Help with 8th grader struggling with writing

[septvirgo3]

My 13yo ds will be an 8th grader this upcoming school year and I need some help choosing a writing curriculum. He really struggles with writing. He used to struggle with reading also (comprehension) but has improved greatly with the help of audio books. He is now able to read grade level passages without audio and answer comprehension questions and verbally summarize it. He was in ps through sixth grade. Hs 7th grade. He was tested by a psychologist and doesn't have any learning disabilities but the dr did think that he has issues with academic anxiety. We are starting therapy for that. The tests also indicated that he has issues with reasoning/critical thinking but not enough for any diagnosis. With writing....he can write complete sentences but not on an 8th grade level. He tends to write simple sentences. His paragraphs are unorganized and drift off topic. He has a hard time figuring out what to write and since he doesn't like writing hes usually frustrated very quickly. He usually gets visibly upset when he is told he has to write a paragraph or answer an essay question. He has no idea how to do a 5 paragraph essay. We tried iew swi b and that didnt work. He would focus so much on what dress-ups etc he had to use that the sentences he wrote wouldn't make sense. He hated the videos and stopped trying. So I just shelved it. He is a child who does try really hard with his work but he lacks confidence at times. Looking for a program that is thorough and will help improve his confidence in his ability to write. But, he is n the 8th grade so time is a factor. I already do lots of positive feedback/encouragement, no red pen etc. as he gets upset and will just shut down if he feels he is doing something "wrong". Was considering wwe/wws and rod and staff 5. Also looked at essentials in writing. Any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated.

[Junie]

My ds14 used WWS1 this past year and it has made a huge difference in his writing.  We are planning to do WWS 2 and 3 this year and next.  (I know these programs are usually used earlier, but this is what he needed and it has worked well for us.)

 

Let me know if you have specific questions about the program.  I highly recommend it.

[septvirgo3]

.

[Penelope]

To begin WWS1, he needs to be able to read a passage and write a one-paragraph summary.

 

You might want to look at Essentials in Writing. I have no experience with it but have heard it goes step by step and is helpful in giving kids more direction with writing.

[septvirgo3]

My ds14 used WWS1 this past year and it has made a huge difference in his writing. We are planning to do WWS 2 and 3 this year and next. (I know these programs are usually used earlier, but this is what he needed and it has worked well for us.)

 

Let me know if you have specific questions about the program. I highly recommend it.

Thank you. Does he need to know how to write a good paragraph before starting wws1 or is it covered in one of the levels?

[septvirgo3]

To begin WWS1, he needs to be able to read a passage and write a one-paragraph summary.

 

You might want to look at Essentials in Writing. I have no experience with it but have heard it goes step by step and is helpful in giving kids more direction with writing.

Thanks. I looked at eiw briefly. If I'm remembering correctly it starts with sentences and goes from there. Will take a more in depth look at it.

[Pen]

I very strongly suggest Bravewriter Kids Write Basic class online.  You will get to work with him to help him do the assignments as a friend/coach/partner and will get to experience the teacher of the class giving positive feed back to help draw out your son and give him more confidence. The system works by getting thoughts out--possibly even as dictation--whether in sentences or not, and then eventually forming them into sentences and finished paragraphs.

 

You can see some examples of work done in this program under the writing workshop section for a higher level class and in the learning challenges section for this level that my son did.

[septvirgo3]

I very strongly suggest Bravewriter Kids Write Basic class online. You will get to work with him to help him do the assignments as a friend/coach/partner and will get to experience the teacher of the class giving positive feed back to help draw out your son.

Thanks. Taking a look at it now.

[Pen]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/453417-if-you-had-to-do-a-formal-composition-program/?&hl=+longships

 

 

 

Here is a sample of the actual process--this was at about the 3rd time going more into the subject (with ds's permission, name removed). The blue parts are by the online teacher, the grey and red parts by my son:

viking longships

Some are short and are used for going down rivers. Long ones have been found, the longest 118 feet. 




Wow, I bet that was exciting to find these! I'm curious: where were they found? Who "found" them? Were there others discovered that were smaller? Which rivers were they used on? For someone not familiar with what a Viking longship was ... what exactly did the Vikings use these for?
Good to know. Were oars the only way that the longships were "powered"? No there main power was the wind.


Were the square sails really big or ...? Any idea what they were made out of or if they had a design or pattern?

They could tack with the square sails, unlike most square sails which could only sail with the wind. Made lightweight.

This sounds like some sailing lingo ... for someone not familiar with this term, could you explain what it is? How it's done? tacking allowed the viking to go toward the wind unike Columbus's ships that could only go in the drection of the wind. 

[Name ] (10)

Nice work on this freewrite, [Name]! You're off to a good start. I've jotted down a variety of questions for expansion. See which ones you'd like to answer in your next freewrite. Looking forward to learning more! 

[Pen]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/512047-final-submission-for-bravewriters-mini-reports/?hl=%2Blouis+%2Barmstrong

 

is from someone whose child was in a class that is at a higher level than the one I am suggesting, but can give an idea of where this sort of writing could go in time.

 

 

Our Kids Write Basic had children already in high school by the way.  My ds at 10 was one of the youngest.  The average age was around 12-13.

[septvirgo3]

Wow! Thanks. This looks like what I'm looking for. The way the teacher interacts with student in the sample is exactly what my son needs. I think he would respond really well to it.

[Ellie]

Writing Strands, Level 3.

[septvirgo3]

Really wish I could afford to have my other ds and dd do the class as well at the same time.

[septvirgo3]

Writing Strands, Level 3.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will take a look at it.

[Momling]

I like The Paragraph Book for reluctant writers. It'd be pretty easy for an average 8th grader, but it'd surely give him some confidence and get him ready to write longer essays.  https://eps.schoolspecialty.com/EPS/media/Site-Resources/downloads/program-overviews/S-paragraph_book.pdf