mom31257 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 do you usually have the student pick? Dd is driving me crazy when she has to pick topics for writing papers. She is quite a perfectionist with writing, and when it comes to something that will be her opinion, she just shuts down. I don't mind assigning topics, but I want to give her the skills she needs to be able to pick her own. She really thinks she will bomb writing on the SAT because she is convinced she can't write on a random topic without prior knowledge. I think she should just put the thoughts on paper, even if they are cliche and not her own personal opinions, but that is abhorrent to her. I've told her the SAT writing will not be a test of character, it's just about being able to put coherent sentences on paper in an orderly, well-thought out manner. Any suggestions on helping my moody, hormonal, teen dd who is still in the 14 year old to 16 year old pit I've read about? TIA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TippyCanoe Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Your thoughtful, perfectionistic dd is right: it's impossible to write a GOOD paper on a random topic you don't have any knowledge about. And you're right, that's not what the essay exam is about. It's about a slicked up, simplified set of conventions that you have to demonstrate you can throw out at a moment's notice. I introduced timed essay writing to my daughter as an academic game, which has certain approved "moves." I carefully distinguished it from real world writing or writing for classes where you are being asked to write about specific knowledge, understanding of connections or themes, etc. We talked about the moves and the general structure the graders would be expecting. We talked about how to generate sub-topics or points she could make up data to fit. The only way my honest, thoughtful child would accept this was in the form of a game, understanding that it was completely separate from her ideas about what makes a truly good essay outside the artificial world of the timed test. For my literarily inclined, perfectionistic dd, talking about the timed essay exam as a game freed her up from the anxiety and need to produce something she felt met her own standards of good writing and proof of understanding. She went on to have enormous fun in the two timed essay tests she had to take, and scored the highest possible score. I have no idea if your child would respond to this approach, but i thought I'd throw it out there for what it's worth. Thanks for the input! I will try that approach with the timed writing prompts. Do you assign topics when you have her write in subjects such as history or literature, or does she pick her own? Dd is struggling with picking topics in other subjects as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TippyCanoe Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) This is a common problem. I've worked on this with several students and I suggest treating it as a game. Print up a whole bunch of prompts and cut them up into slips of paper. Pick a prompt at random, set a timer for five minutes and practice picking a position and coming up with three supporting points. You can do the first practices together aloud and then practice each writing out your own list on paper. Some humor is good. This will give her a lot of practice without having to write a lot of essays. Another strategy we found helpful was to use a coin flip - heads take the pro or yes position, tails the con or no position. This can help free up some serious or perfectionist kids to get over taking this too seriously. Edited November 1, 2012 by Barbara H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 This is a common problem. I've worked on this with several students and I suggest treating it as a game. Print up a whole bunch of prompts and cut them up into slips of paper. Pick a prompt at random, set a timer for five minutes and practice picking a position and coming up with three supporting points. You can do the first practices together aloud and then practice each writing out your own list on paper. Some humor is good. This will give her a lot of practice without having to write a lot of essays. Another strategy we found helpful was to use a coin flip - heads take the pro or yes position, tails the con or no position. This can help free up some serious or perfectionist kids to get over taking this too seriously. Thank you! This sounds like it could be very good for her, and we'll have fun doing it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) .......... Edited November 7, 2012 by ksva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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