If you teach writing w/o a curriculum...

[Penguin]

If you teach writing without a curriculum, can you share the SMALL details that are involved in your process?

 

Do you write out the assignment in detail? Do you use checklists and rubrics and lists of writing rules? How do you decide on deadlines?

 

Or do you keep it casual ? If so, how does your student know exactly what you are looking for?

[Angie in VA]

Here and here are posts by 8FillsTheHeart which might help you, but they may not address rubrics. Maybe 8 will see this and post here too. 

 

HTH. 

 

 

[Cindyz]

Here's an article you might be interested in. 

 

http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/editing-writing-instead-of-curriculum/

[scrapbabe]

Listening in.

[Hunter]

This free TM taught me a lot about how teaching writing in general.

http://www.kid-friendly-homeschool-curriculum.com/support-files/writeoninstructorsguide.pdf

[GSOchristie]

Here and here are posts by 8FillsTheHeart which might help you, but they may not address rubrics. Maybe 8 will see this and post here too.

 

HTH.

Those were really helpful, thanks! I am terrified of teaching writing, it's the only thing that really scares me about homeschooling. Thankfully, we are in CC and they use Essentials to teach writing, but those links are things we can be doing now :).

[Angie in VA]

Those were really helpful, thanks! I am terrified of teaching writing, it's the only thing that really scares me about homeschooling. Thankfully, we are in CC and they use Essentials to teach writing, but those links are things we can be doing now :).

 

YVW. 8 is just one of the many helpful ladies here. :) Personally, I also cling to Lori D.'s words of wisdom. Ditto for Nan in Mass. :) Just saying. Have fun w/ the search function and those 3 ladies' names here on these boards.

 

I thought CC's Essentials focused on grammar and diagramming and CC used IEW for writing. I've never been part of CC, so what do I know?

 

You can do this homeschooling thing! 

[Gil]

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Edited July 18, 2016 by Gil

[TarynB]

Here's an article you might be interested in.

 

http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/editing-writing-instead-of-curriculum/

I really enjoyed that article and now plan to implement those ideas too. Thank you for posting it!

[hollyhock]

I'm basing my sons' middle school writing on SWB's A Plan for Teaching Writing. I would say I keep things pretty casual. Oldest does two narrative summaries per week, two outlines and a lit. essay. Second oldest is just doing summaries and one-level outlines so far. I pick the passage, he reads it, types up his summary, then we go over it together and I point out errors or awkward sentences or things that don't belong. I also keep a document of notes from the audio lecture and from the scope & sequence of WWS to make sure I'm doing all the different types of summaries and things. I also take hints from our R&S English, like the lessons about paragraphs. But that's about it. At their ages I don't have deadlines yet.

[Penguin]

Thank you - each reply is appreciated.

 

We stopped using a curriculum this year.  I think that the results have been mixed.  But rather than just jump back into a curriculum, I am going to try to improve my "writing across the curriculum" strategy.

 

I will flesh out my original post a bit.

 

What is working:

 

• We rotate through history, literature and science  with an occasional foray into philosophy/ theology. I like this.
• He is engaged and is working hard. 
• I like the assignments that I create. 
• I can discuss writing all.day.long.  By this, I mean discussing passages of quality writing.  Close reading, technique and all that good stuff.

 

What needs improvement:

 

• I need better ways of helping DS move along with his writing.  When I read back over what he wrote while using a curriculum, I think that his writing sounded more mature.  And that really bothers me.  But I can't decide if it is because (1) all of the step-by-step instruction is what he needs or (2) the step-by-step instruction masked the problem areas.  I am genuinely not sure.  Perhaps I should give more step-by-step instruction.  On the other hand, by loosening the scaffolding, perhaps I am now better able to see the problem areas.
• It is hard to know when to call an assignment done.  I mean, until it sounds like it could have been written like a college student, the assignment could continue to be improved!
• See my fourth point above?  I have noticed that is easy to fall into the groove of reading and discussing...and not doing much actual writing.  Even with keeping an eye on that, the one-paper-per-week routine seems out of reach right now.

 

I hope this helps someone else.  Just typing it out helped me :)

 

edited