I'm having a little panic attack about writing.

[chai]

Every time I think I have a plan in place, my dd throws me for a loop. I desperately need some advice and clear thinking in the area of English and writing.

 

Some background: My dd is very advanced in language arts. She has already scored a near-perfect score on the ACT in English and reading. We have used Classical Writing since second grade and I have been very pleased with the rigor of the program. I had planned moving into CW Herodotus this fall along with Intermediate Poetry. (We had Poetry scheduled for this year and never got around to it.) I also have scheduled LLfLotR for this fall--she has just become a huge LotR fan and is super-excited about it. She is a good writer when she wants to be. She needs some work on essay-style writing though. She hates writing reports.

 

Here's my current plan for 8/9th grade. (I may use these as high school credit.) I think it is too much.

 

LLfLotR with all unit studies and reading Biography of Tolkien, portions of Canterbury Tales, MacBeth, Beowulf, The Tempest, The Once and Future King, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

 

CW Herodotus and Intermediate Poetry

Traditional Logic (scheduled in CW Herodotus)

Teaching Company Middle Ages Videos along with time line.

Life of Fred Advanced Algebra with Khan Academy

Exploring Education Physics

Third Form Latin

Spanish II with tutor

Graphic Design and Photoshop at Co-op (2x week)

Yearbook at Co-op (2x week)

Drama at Co-op (1x week)

Riding and volunteering at horse rescue ranch (3x week) --another love

Performance choir (2x week plus performances)

 

Here's my dilemma: DD wants to work on her novel and write poetry. She has been writing her novel over the past year. She is passionate and wants to publish it for her friends. Today, she handed me some poems/songs that she has written. They are really good! I realized that her skills are beyond me in the area of creative writing and I don't know what to do about it. I'm thinking about pushing CW Herodotus and Traditional Logic off until next year and finding a tutor for creative writing/poetry. If this is just a phase, she can do it to her heart's content with some guidance. On the other hand, this could be a career-starter for her.

 

Help! I'm feeling a little panicky about this and I never panic!

[TammyS]

She didn't get to be a good writer by accident. She got that way because you've been teaching her! I wouldn't stop teaching. Probably, what I would do, is this:

 

Have her work through Herodotus, doing only the language arts type assignments and the logic. Skip the writing assignments and sub in hers instead. Maybe go through the book and pick out a handful of writing assignments for her to do (ideally ones that are more argumentative, rather than merely reporterly), just so she keeps up and works on her essay writing skills.

 

Two caveats:

 

1.At some point, she will HAVE to get good at essay writing, even if she hates it. If she goes to college, a lot of her work will be evaluated in essay form. Even if she doesn't, life calls for the ability to write cogently on topics that you believe to be important, at least from time to time. So, essays must be done. Before you toss everything, you better figure when she will develop this skill.

 

2.Putting the writing that she loves in her school work could, possibly, cause her to hate the writing, if she associates it negatively with her schoolwork. That's a matter of prudence based on what you know about your daughter and her emotional relationship to her schoolwork.

[1Togo]

Since your daughter is just in 9th grade, why don't you begin the year with a review of the modern essay writing at the end of CW Maxim and Chreia? There is plenty there for review. Your daughter could work on mastering those forms since she hasn't done that as yet. Then work on Literary Lessons... and the creative writing that she wants to do. Save Herodotus for 10th grade. We will be working on Herodotus about mid-year, and I don't see picking and choosing with that text. It's point A to B, at least in my mind. Also, the corresponding reading in Herodotus is significant. This seems like a perfect time for your daughter to explore her passion with creative writing and Tolkein. Btw, it's normal to dislike writing reports. They are boring!

[chai]

She didn't get to be a good writer by accident. She got that way because you've been teaching her! I wouldn't stop teaching. Thank you for the vote of confidence! I feel somewhat able to help her with writing fundamentals, but creative writing has me running scared! Probably, what I would do, is this:

 

Have her work through Herodotus, doing only the language arts type assignments and the logic. Skip the writing assignments and sub in hers instead. Maybe go through the book and pick out a handful of writing assignments for her to do (ideally ones that are more argumentative, rather than merely reporterly), just so she keeps up and works on her essay writing skills. I'm not sure that I want to skip parts of Herodotus--the program is so meaty that I want to do it right.

 

Two caveats:

 

1.At some point, she will HAVE to get good at essay writing, even if she hates it. If she goes to college, a lot of her work will be evaluated in essay form. Even if she doesn't, life calls for the ability to write cogently on topics that you believe to be important, at least from time to time. So, essays must be done. Before you toss everything, you better figure when she will develop this skill. I totally agree. There is some writing in LLfLotR and I know that I could add in essay-type assignments. I keep telling her that she doesn't get to skip this no matter what she thinks of it. The trick is getting her best work instead of just good enough.

 

2.Putting the writing that she loves in her school work could, possibly, cause her to hate the writing, if she associates it negatively with her schoolwork. That's a matter of prudence based on what you know about your daughter and her emotional relationship to her schoolwork.

Up until now, this has been my philosophy. I let this be something she does on her own. However, I think that she has enough talent to take it much further. I've thrown out the idea of a tutor/mentor. She seems to like the idea in theory, but sometimes reality is a bit different.

[chai]

Since your daughter is just in 9th grade, why don't you begin the year with a review of the modern essay writing at the end of CW Maxim and Chreia? There is plenty there for review. Your daughter could work on mastering those forms since she hasn't done that as yet. Then work on Literary Lessons... and the creative writing that she wants to do. Save Herodotus for 10th grade. We will be working on Herodotus about mid-year, and I don't see picking and choosing with that text. It's point A to B, at least in my mind. Also, the corresponding reading in Herodotus is significant. This seems like a perfect time for your daughter to explore her passion with creative writing and Tolkein. Btw, it's normal to dislike writing reports. They are boring!

 

I think that this a great idea. It just messes up my plans. :tongue_smilie: It's nice to hear from someone who knows CW. Herodotus is in the mail and I will be able to look at it soon. I have not made her write any real research reports. When she had to write one for a science class last year, she had no idea how to cite references. Oops! On the other hand, I don't think there is anything too tricky about them--good grammar and sentence fundamentals will get you a long way.