JABarney Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I am looking for feedback on this; in particular regarding if he appears to be on track for a homeschooler following WTM style education. (NOT public school standards) We are on week 8 of WWE 4 after realizing that we needed extra work on narrations prior to starting WWS 1. So we are doing the narrations only and with the prompting questions, making some light 'notes' together, then finally having him write down the sentences that he has narrated to me orally; lot's of 'chunking' it down right now! Here is today's exercise as exactly written by him: The last sentence he added on his own as a surprise for me. Mars and Earth are similar because they have seasons, and have water. They are different because on Mars all the water is frozen, and Mars is farther away from the sun. Scientists thought there is (or was) life on Mars because it has traces of water, carbon dioxide, and oxegin. Now we know there is no life on Mars because of the pictures sent back by Mars rovers. However, scientists are doing tests to see if even bacteria can be liveing on Mars. Note: We are also lightly using Killgallon and if I were to continue to edit this with him one thing I would consider asking is if there were a ways to combine any sentences into one. However, I do not want to push too hard as we finally seem to be at a pace/level where there is very little complaining! So, how does this compare? Behind, on track, ahead? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Are you planning to move through WWE4 entirely before starting WWS? Can you share how you would evaluate whether the move would be advantageous? I am also debating whether to move my dd9 quickly through WWE4 or not. I've heard here that the jump from WWE4 to WWS is rather large. Can anyone address the difference between levels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 my 9 yo cant come close to that. But he has been late to speak, late to read and late to write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JABarney Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Are you planning to move through WWE4 entirely before starting WWS? Can you share how you would evaluate whether the move would be advantageous? I am also debating whether to move my dd9 quickly through WWE4 or not. I've heard here that the jump from WWE4 to WWS is rather large. Can anyone address the difference between levels? My current plan is to move to WWS when he can independently write a short (3-5 sentence) summary of a brief passage. So if it takes the whole book, that is ok with me. I do believe in getting the foundations strong before moving on like in other subjects such as math; otherwise we will be setting ourselves up for a tougher road later on. I need to read through WWS a bit more, (looks fantastic though!!) but I want to make sure that frustration is kept to a minimum while still challenging him to grow in his writing. My problem is that I feel like I have nothing to compare my dc's writing to, (what 'should' their writing look like at this age/stage; or what is 'within normal limits' LOL!) Regarding the examples provided for in WWE, it seems we hardly ever come close to those! If other peoples dc are able to narrate like those examples, without asking/answering the prompting questions, then we are certainly behind or missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JABarney Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 my 9 yo cant come close to that. But he has been late to speak, late to read and late to write. I am homeschooling twins and I find that even though they are working on the same curriculum, they each develop the cognitive skills to allow them to do the work (any work) at their own unique pace. I have learned to trust that like the curve on the pediatricians growth chart, they will each continue on their personal curve with regards to academics. When something was amiss, or they are off their curve, we investigate and get the extra support if needed. Similar to learning about child development, I would like to learn what the norm is, developmentally, for children learning to write. Ie; expecting a first grader to always remember to capitalize the first letter of a sentence and end with a punctuation mark is not developmentally appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I am sorry I didn't comment on your son's writing earlier. I am also new to evaluating writing and I was hoping others would chime in before I did. I thought he did a great job; he was very clear about the topic and gave detailed examples. There were a few minor spelling errors. I can't see the piece right at the moment so my critique is limited. I have been looking through WWS as well and I agree, it does look wonderful, however I am not sure my dd9 would enjoy learning to outline right now. I think we will just stick with WWE4 and work on a firm foundation, as you had mentioned. I have decided to adjust the program slightly (dictation 1x per week and allow the option of writing longer pieces). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlcc Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I too think your son's summary was great. However, I am a newbie with the writing process, so I may not be qualified to critique. The similarities and differences he wrote about Mars and the Earth were a good idea. We are also using Killgallon. My son can correctly pattern/rearrange the imitation sentences after the model sentence, but carrying the process over to his narrations is another matter. How do your son and daughter compare in their writing? Oh, and have you seen 8filltheheart's writing posts (#33 and #34) in this thread? I know I link them way too often, but I can't resist. They have fabulous advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 After the time I had this morning getting my 9 year old 4th grader to write 4 sentences on what he likes about Halloween.....I think it's great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 i think it is great! it would take my son (8 1/2 in grade 3) an entire week to write that much!! so from my POV, it is definitely very good!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Mars and Earth are similar because they have seasons, and have water. They are different because on Mars all the water is frozen, and Mars is farther away from the sun. Scientists thought there is (or was) life on Mars because it has traces of water, carbon dioxide, and oxegin. Now we know there is no life on Mars because of the pictures sent back by Mars rovers. However, scientists are doing tests to see if even bacteria can be liveing on Mars. I also have a 9 yro son and that looks exactly like his writing. My son doesn't normally misspell words, but his handwriting is atrocious (and I mean horrrrrible). Your son did a good job with the commas, BTW. Very good!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebacabunch Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 It is well written for his age. Seriously! Remember that wws is meant to be an independent curriculum for middle school kids. Your ds wouldn't be behind if he started wws 2 or 3 years from now. I know a lot of folks are pushing the wws younger, but I don't think that is what swb had in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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