10 year old writing sample: where do we go from here?

[Mama Anna]

I've mentioned dd10 on here before.  She's gifted in LA, and I want to stretch her in writing because she enjoys it so much.  Right now her writing program consists of reports for science, history, and reading (one page each, per week), R&S 6, and a creative writing prompt once a week that she goes back to and edits whenever I find something wrong.  I'm going to type one of her creative writing pieces in - sorry for the length, but I want to show you what she is doing.

 

When Spring is Coming

 

  The world is white with snow, and the air is still and icy.  It is peaceful and silent.  You can hear the snowflakes whispering on the ground, so quietly that you wonder whether the sound is only in your mind.  Everything is laden with sparkling frost.

 

  It is winter.

 

  Slowly, as if just waking up from a white slumber, the days stretch and grow warmer.  One day the snow does not seem so deep.  The sun is out most of the time now making the heavy snow blanket glimmer like a pearl. 

 

  You can see the dry grass blades through the snow now.

 

  The snow melts, slowly, slowly.  Now it is gone.  The grass is glistening with melted snow, but it is brown and crisp. 

 

  The chilly world holds its breath.

 

  One day little green spikes poke up from the ground, nearly choked by dead grass.  The trees have bronze-green buds.  They grow, and the new grass grows too, like a veil of lacy green creeping slowly, very very slowly.

 

  A bird calls.  Another one answers, and suddenly the air is filled with chuckles and songs, melodies and chirps.

 

  Spring is coming!

 

  Now the gauzy veil on the ground is speckled with tiny flowers.  The redbuds and cherries are covered with cloudy bloom.  Bees buzz, and one flower flutters towards you until you see it is a butterfly, and birds twitter, and you just cannot help singing back to them and - and -

 

  It is spring!

 

Now, realize that she'd just been reading through McCloskey's Time of Wonder again when she wrote this.  :)

 

Here are my questions:

 

1.  WTM says that R& S contains a good writing program.  It certainly seems solid in grammatical instruction.  Dd10 is working (technically) two years beyond her age level and she's handling the grammar fine.  But the writing assignments don't seem to be very challenging.  For anyone who has experience with the higher levels of R&S: will it cover everything she needs?  Should I just let her be instructed in the formalities as she reaches each new level while encouraging her to keep at the creative writing side?  (Will R&S really cover it all eventually?)

 

2.  I'm a pretty good writer in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, and spelling, but I only know a couple of forms well.  My fear is that if her instruction is up to me I won't know that she's missing something - and then she'll be slammed in the face in college or some other situation by what she doesn't know.  (A common homeschool fear, I know.)  Is there a list somewhere of foundational stuff that she needs to cover?

 

3.  Is there another writing curriculum that I reeeeaally need to check out?  I'm sort of tempted by IEW (It's expensive - surely it's good!) but some reviews seem to think it's best for supporting struggling writers.  Is that correct?  Also, it's expensive and we have a limited budget.  Do any of you have some solid suggestions?

 

Thanks so much!!  Eagerly awaiting your replies,

 

Mama Anna

[8filltheheart]

That is beautiful! She has such a strong voice.

 

I can't think of anything I can suggest for such a young student with such accomplished skills. Definitely NOT the ones you inquired about.

 

You might want to think about something like the One a Year Adventure Novel. http://www.oneyearnovel.com

 

I honestly don't know anything about it, but if it helps guide existing skills, it sounds like what she needs.

[Mama Anna]

Thanks for your response, 8FilltheHeart!

 

I wonder if Classical Writing would be a good fit?

 

Mama Anna

[8filltheheart]

I wouldn't use CW either.   All of those teach students "how to" write, basically teaching writing construction.   I think what you are looking for is more instruction/clarity on writing forms.   Is her non-fiction writing as well developed as her fiction? 

[hellojwolford]

That is beautiful writing! I love IEW for my mathy kid, because it challenges him to carefully choose each word instead of describing things as "good" or "cool". From this sample, that doesn't seem to be a problem! I also feel that IEW does not touch on all forms of writing. I, too, would appreciate a list of the different types of writing (essays, reports, fairy tales, news articles, editorials, etc) we should cover.

[Mama Anna]

Is her non-fiction writing as well developed as her fiction? 

 

It's pretty well developed.  Her biggest difficulties are an occasional lack of formality (using ellipses, etc.) and a possible tendency to just use terminology from her source without fully understanding what it means.  (Her vocabulary is very large, though, so I'm not sure how often that happens.  I only catch it occasionally.)

 

Maybe I'm looking more for a writer's workshop or something?

 

I've thought of the One Year Adventure Novel - she'd love it, I'm sure - but I want the clarity on forms, etc.

 

Appreciating the responses!

 

Mama Anna

[Emerald Stoker]

That's magical.  She has a real gift, as you say.

 

If it were my child (and she's not, I do realise!), I would be hesitant to mess too much with the gift by having her do anything too formulaic (and I am unfamiliar with all of the resources mentioned earlier in the thread, so I am not commenting specifically on those).  I think programmes that would nurture that gift and let it grow organically might be worth trying to find.  Have you seen any of these?  Ralph Fletcher's writing books, Patricia Zaballos's blog, the Don't Forget to Write books, Spilling Ink?  Maybe Bravewriter or Michael Clay Thompson?  Oh, and the wonderful, wonderful Kenneth Koch books on poetry?  (I'll come back and add links in a minute...)

 

Thank her for me; reading her piece was one of the highlights of my day today.

