Recommendations for writing

[sheryl]

While it's true my dd is just starting 8th grade, I realize I need to ask here, on the high school group, what writing program you would recommend.

 

I've ALWAYS used Abeka LA and now Grammar and Compoition II. I think Abeka has the best Grammar program. I was using writing with her and then her seizure hit. We've played catch up for some time, but in the process of her "healing process" which took years, I pushed writing to the back burner.

 

Even though she is a B+ student, she struggles with writing. From Abeka I switched to Write Shop and Wordsmith. She likes neither of them. Really she doesn't like writing at all. That may be in part to having stopped teaching her the writing process because it was not a priority. It was all I could do to help her finish her other subjects: math, language, science, history, spelling/vocab.

 

OK, bear with me. Should I go back to 5th grade Abeka writing and start with/review the basics? Or, should I move into another program? Which one? I need to get a handle on this as she WILL be entering high school as a rising 9th grader this time next year.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS? SUGGESTIONS? PLEASE........

 

:bigear:

 

Thanks!

 

PS...She is doing well and being weaned from her meds....that will only help.

[sheryl]

:bigear:

[Michelle in MO]

While it's true my dd is just starting 8th grade, I realize I need to ask here, on the high school group, what writing program you would recommend.

 

I've ALWAYS used Abeka LA and now Grammar and Compoition II. I think Abeka has the best Grammar program. I was using writing with her and then her seizure hit. We've played catch up for some time, but in the process of her "healing process" which took years, I pushed writing to the back burner.

 

Even though she is a B+ student, she struggles with writing. From Abeka I switched to Write Shop and Wordsmith. She likes neither of them. Really she doesn't like writing at all. That may be in part to having stopped teaching her the writing process because it was not a priority. It was all I could do to help her finish her other subjects: math, language, science, history, spelling/vocab.

 

OK, bear with me. Should I go back to 5th grade Abeka writing and start with/review the basics? Or, should I move into another program? Which one? I need to get a handle on this as she WILL be entering high school as a rising 9th grader this time next year.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS? SUGGESTIONS? PLEASE........

 

:bigear:

 

Thanks!

 

PS...She is doing well and being weaned from her meds....that will only help.

 

 

When we were homeschooling, we used Abeka for grammar--partly because I liked it, and partly because it was recommended in the first edition of TWTM. In the second edition of TWTM, SWB recommends R&S, and if I were to have the opportunity to homeschool all over again, I would use that.

 

Nevertheless, Abeka's grammar program is still good and worth using. However, I never really liked their writing program--and for a long time it was hard to me to articulate why. First of all, the writing in the earlier grammar books is not good, in my opinion. Not to squash creativity, but I don't fully agree with their emphasis on creative writing in those years. I think children need models of good writing at first rather than on trying to write creativity. Not all children will be creative writers, but I believe most children can become competent writers.

 

With my own girls, I began by following the recommendations in TWTM: first we did copywork and I wrote down their narrations, then we did dictation. Then I used a variety of books, but eventually settled on using Classical Writing and other forms of the progymnasmata. I'm not certain that I always knew what I was doing, but I believe that I do have the ability to distinguish between good writing and poor writing. So, I always corrected their papers and reviewed these with them carefully. If their grammar was incorrect, I corrected it; if their logic didn't flow, I pointed this out to them.

 

When they got older (i.e., 7th through 10th grades), we started reading the Great Books and I assigned essay topics for them to write. I also used Cindy Marsch's Writing Assessment Services with them for about a year. I also bought a series of creative writing books for my oldest daughter, and she and my middle daughter just ate them up. (Now, I think that this book is a better choice.) We sent them to a couple of summer camps for creative writing, and they spent much of their spare time that summer reading and reviewing each other's short stories.

 

I am pleased to say that my older two girls, in particular, are very good writers--but I think we kind of "stumbled" upon the right path rather than having a clear course to follow. We still edit one another's papers, offering suggestions and tips. My oldest is now a junior, majoring in English education with a creative writing minor.

 

I'm not familiar with the newer programs, such as SWB's series--although I've read glowing reviews. My best advice would be to focus on teaching them how to write proficiently rather than creatively (which is one of the focal points of Abeka). Also, when it comes to research papers, my experience has been that the way Abeka's curriculum is set up doesn't really allow for enough serious research and reflection, and in some ways the focus on teaching them to write research papers is too soon. The ability to write a good thesis statement and write a research paper with a genuine thesis is linked to their brain growth. Kids in the logic stage are at the cusp of beginning to understand and know what they think, but they don't always know or understand why they believe what they think they believe. I found that lots of dialogue and discussion about topics and papers in general can really help a child sharpen their thinking skills, which I believe will translate (hopefully) into good writing. Discussions over the dinner table can aide them as they start the writing process.

 

I'm not sure if I've been much help or have rambled on too long. But, I would choose a good quality program, such as WWE or Classical Writing or IEW and just keep honing those writing skills, working continually on grammar, challenging their logic and thinking as they write. Programs like CW and IEW can give you the form--and once you have the form, you can begin to deviate from that as they become better writers.

 

I hope this makes sense. :)

Edited September 11, 2012 by Michelle in MO

[BibleBeltCatholicMom]

I"m not familiar with the programs you've done so I can't tell what her/your experience is like.

 

Having said that, I really like Lively Art of Writing for 8th grade. I think it's the time to really nail down the essay so that, instead of continuing to learn to write them in high school, the student is ready to just write . . . across the curriculum.

 

LAoW really seems to be the book for that. She deconstructs the essay and teaches it really well and succinctly. We really just love it.

 

Now, we never use the author's writing topics. Honestly I can't even understand why she puts them b/c she admonishes the students to write about what they know and what they care about. In our case that is NOT silverware or drag racing. By the way, that is my o.n.l.y complaint: she assigns lame topics.

 

My daughter usually chooses her own topics for each chapter (or chapter segment). She has written about . . . camping, family rules, a recent experience, whether "freak shows" honor God's creation, et c.

 

For a few more comments I made about LAoW (and some negative ones) see this thread.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=429005

 

I think you have to read all the way to the end to see all my comments.

 

hth!