What next after writing summaries?

[bobbeym]

I've recently figured out that DS still doesn't know how to write a decent paper. I hate that we're still at this stage almost halfway through 9th grade, but I take my share of the responsibility for thinking he knew what he was doing and not following through as closely as I should have been.

 

For our next assignment we're going back to the basics and summarizing each scene in Taming of the Shrew. I was also going to have him write a paragraph or two on whether he thought the play ended the way it should.

 

Does that sound like it would be enough?

[Tullia]

Going back to basics and doing some review is probably a good idea with a 14 y.o. I guess I'd ask what kind of composition instruction you've used so far and also if he's familiar with basic essay types. Have you listened to SWB's talk on teaching high school writing? One thing I'd stress in all his literature writing assignments is to be sure he understands that he must do more than describe the passage; he needs to give examples from the text. With a student of that age, it's sometimes difficult to know whether he needs to back up and review, is lacking motivation, going through a temporary stage of being extra self-conscious, or needs to work on organizational skills (focus on the pre-writing process). Sometimes you need to look at several different factors.

[bobbeym]

Mostly I've pulled stuff from online sources as we've needed it, rather than using anything formal. I think I probably need to invest in something - maybe WWS? - early next year.

 

I have listened to SWB's talk on writing, and it was TWEM and her workshop handouts that I went back to this weekend to redraft my lesson plans for next month.

[Tullia]

Sounds like a good plan. The high school years move quickly, so I suggest you invest in a "core" to help you stay focused as soon as you can. BTW, there's no reason you can't continue using online sources along the way.

[Tullia]

Here's a list of things you might want to work on in addition to summaries. I'm cleaning out old files and found a post written by Lene in March 2003 in which she lists several useful writing skills. I've summarized her original post below:

• Summary--a condensed version of the original.
  
• Paraphrase--a translation from the author’s words into those of another person while accurately conveying the author’s message.
  
• Abstract--usually written as an orientation for peers who need to see the essence of a longer work.
  
• Précis--a concise summary of a passage written in the student's own words. It is not an interpretation of the text, it does not cite examples or details from the original, it should make no statements unsupported by the text.
  

 

If you do a search for each of those terms, you'll find a wealth of links to writing help websites at different colleges and universities. My favorite general onlin resources are Purdue's Online Writing Lab and University of Chicago's short guide to college writing.

[bobbeym]

Thanks, these are very helpful!

[Kendall]

Is there a reason to wait until next year to start WWS? You can try the first 10 weeks of WWS1 for free. Click on sample in the below link. You can also get the Instructor's pages. I did this and liked it well enough to buy it after trying it for 8 weeks. I"m also beta testing WWS2 with my 9th grader.

 

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/wws-student-1.html

 

HTH,

Kendall

[bobbeym]

Thanks for the heads up Kendall. I downloaded the samples and will see how I can add them to what I've already got planned.