Writing.... minimum requirements for a 9th grader...

[sweetsouthern]

dd is currently in 8th grade and struggling. she is currently using jump in and its so-so. shes almost finished with it and im trying to decide what to use next. since she will be starting high school in the fall, I don't have a clue. my older dd excels at writing, so this wasn't an issue for her.  any recommendations on what to use next? what would you say are the minimum requirements for amount of writing for 9th grade? we are covering literature and grammar separately, so this would just be writing itself. thanks for any ideas!  :)

[Mom22ns]

I don't think there is such a thing as a minimum amount of writing. Everyone does writing differently. I consider writing to be half of a high school English credit with literature being the other half. Writing should come in the quantity and quality that she is capable and keep moving forward. 

 

Sorry, I don't have any specific curriculum suggestions.

[~Anna~]

Writing with Skill seems to be helping my struggling writer. She is in 9th and using the second level this year.

[bluedarling]

I used Writing With Skill 1 with 8th and 9th grade reluctant writers, and it was a good fit (other than they got bored by the repetition...it didn't take them that long to learn to outline.)  If I had it to do over again, I'd have looked for a way to condense to a semester.  The most useful thing for them, though, was outside instruction.  They were simply willing to write more for someone else.  (We couldn't afford outside instruction at the time, and a friend met with them online each week....that was so helpful!)

[Murrayshire]

I've never used EIW (Essentials in Writing) high school levels so I couldn't give you a review on them. I can say that my middle dc use to struggle with writing, or just not care for it, but using EIW has given the confidence and guidance she needs.

http://www3.essentialsinwriting.com/home01?utm_expid=92121813-2.KaNxoKiMRBS_vIK2gONuIA.1

[AngieW in Texas]

All of my kids have been very different in this area.

 

I required a weekly paper that related to either history or science or whatever was being read for English for my oldest. I required the same thing for 10th grade. In 11th grade, I paired her with my middle dd and had them both do Introduction to Literary Analysis from IEW using the full-year lesson plans. In 12th grade she took English I and English II at the cc.

 

When my middle dd was in 9th grade, we did Introduction to Literary Analysis from IEW and did the full-year lesson plans for it, so she did a lot of formal writing. In 10th grade, she did Oak Meadow English. In 11th grade, she took English I and English II at the cc. In 12th grade, we did a self-designed literature of science fiction and fantasy.

 

My youngest is dyslexic and dysgraphic. There was absolutely no way that I was going to get an essay out of her. However, she was very interested in creative writing. She ended up participating in NaNoWriMo and wrote a full novel. I thought it was fantastic for a 14yo. I gave her a half-credit for creative writing and just did grammar and literature for the rest of English that year. In fact, she did the same thing in 10th grade. For 11th grade, she is taking English I and English II at the cc. 

[JanetC]

Minimum requirements to me would be a one or two page "something" per month. Writing assignment can be in any subject, not just about literary analysis. Also one two or three page "spit and polished" piece where student does multiple drafts until perfect. Writing for an essay contest or other outside review makes good motivation for this if there is something like that available.

[Trilliums]

Have you looked into Writing with Skill from WTM's own Peace Hill Press? There are ample samples available online.

 

I am using WWS with my niece even though she is in grade 10. She needs help with summarizing information and writing in a clear, logical manner. I am hoping to get her through WWS 3 by the middle of next year (we started hsing her in Dec). We will not be doing all of the books--I am loosely using the framework presented in the writing catch up class from WTM Academy class offered online. That case covers the essential components of WWS 1-3 in one year.

 

Right now we are easing into hsing. She does daily WWS, takes (brief) notes for Biology and US History, and we are about to start IEW's High School Essay intensive which is an SAT essay prep. I am only doing that with her because my son wants to do the essay prep class--I would not have intentionally picked this out for my niece but since I have it, I plan on having her work through it as well.