Please help me figure out writing

[FindingMyWay]

I need help figuring out writing for my (going-to-be) 8th grade ds. He has some ground to make up before high school, thanks largely to dysgraphia that we didn't figure out until 5th grade.

 

The good news is that he's made significant progress the last couple years. He likes to write creatively and is good at it, although he rarely does it for his own pleasure. He's doing WWS1 this year, and he does pretty well with his assignments. It's not particularly transferring to his other writing, though. The other problem that we're having is that he's a whole-to-parts learner, and he feels like he's spinning his wheels doing the same thing over and over. He needs to be able to see the big picture, but he also needs specific, step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish the task.

 

I've been doing a lot of reading of the older threads, and have gleaned a lot of great information. I'm going to try to compress WWS for the rest of this year, moving through it a little faster and helping him to see the big picture. I'm looking for suggestions for next year. Should I just continue with WWS? I love how it gives students the tools to write instead of using a formulaic approach. Is there something that teaches explicitly and shares similar goals, but is more whole-to-parts? I love the idea of writing across the curriculum, but I need something to guide me through that. (Writing always came easily for me, and I'm struggling to teach it to a child for whom it does not come naturally.)

 

Editing to add: I'm mostly concerned with essay/expository-type writing rather than creative writing.

 

Thank you!

[JDoe]

WWS seems to be the best option for factual writing, and I am using that now. Some additional work in Logic and Outlining may be beneficial I think.

[PeterPan]

For the dysgraphia side of things also feel free to post over on LC.  You'd definitely get more responses there.   :)

 

If he's doing WWS in 7th, he's not behind, mercy.  So many people were bailing or finding WWS fit later that SWB adjusted her little charts.  My dd (adhd, very bright), did WWS1 for 8th, WWS2 for 9th.  We haven't gotten around to WWS3 for 10th but I have it.  Yes, we did both levels of WWS at a very condensed pace.  I think you should look at your student and see what fits them.  I do NOT buy that it's homogenous (same goals and timetables for both genders) or that you're behind or anything else.  In fact, you're probably right on the verge of a developmental leap in the next few months or year that will radically transform what he's doing.  My dd spent all through 7th bleeding and dying like Jesus himself (I kid you not) for writing assignments.  In 8th we started doing metronome work (instructions over on LC) integrating in working memory, and BAM the child started flying through her work!  She began entering online fan fiction writing contests (and winning!) and now writes for pleasure and happily.  NEVER saw that coming.

 

Was that jump developmental or the metronome work or ?? I think it was everything, but the metronome work was clearly a huge part of it.  Have you had evals to dig in on that dysgraphia and see what else is going on?  OT evals?  Psych eval?  If it hasn't been formally diagnosed, now would be a good time.  And does he type?  And does he use planning software like Inspiration?  

 

I have no opinion on what a boy should use, as I've only taught my girl at that level.  My boy is such a different creature, I'd be hesitant beyond compare to assume anything that worked for my dd would be what I will do with my ds.  I can tell you with him (dyslexia, apraxia, adhd, disorder of written expression), I have Bravewriter, the little junior introductory course. I take books from him by dictation.  We do a lot of games for language.  He's into science, so I'll have him write from science and milk that for a long, long time.  I'll make sure he can type and get his thoughts out.  I'll teach him to use Inspiration software, as my dd does, to brain dump.  I'll work on working memory to make sure he can hold his thoughts, organize, and get them out.  And IF it seems to click with him we'll do WWS.  If it doesn't, there's tons of other cool stuff.  WWS is pretty unique honestly.  I just think it's done better late than early.  People push structure and then complain about simplistic writing.  Work on his ability to get things out and then, when he can get it out, work on some logic and organization.  Cart and horse,know which comes first, kwim?

 

So yes, to condense WWS, I marked off anything that was redundant and unnecessary for her and then went through every single lesson with a highlighter, catching the jist.  I had her usually doing at least 2 days of work but often even a week's worth.  With an older student you CAN.  Seems like 7th is a little on that line.  Just go with your gut.  For us, the highlighting, condensing, speeding it up sort of took care of the big picture issue.  Sure they want the big picture, but they also need explicit instruction.  So if you go FASTER, you're getting that bigger picture.

 

They can complain all they want (and oh my dd did) about how they're big picture, why won't people give them all the steps, but reality is life is like that.  Some things have so many steps you HAVE to go through them, whether you want to or not.  And I guess I felt like with an 8th grader I could pull the Do It My Way card.  But I agree people seem to get very frustrated, both by kids not liking it and by kids not liking how sequential/detailed it is.  Speeding it up and condensing solved all that.  It was over before she had time to realize she hated it, haha.  If she didn't like an assignment, I gave her creative latitude.  For instance, I might go in, when she was supposed to be writing some boring biographical paragraphs on some dude, and say FINE, give me some attitude.  Write it like you're Donald Trump doing a firing scene on the apprentice.  It's OK to want a reason, a tone, an audience, a reason why they're writing it, kwim?  The point is pen control and developing your toolbox, not so much whether it's boring and tight or more interesting.  So I say my dd wrote very interesting things, because I gave her that liberty to consider *audience* as part of it.  In fact, good writing should.  Good writing is not this litany of chop chop writing, facts and summaries.  Good writing has an audience, a tone, a REASON.  

 

 

[FindingMyWay]

Oh, wow, OhElizabeth, so much to chew on in your post. Thank you! I'll check out the LC board for sure. He hasn't been formally diagnosed - I listened to a Diane Craft seminar that described him to a "T", and he's responded well to the writing 8s and crossing-the-midline exercises. I do wonder if there are other issues. I will look into whether insurance would cover an eval, because I doubt it's going to happen otherwise. He does type quite competently, but doesn't use an voice-to-typing software. (I'm assuming that's what Inspiration is? I'll google it when I'm done here.)

 

Thank you again for your thoughts!

 

So Inspiration was different from what I was thinking ... looks super interesting. He's not using anything like that either, although we do use graphic organizers instead of typical note-taking.

 

 

[JDoe]

 In 8th we started doing metronome work (instructions over on LC) integrating in working memory, and BAM the child started flying through her work!  

 

Do you have a link?

[MerryAtHope]

Essentials in Writing by Matthew Stephens was very helpful for my reluctant writers, but I wouldn't describe it as whole to part. Here's a review I did that shows my son's progression through an assignment in Level 7. You can see samples of it on their website.

 

Hope you find something that's a good fit!