Mom28kds Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 My DS will in in 5th grade and has trouble focusing and struggles with spending alot of time one any subject. I'm a terrible writer so I'm not much help. I'm planning on doing CLE LA but I heard their writing/composition needs supplementation. I'm bringing home from PS next year. What are some suggestions that might be good for us. I do want him to learn how to write just nervous about my ability to teach him. I believe he has some some instruction at school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 IEW? It would be systematic, there are DVDs that teach the child and DVDS that teach the parent so it wouldn't be all on your shoulders, etc. And if you added in grammar it would cover your writing. The new Fix-It Grammar might work well, since it was created by the same company. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I would try Bravewriter, especially for that first year home. It's fun and non-stressful. It really helps to build confidence in the student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 My boys love CAP. I think it's the only writing program we've ever had that they all voted to continue for the next school year . . . as in when I asked their opinions all three of them (these are my middle boys, 9yods, 11 yods and 13yods) they all loudly exclaimed that they wanted to continue in this program. The assignments are short and very clear. I've been pleased. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 FWIW I really like Bravewriter a lot but it was an abyssmal fit for my struggling writer. I have not used CAP but have looked at it several times since it seems to have the scaffolding and systematic instruction needed in my household. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 My DS will in in 5th grade and has trouble focusing and struggles with spending alot of time one any subject. I'm a terrible writer so I'm not much help. I'm planning on doing CLE LA but I heard their writing/composition needs supplementation. I'm bringing home from PS next year. What are some suggestions that might be good for us. I do want him to learn how to write just nervous about my ability to teach him. I believe he has some some instruction at school. Well, perhaps *some* people supplement CLE, but *you* might not need to, especially if your ds has troubling focusing and spending time on any one subject. I'm thinking you might just start with CLE and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I don't know anything about CLE, but if you like the look of it for your son, I'd start there and not worry about supplementing until/if you need it. He doesn't need to master everything at once. If that doesn't work or you want something else, I'm another fan of IEW. Bravewriter left my reluctant writer completely befuddled, but IEW gave him the tools he needed to organize his thoughts. It is more flexible than many people give it credit, and very thorough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wordsmith Apprentice. My DS/6th used it for fifth and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is saying something for a STEM-heavy kid who'd rather go program a robot. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Writing Strands. The lessons are systematic and incremental, and it covers a variety of different types of writing. Also, copywork. Yes, even though he is in 5th grade. Because it will help him to focus on the punctuation and capitalization conventions and the structure of good writing. Just pick a well-written book and assign passages every day. Be a ruthless grader. Also about 6 months in I would start a grammar program--probably Rod and Staff, probably the 4th grade book which is a good point of entry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom28kds Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 Thanks for all these ideas :) I'll definitely look into them. I'm just afraid that "I" can't teach it and they need someone who knows writing to teach them the skills. I love HSing but this is my weak area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Thanks for all these ideas :) I'll definitely look into them. I'm just afraid that "I" can't teach it and they need someone who knows writing to teach them the skills. I love HSing but this is my weak area. With IEW, the DVDs do the teaching. I promise. :) The basic set up (we used SWI-B so I can only speak for that) is that an actual class with Andrew Pudewa was filmed, and that's what you watch. It actually feels kind of like you are in the classroom; we called it "going to writing class" and my son would actually raise his hand to answer questions. :) Andrew does all the teaching, and you get real feedback from the kids in the class. They answer questions, give suggestions, and he reads their papers out loud to model good (and not so good) writing. I know that hearing writing samples from kids his age was very valuable for my son, and for me too. It helped serve as a good reminder of what age appropriate writing actually sounds like, as opposed to what I think it should sound like. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Thanks for all these ideas :) I'll definitely look into them. I'm just afraid that "I" can't teach it and they need someone who knows writing to teach them the skills. I love HSing but this is my weak area. Honestly, it isn't all that difficult to teach children how to write well. Really. Are there complete sentences which are properly capitalized and punctuated? Are there paragraphs? Do all of the sentences in the paragraph seem to go together? (I don't care how many sentences there are, or if you can identify such things as opening or closing sentences. Not all kinds of writing require formulas like that.) Do you have grandparents or other relatives that your dc could write letters to? Friendly letters count as "writing." See? Not that difficult. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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