youth group and get out and be with other people and do some fun activities.(something to actually write about) We are also going to start reading some books on communicating with others. This is to help her make friends and feel more comfortable. Some people just have the ability to talk to anyone, anywhere (my husband is like this, he makes "friends" wherever he goes) some of us are just not as fortunate. I figure this would be a bonding thing for her and I and hopefully we will learn some things along the way:tongue_smilie: (This should help her writing too.) We are also going to start Pre year 7 of Ambleside to read some good literature and discuss it as well. (so obviously this will help too) She has just been using textbooks and has read some things that interest her.(things like Twilight) She has recently expressed that she would like to get serious about her schooling and go onto college. She will be in 9th grade in the fall, so we only have a few months to start building a good solid foundation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I would focus on academic\non-fiction writing. There is nothing more terrifying to a non-writer than to be asked to write creatively. Have her write about history, science and literature...or even art and music if you are doing artist, composer studies. IEW TWSS (for you to learn how to facilitate and evaluate) along with SWI B or C would get her writing quickly. The SWI includes dvd instruction that will walk the student through step by step. It will start out with simply re-writing a model and move toward research reports and essays by the end of the year. Another less expensive option would be some of the Evan Moor writing workbooks. These are very basic, incremental and can be worked through fairly quickly. You would need to provide extra practice across the curricula. Here is one for nonfiction writing. A really great resource for essay writing would be this book. It is very inexpensive but very invaluable. I'm sure that others with more experience will chime in with more suggestions. The main thing, imo, is to just get her writing. Before you even get a program to help you I would start having her write brief summaries of what she is reading now in history and science. They don't have to be long. Just something like, 'write about 3 things you learned from what you read today in history'. I wouldn't even correct them at first either. Just get her used to writing about everything. Good luck in finding some resources that will work well for you and your dd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I would focus on academic\non-fiction writing. There is nothing more terrifying to a non-writer than to be asked to write creatively. Have her write about history, science and literature...or even art and music if you are doing artist, composer studies. IEW TWSS (for you to learn how to facilitate and evaluate) along with SWI B or C would get her writing quickly. The SWI includes dvd instruction that will walk the student through step by step. It will start out with simply re-writing a model and move toward research reports and essays by the end of the year. :iagree: I totally agree about IEW. It might take some getting used to, and you might need to ask questions along the way (their yahoo group is superb!) but it's the best way I know to truly learn how to teach writing. And if you buy the Student Writing Intensive someone else does the teaching for your child while you're learning from the Teaching With Structure and Style DVDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 A really great resource for essay writing would be this book. It is very inexpensive but very invaluable. I second this suggestion for Lucile Vaughan Payne's The Lively Art of Writing. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Well let's not forget about the obvious -- SWB's writing programs! (And it seems fitting since we're here as guests on her site, don't you think?) The WWE and WWS writing programs are excellent and the early levels (WWE) even come scripted for the instructor. SWB also has some great audio presentations called "A Plan for Teaching Writing" that I've gotten a lot out of. I would suggest getting all three levels to listen to so you understand her methods well. SWB has a passion for helping students learn to become good writers so that they will ultimately do well in high school and college. I've found her materials to be very user friendly, and my dd and I love using them. In fact, my dd is very adamant about using and staying this curriculum. As her parent/teacher I can see a huge difference in her writing ability since we made the change in 6th grade. There are many users here on this board that have gone through the whole series, and you could do a search for more input. I'd highly recommend that you consider these suggestions. You could start your older student at a lower level and then go on to WWS Level 1 that is brand new this year. By the time you are done, Level 2 should be ready. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) She is a nuts and bolts type of person, she does not enjoy writing or any school work for that matter, she just wants to get it done. Jensen's Format Writing is dry, but it is a straight-forward "get-her-done" kind of program that might fit with a nuts and bolts person. See samples here or here, and see Donna Young's review here and Cathy Duffy's review here. You can buy used for about half price on Amazon, or from a homeschool used curriculum site. The supplemental DVD is new, with short video tutorials to go with it (see more about it here). Jensen's covers the basic writing process, and a variety of writing encountered in real life, including business writing. The Lively Art of Writing is all about writing essays, with one chapter on the research paper. It may be too "wordy" for a nuts-and-bolts kind of person; see the samples here and here and a review here to determine for yourself if it is a fit for your family. Somewhere in between the above options is Jump In. Very gentle, written to the student. While the above two programs are definitely for high school grades, Jump In is for middle school grades. So, how much can your student write? If she is not at a solid paragraph yet, you may want to start with something at a middle school level and then move on to a high school level program. Jump In is not as "just the facts, ma'am" as Jensen's, but it is less "flowery" than Lively Art of Writing. The focus is: how to think of what to write about; how to organize your writing; and including details and examples in your paragraphs to support the topic. See samples here and Cathy Duffy's review here. And helps for you, the parent, without much background in writing: The OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue website is a great resource for the parent, with information on every topic having to do with writing, grammar, and revising. The information on essay writing at this Five Paragraph Essay website is very straightforward, with helpful tips and ideas for writing the different types of essays (narrative, persuasive, expository). And we used the past SAT essay prompts linked on this website throughout high school to help practice for the timed essay portion of the SAT. And while this program is all about literature and literary analysis, the chapter in Windows to the World on how to write a literary analysis essay was the clearest, most simple and specific instruction I've ever run across on teaching essay writing. And finally, lots of words of wisdom from BTDT moms in this past post that may help you plan your "attack" for writing in the high school years: Resources for teaching writing in high school? Don't panic -- unless your DD is actually going to attend a high school, starting 9th grade with homeschooling is a *transition*; she doesn't have to have writing completely mastered as of day 1 of 9th grade. :) BEST of luck in finding what is the best fit for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited February 10, 2012 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Another vote for IEW. I am NOT a writer - I have the math brain of the family. I was very scared of how to teach writing. BUT, IEW gets the job done. It's easy to teach using the DVDs or a themed program and easy to grade because in the themed program, they give you a list with points. Points go to each part of the essay they were supposed to complete. Yes, it can be formulaic when they're learning how to write, but eventually, you take away the what they "have" to put in the paper, and their writing naturally includes some really nice words and sentence structures. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Amanda~ Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I have no experience, but I'll tell you what I'm planning with my 12yo. I bought the main WWE book, and we are going to go through each of the 6 weeks of lesson plans in the books, to get her through the first 4. if she seems to have a struggling point, then that is the level book I will buy for the full year, and if we get through it ok, then I will obtain the WWS for next year. if that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I have no experience, but I'll tell you what I'm planning with my 12yo. I bought the main WWE book, and we are going to go through each of the 6 weeks of lesson plans in the books, to get her through the first 4. if she seems to have a struggling point, then that is the level book I will buy for the full year, and if we get through it ok, then I will obtain the WWS for next year. if that makes sense. I think this is a really smart plan, and this is what I would do. Get SWB's book/teacher manual Writing With Ease, Strong Fundamentals, and work through the level diagnostics that it includes to figure out where to start, and/or work through it quickly till you start to hit a wall, then slow down. Don't buy the student workbooks till you figure out where she should start out (if ever, you might not need them at all). Listen to the audio lecture, she really helps you think about how to teach writing, and what your goals are at this age. I'm not dissing IEW or any of the other programs mentioned - I'm not familar with them. This is just what I would do! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I would use Writing With Skill (WWS) and IEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 The Paragraph Book by EPS does a good job with struggling writers. http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/products/details.cfm?seriesonly=2671M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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