Essentials in Writing question

[Ema]

Can you please clarify something for me?? I like the look of EIW, but do you really spend all that time working on grammar before doing any writing? I have looked at samples and watched videos on it, but find it hard to believe there are no actual writing assignments for the first however many lessons. Is that actually accurate? Did I miss something? (This is a very good possibility as I seem to do most of my research in the middle of the night while I have PMS insomnia, so if I did completely miss something, be kind!) I need a good, strong writing program with a lot of practice. DD11 will be in 6th next year and is not where she should be with writing, partly from vestiges of a speech delay and partly from using a curriculum that was not good for her. I worry about not having DD writing until almost the second half of the year. I know there is less grammar instruction and more writing in higher levels, but I would probably have DD do level 5 next year, even though she will be in 6th grade; she needs a lot of work in this area. Clarification? Thoughts?

[alisoncooks]

Your observation is accurate. I do believe the higher grades have less grammar, but yep....a whole swath of grammar lessons before the writing lessons. 

[Ema]

On 1/18/2021 at 12:17 PM, alisoncooks said:

Your observation is accurate. I do believe the higher grades have less grammar, but yep....a whole swath of grammar lessons before the writing lessons. 

Do you find it too much grammar? Or do the kids do fine with it? And I assume you do not have a separate grammar program as well, or do you?

 

21 hours ago, Enigma6 said:

There is truth to needing a good grammar foundation to write well. If you can't write a decent sentence, how are you going to write a paragraph? The kids ARE writing-- lots of sentences and responses that first half. That is writing. It is setting a foundation and building stamina for those longer assignments.

I totally get the idea, and I think this would be good for DD. But at the same time as the kid of a retired public school teacher (albeit she is a huge proponent of HSing and HSing methods) I have that little voice in my head saying, “is that enough at this age? Shouldn’t they be doing more than just writing sentences?” Did you have your kids do any other official writing on the side? Not the stuff included in other curriculum, but a required journal page or something? DD is not a confident writer and I think getting her to write more on the side, like journaling, would be good to get her comfortable with just writing, KWIM? Where it is required, but not graded and she doesn’t have to worry about spelling or perfect grammar, just getting more comfortable with it. Or with EIW do you think that would just be too much and defeat the point?