What curriculum & grade level would fit this child? (xpost)

[poetic license]

Long post warning!

 

My oldest did WWE 1 and some writing on the side during 1st grade. During second, he went to school and the program there was mediocre at best. Now he is home for third grade. 

 

Thus far, I had been having him do my own program of dictation/imitation or copywork/imitation. I give him a passage from a book, and he copies it or writes it from dictation. Then, we discuss the style, choice of words, grammar, etc. He writes what I call a "imitation" paragraph where he tries to use a similar style as the author, except using a different theme. I've provided examples below. 

 

My intention was to do this until we went through the MCT Island books, and then go on to Killgallon Sentence Composing for Elementary and then CAP Writing and Rhetoric Book 1 (Fable). After seeing his progress with the dictation/imitation, I'm not sure that the Fable will be worth it for him and I am wondering what would best suit him. I hope to be able to go to the Cincy convention next week, so if you could spam me with curricula to consider, I could check them out in person.

 

I'd also like to have a program that will do some school-type assignments that would typically be given in schools like short reports, "how to" paragraphs, etc...in other words, teaching him a few different writing styles....maybe even something that could be done on his own during days when I have doctors' appointments.

 

For reference, this is his writing. I've no idea where, in terms of the progress of different curricula, this would fit. Would WWS be  helpful? I'm hesitant because of his age (8). 

 

For dictation/imitation:

 

Model paragraph: 

 

What the spyglass showed: waves and waves, and waves and waves, and, farther along the curvature of the planet itself as it warped toward Europe and Africa and the rest of the world. It showed a spit of land, graced with an ancient and crumbling sea fort, shrouded in mist and overgrown with the weeds and trees of long disuse. And beyond it, waves and more waves.

 

His imitation:

 

What the spyglass showed: wars and battles, wars and battles, and farther along the curving of time itself as it reached into unknown galaxies. It showed ages and ages of time with a population crumbling to death, and beyond that battles and wars.

 

Another imitation, based on a passage from Mattimeo:

 

Fighting for his life against ten superguards, Batman was mercilessly flung into the Joker's lair. They secured him with an electrochain which they tried to keep short to limit his range of motion. He tried to free himself as he kicked the guards to keep them back. Another guard came sprinting in to aid the others; they locked him down to the wall using more electro chains. They held him back while trying to avoid his flailing legs, his eyes showing ultimate hate for his enemies.

 

Non-fiction paragraph on Abraham Lincoln:

 

On April 14,1865, Abraham Lincoln, 16^th president of the USA was killed with a 1 ounce lead ball fired from John Wilkes Booth’s 6in .44 caliber derringer, which is also known as a “pocket cannon†because of its size. Lincoln was murdered at Ford Theatre where he was watching the play “Our American Cousin†starring actress Laura Keene. Lincoln’s bodyguard was drunk at the time and left to get more alcohol when Booth jumped into the box, shot Lincoln, leaped to the stage, broke his leg, and shouted, “Thus to tyrants!†When Lincoln was murdered Laura went to him and put his head in her lap. Blood oozed onto her costume and later swatches were taken from it. The derringer Booth used to kill Lincoln was not the only weapon he brought for attempt to kidnap the president and later kill him. He also carried a Rio Grande camp knife. Booth was found in a barn hiding, and they burned it down and in the process killed John Wilkes Booth, murderer of Abraham Lincoln.

[weintz8]

Wow, in my opinion those are very advanced writing/imitation skills. We have done CAP Fable and Narrative 1 and your DC is definitely beyond those. Have you looked at Writing with Style? I'm not sure where to point you as that's wonderful writing for a third grader! Going to convention is a great way to find something that works :-). Maybe I'll see you there!

[OneStepAtATime]

I agree, that is wonderful writing for a third grader. I am very impressed! I don't have a good suggestion for where you go next, though. My 5th grader doesn't write that well...

[Gil]

I'm kind of in the same bind--not knowing what "grade level" or which resources to begin looking at for composition so I totally feel for you.

I think you might do well to keep on doing what you are doing, simply because so far his writing seems fantastic.

 

I think that the process of Guided Analysis that is used in Treasured Conversations might be useful to you if you are a strong writer yourself, even if you don't use the book, that essay that I linked is helpful and you could probably read the TC manual anyway. There is a thread that reviews several writing programs on the Logic stage board, so you might want to take a look through it.

[poetic license]

Wow, in my opinion those are very advanced writing/imitation skills. We have done CAP Fable and Narrative 1 and your DC is definitely beyond those. Have you looked at Writing with Style? I'm not sure where to point you as that's wonderful writing for a third grader! Going to convention is a great way to find something that works :-). Maybe I'll see you there!

 

I've been thinking to consider that now but I had not yet before because I just assumed that it would be too advanced given his age. I will have to take a closer look. What level of the CAP books would align with WWS?

 

I'm kind of in the same bind--not knowing what "grade level" or which resources to begin looking at for composition so I totally feel for you.

I think you might do well to keep on doing what you are doing, simply because so far his writing seems fantastic.

 

I think that the process of Guided Analysis that is used in Treasured Conversations might be useful to you if you are a strong writer yourself, even if you don't use the book, that essay that I linked is helpful and you could probably read the TC manual anyway. There is a thread that reviews several writing programs on the Logic stage board, so you might want to take a look through it.

 

I will look into that thread, thanks! I have TC and will re-read it. I remember reading it but shelving it because I thought it would not quite work, but I will take another closer look. I am tempted to keep going how we are doing but part of me feels like we're just winging it and somehow "missing" something.

[Farrar]

It sounds like the Killgallon is really working. Why not just keep that up? Even if you move on to other things as well, I'd finish that out since it seems like it has done such a good job... unless, of course, he really dislikes it? If you want to check off some boxes of "schoolish" assignments, you could make a list of them to do alongside that - maybe one a week or a couple a month depending on the length of the assignment.