Reluctant writer-fifth grade

[Stoll6923]

My son is 11 years old, and in the fifth grade. We started Writing with Ease, book 1, when he was 8. He is now toward the end of book 3. Technically, he should be finishing book 4, and getting ready for the new Writing With Skill.

 

However, he really struggles. He hates writing of any kind, and is a poor speller. He LOVES to read, though, and understands what he reads well. He summarizes well, but has difficulty with anything involving sequence (first you do this, and then you do this, etc). He still can't remember more than half a sentence for dictation.

 

Should I be concerned at this point? How can I help his memory? Is it possible he will never be good at it? I'm sure he will survive if he never gets better at dictation, but I want him to be able to write decently! He truly hates writing of any kind. I think he needs a secretary, lol!

 

Suggestions and encouragement are welcome!:tongue_smilie:

Thanks!

[Lori D.]

My struggling writer, who also struggled terribly with spelling, really enjoyed Wordsmith Apprentice. It is written to the student; has a fun "cub reporter" theme of writing through all the departments of a newspaper; has funny one-page cartoons of the Editor in Chief introducing you to each new "department". It is very gentle, and the exercises can easily be broken into even smaller "bites" (which I did, as DS really couldn't handle writing more than about 3-5 sentences in one sitting).

 

See scope and sequence and a sample here.

 

Wordsmith Apprentice makes a very fun break from more formal writing programs. You can either take 0.5 to 1 year to do it as a temporary "spine" program, or intersperse it, say one day a week, as a fun supplement. Based on your comments, I would vote just switch to Wordsmith Apprentice for awhile, and let writing be *fun*.

 

 

re: memory

I think it is a matter of what is of interest to DC like this. I'd practice the memorization with things HE enjoys -- my DS loved memorizing crazy poems like "Jabberwocky", or the lyrics to "I Am The Very Model of Modern Major General". Memorizing math facts, a series of instructions/directions, or a sentence for dictation... not so much. For dictation, I wouldn't worry about it -- the point is the writing/spelling of it, not how much can he memorize. For memorizing important facts and information (like math facts), try Dianne Craft's techniques for visual-spatial learners (have DS draw exotic pictures with the math fact, spelling words, or whatever the info that needs to be remembered embedded into the drawing; tape it on the wall above eye-level; have him keep his head level, but his eyes look up at the drawing and really absorb it; the picture and information go straight into long-term memory in the right-hemisphere of the brain, where they can also be recalled easily because the info is now highly visual). Dianne Craft's writing 8s exercise also helped writing become less of a horror for our DS.

 

For practicing sequence, I found it helped to start the day with a sort of silly variation of "Simon Says" -- I said one to DS, then he said one to me. Each of you take 2-3 turns. Start with just 2 directions; next turn move to 3 directions, etc. Example: "First, stand on one foot; then put your hand on your head; last, sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Another game for practicing memory and sequencing is "My Aunt Came Back from Old Japan". First person says, "My Aunt came back from Kalamazoo, and she brought back a _____________ for me and you." The second person says the same thing, filling in the blank with what the first person said, and then adding a new thing. The next person must remember the two items in order, and then add a third thing. See how many items you can remember in order.

 

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your DS! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Lori D.

[Mesa]

I'm dealing with the same issue in my 5th grader. I stumbled upon a post here talking about Imitations in Writing.. So I looked it up.

It looks like something my son will actually like. I also pulled our Writing Strands book off the bookshelf and dusted it off lol. It wasn't a good fit for my son in the 3rd grade but I think he's ready to try it out now.. In the 5th grade. He has ASD so language in any form is a real struggle for him.

[Crimson Wife]

However, he really struggles. He hates writing of any kind, and is a poor speller. He LOVES to read, though, and understands what he reads well. He summarizes well, but has difficulty with anything involving sequence (first you do this, and then you do this, etc). He still can't remember more than half a sentence for dictation.

 

I would suggest taking him to an audiologist who specializes in testing for Central Auditory Processing Disorder. My oldest DD has many of the issues you mentioned (though she is a good speller but a poor summarizer). The AudD. thinks she may have the type of CAPD that causes problems with sequencing and also she tested low on following a conversation in the presence of background noise.

 

The Aud.D. wanted to DD to do some follow-up testing but then my youngest got diagnosed with autism so oldest DD's testing got put on the back burner.