writing programs

[Truscifi]

I am just starting to look at writing programs for ds8. He is an advanced reader, but has never liked writing. Part of it is the physical act of writing - he does a lot better when he is allowed to type something. He is currently writing 6-8 sentence narrations in history, usually with no prompting though he occasionally needs help. He is also learning to write short poems from using the Grammar Island program. I have looked at a few intro writing programs but I can't get a sense of how they would match up with where he is now. I would love some feedback from someone who has BTDT.

 

Thanks!

[Truscifi]

Anyone? :bigear:

[GypsieFamily]

My 10yo son is an advanced reader, and loves reading, but hates to write. Actually, he acts like he has a pencil allergy.

 

He does really well with Classical Writing, and he does better if I let him type it sometimes rather than always handwriting it.

[Mrs Twain]

Are you looking for something to fit into the "classical" or CM philosophy of teaching writing, or are you looking for a more traditional writing program? Or do you want to use both/combine philosophies? I think that is the most important decision to make first. Then you can narrow down your choices to see what would fit best for your situation.

[*Inna*]

:bigear:

[Truscifi]

Are you looking for something to fit into the "classical" or CM philosophy of teaching writing, or are you looking for a more traditional writing program? Or do you want to use both/combine philosophies? I think that is the most important decision to make first. Then you can narrow down your choices to see what would fit best for your situation.

 

What is the difference between classical and traditional ways of teaching writing? And can you give me an example of a curriculum that teaches in each way so I can go check it out? (I do better if I can see the example for myself.)

 

Also, we have taken 2 years to finish MCT Grammar level, and are planning to move into Town level next year. I have heard some people use it for writing as well as general language arts, but I'm not sure how much actual writing instruction it has.

[Mrs Twain]

What is the difference between classical and traditional ways of teaching writing? And can you give me an example of a curriculum that teaches in each way so I can go check it out? (I do better if I can see the example for myself.)

 

Also, we have taken 2 years to finish MCT Grammar level, and are planning to move into Town level next year. I have heard some people use it for writing as well as general language arts, but I'm not sure how much actual writing instruction it has.

 

I am no expert in this subject, and I hope others will chime in to answer these questions.

 

The end goals are basically the same for the various philosophies of teaching writing, but the methods for getting there are quite different. CM and Classical expose the child to excellent literature from a young age through reading aloud to them. When they are old enough to read and write, children start writing by doing copywork and dictation, as well as doing narrations of passages which are read aloud to them. Narrations, listening and copying examples of good writing. along with explanation as they go along, will eventually help children to produce quality writing themselves. Writing With Ease is probably the most popular classical writing program used by people on this forum, but there are many others.

 

Tradional writing programs generally have a systematic scope and sequence for teaching writing skills and methods. From early ages, children write original sentences, journal entries, and creative writing assignments/stories. Children progress to learning how to write a paragraph, and then to multiple paragraph reports and stories at a younger age than what is generally done in CM or classical writing. Winning With Writing is a good example of a traditional writing program with which I am familiar, but there are many others. Any Child Can Write (Harvey Wiener) is a good book about how parents can teach their children to write using the traditional model.

 

I am not sure where IEW falls, but it seems sort of middle of the road, incorporating elements of both philosophies.

 

This is my basic understanding. My apologies if this is a simplistic explanation. My personal preference is to use a combination of resources for teaching writing. I use WWE once or twice per week along IEW and Winning With Writing.

[Pen]

I am just starting to look at writing programs for ds8. He is an advanced reader, but has never liked writing. Part of it is the physical act of writing - he does a lot better when he is allowed to type something. He is currently writing 6-8 sentence narrations in history, usually with no prompting though he occasionally needs help. He is also learning to write short poems from using the Grammar Island program. I have looked at a few intro writing programs but I can't get a sense of how they would match up with where he is now. I would love some feedback from someone who has BTDT.

 

Thanks!

 

He'd probably like IEW, which agrees that children should be allowed (encouraged!) to learn to type and to type their work so that more revision can be done without having to physically rewrite everything.

 

Or he might like Brave Writer, which has more to do with trying to promote freedom in writing.

 

Both together is perfectly possible.

 

WWE uses narrations and dictations and so on, but he may already be doing what it does, and it may be that he would enjoy that less.

[Truscifi]

I thikn thus far we have been following a more classical approach, with read alouds, dictation (we haven't done that this year since he is doing a lot more narrations) and the narrations. I think he is ready to move into writing original sentences, since we have done some original poems and similes in MCT Building Language. He does compose his own sentences for his narrations but it is his own understanding of what he read, not like making up an original story. I have also been working with him on logical paragraph structure, though so far he has only really gotten the introductory sentence down. I would like something that will lead him into better paragraph writing and start to introduce original composition as well. Is there a single program that does both, or do I need 2 programs?