 

http://ralphfletcher.com/rf/

http://patriciazaballos.com/category/writing/

http://www.826national.org/826store/451/

http://www.spillinginkthebook.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Wishes-Lies-Dreams-Teaching-Children/dp/0060955090

http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Where-Did-You-That/dp/0679724710/ref=pd_sim_b_1#_

http://www.rfwp.com/pages/michael-clay-thompson/

http://www.bravewriter.com/

 

ETA another favourite:  Marjorie Frank, "If You're Trying to Teach Kids to Write, You've Gotta Have This Book!" (the first edition is less "schooly" than the revised edition)

Thought of one more!: Sarah Ellis's "From Reader to Writer" http://www.amazon.ca/From-reader-writer-Teaching-childrens/dp/0888994400

 

[8filltheheart]

I wouldn't use the MCT books. She is writing beyond what he teaches through essay and there are better books on form/types. Does BW go that advanced? I am unfamiliar with it but am used to seeing it mentioned for learning to write writers. I am unfamiliar with the others.

 

I definitely agree that you don't want writing curriculum that really teaches writing. You really just need something that encourages the development of form and polishing of skills. The problem is that everything I can think of would be drier than dirt for a 10yr old. I really wouldn't push formal academic writing on her until about 7th grade. She is so talented, that you do not want to destroy her style by trying to force her to conform to academic conventions before she has fully developed her voice and owned it. A lot of maturity and ownership take place between 10 and 12-13. Introducing formal conventions at that pt would build on those skills and not tend to drown them. I wouldn't anticipate her learning academic writing will take that long bc of her extreme control over language.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Emerald Stoker]

Another thing that occurs to me is to have a look at some books intended for adult writers--possibly not now, but in two, three, four years, perhaps? 

 

Something like this: Ursula LeGuin, Steering the Craft: http://www.amazon.ca/Steering-Craft-Exercises-Discussions-Navigator/dp/0933377460/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390619453&sr=1-1&keywords=ursula+le+guin+steering

 

This book deals with fiction, but there are undoubtedly similar books concerning literary nonfiction (and poetry, and drama, etc.) aimed at an adult audience, parts of which might possibly be used profitably by a  teen.

[Mama Anna]

Wow, Emerald Stoker, thanks!!  I've been checking out your links and I think there are a couple that could really work for us.

 

I also appreciate the advice to just let her be until she's a bit older.  I'm a goal-oriented person so it can be difficult for me to just "let be," but mothering/homeschooling/being a wife is sure teaching me how to go about it.  :) 

 

I'm wondering if I should encourage her to delve into the possibilities of poetry in the meantime.  Not as a required, rigorous subject but as a fun "thought you might like to try it" thing.

 

I'm so glad for all of you who are contributing to this thread!

 

Mama Anna

[quark]

Nothing helpful to add other than agreeing to let her blossom without a restrictive curriculum. She writes SO well. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks so much for sharing her work with us Mama Anna!

[EndOfOrdinary]

My son isn't the major writer in our house, but my husband is. I have been amazed at the number of books written by writers describing the craft of writing. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott; On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King; Writing Toward Home by Georgia Heard; The Anatomy of Story by John Truby; and The Way of the Story by Catherine Ann Jones.

 

These are ones he recommends frequently to people trying to craft their writing. Many focus on the narrative, but in general could be applied to all forms of writing. Bird by Bird is by far my personal favorite, but be warned it has a bit of adult language. If I remember correctly so does Stephen King's (though it blew me away with how fantastic it was and so very much not what I was expecting). Though nothing a 10 year old hasn't heard before and none of it used in ways of incredible vulgarity. These would be good books to let her read and work through.

 

As for forms, that can get kind of crazy. I'd have her pick a style she likes and then work on various forms of that style. For example, there are 6 different forms of parallel narrative http://www.lindaaronson.com/six-types-of-parallel-narrative.html . Or 16 different forms of stanza poetry verse. http://www2.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/intranet/englishbasics/PoetryVerseForm01.htm .

 

Since most all curriculums focus on just getting students to put words on paper correctly, and your daughter is obviously doing that, I doubt a curriculum is where you are going to find your answers. You could always consider talking to a creative writing teacher at the local community college for ideas on a sampling of important forms.

[8filltheheart]

I also appreciate the advice to just let her be until she's a bit older. I'm a goal-oriented person so it can be difficult for me to just "let be," but mothering/homeschooling/being a wife is sure teaching me how to go about it. :)

 

Mama Anna

So, don't run from being goal oriented. Define your goal. What is your objective for a 10 yr old? An 11yr old? Etc. What is your long term vision for her? What objectives do you want to meet by the end of middle school/beginning of high school? By high school graduation?

 

Simply being goal oriented does not mean having to conform our vision to what is the standard ps sequence or traditional POV. It should be, IMHO, aiding our children to be the best them they can be and developing their individual skills and interests. Nurturing their skills first and foremost and then working from there to meet graduation objectives is not that difficult to do. Their path to high school credits is wide open for exploration. There is no need to conform to institutional visions.

 

Some people, like Nan, don't even get there by high school and make the entire high school experience conform to them vs the other way around. I am not that adventurous. I sort of just break the mold within individual subjects or list of subjects.

 

Fwiw, I think your dd's voice and creativity would be destroyed in an institution. Conforming to a narrowly defined scope sequence is modern education. I really encourage you to embrace her unique gift and protect it from the very philosophy that would crush and confine it.

 

Eta: I am very goal oriented in our school work, But my goals are very much my own and completely focused on my kids individual needs and my definition of educated. :)

[Mama Anna]

Simply being goal oriented  . . . It should be, IMHO, aiding our children to be the best them they can be and developing their individual skills and interests. Nurturing their skills first and foremost and then working from there to meet graduation objectives is not that difficult to do. Their path to high school credits is wide open for exploration.

 

A good reminder - thank you!!

 

Mama Anna