Writing. ARgh. Writing.

[Wee Pip]

I'm wondering if I should get a writing tutor for my 8yo? We are starting 3rd gr LA soon, but the biggest hurdle I see is writing. She's currently using BJU English, which alternates a unit on grammar & then a unit on writing. She gives me a hard time with writing assignments. She acts like she cannot write her assignments. She does the bare minimum or resists doing it altogether. Here is one example: she had to draw a picture of a cake she would bake for a baking contest (she loves to bake, I should add). She drew the cake and then had to write about it. She wrote something like: "It is pretty. Very very pretty." This quality of work usually comes out after much arguing and battling. If I turn matters over to Daddy and let them duke it out, then eventually (much hair pulling later) she writes BEAUTIFULLY! So I know she can do it! But really, I looked at the 3rd gr stuff she'll be doing soon in Reading and there is so much more writing in it! I'm wondering if I could hire a tutor to bring out the fun in writing - get her over her hang ups - just get her writing. Oddly enough, she has done some creative writing on her own on a computer, and I thought it was quite good. Also, I really see a future in writing for her, based upon some of her interests. We just have to get over this resistance. Thoughts?

[dragons in the flower bed]

If I turn matters over to Daddy and let them duke it out, then eventually (much hair pulling later) she writes BEAUTIFULLY!

 

What's he doing that you're not?

 

With my now 11yo, I learned that the key to getting him to write was to just make him do it every day no matter what.

[Kate in Arabia]

My oldest ds had a lot of trouble with writing until he turned 9. I don't know if the change was more due to increased maturity or to a change in writing programs. He would have cried had I given him the cake assignment you gave your dd -- literally.. at 8 yrs old...

 

When he was 9 we started a writing program that is imitative (gives you a story and you do a re-write). It still isn't his favorite subject, but it got him over the block I guess he had? Or that plus getting a little older did it?

[PeterPan]

I'm with Kate that writing based on imitation makes a big difference. She might not have liked the cake assignment, might have thought it was stupid or pointless. (A lot of writing assignments are, you know.) I'm doing the BJU reading 5 with my dd, and the writing definitely ramps up each year. It's really worth sticking with. Have you looked at Writing Tales? You could put her into WT and just do the grammar sections of the BJU english, skipping the writing. Imitation is so much more interesting, and WT makes it fun (and easy for you to make it fun!). WT has a point, because they are retelling stories with twists and details THEY want to add and care about. In the class I taught last year, each story teller was so personal, bringing in character names from their family, changing stories to fit their lives. It gets really expressive. I've never thought that 2nd and 3rd graders needed to know how to write a business letter, even a scaled down one, kwim? Eventually, but not now, lol! So check out WT. It's crazy fun, easy to implement (you won't need a tutor), and might rescue you.

[Pamela H in Texas]

The Wordsmith author said she wouldn't even bother with writing instruction before 4th grade. She says it's a lot of hassle with very little point before then.

 

If I had a young'un, I would probably use Susan's new elementary writing series though. I'd start simple and move up slowly. But this is after having two students with dysgraphia. If my kids were "average" in this area, I wonder if I'd worry about it in the early elementary years at all....

[dawn of ns]

At 8, I wouldn't bother. I didn't do much with writing until this year when my daughter turned ten and then we did imitation ala CW aesop. It takes a lot of the pressure off if a kid doesn't have to worry about being "creative" so much of the time. Writing is just the putting of stories to paper anyway. Concentrate on naration and storytelling and interviewing and such for now until the process of writing it down is less taxing.

[Capt_Uhura]

WeePip, I would read Julie Bogart has to say about writing http://www.bravewriter.com as well as at her blog. I agree she may think the cake assignment was blah. At this age, I think Julie would say that it should be copywork, narration, dictation and freewriting at this age. Let her write about whatever she wants to write. My son would never do an assignment like that but if I let him freewrite, he will do it.

[Ellie]

I'm with Kate that writing based on imitation makes a big difference. She might not have liked the cake assignment, might have thought it was stupid or pointless.

That would have been me. I would have resisted *forever* having to write about something that I thought was stupid and pointless. Ugh.

 

To throw yet another product in the mix, have you seen Understanding Writing? It does a wonderful job of teaching children to write by having them write letters to friends and family. It is ungraded and nonconsummable and can be used through high school.

[plimsoll]

Writing was "Argh" for us too until my son turned nine. Switching to a "writing by imitation" program helped immensely. We currently use IEW and Classical Writing Aesop. Writing Tales can be substituted for CW Aesop.

 

After writing the outline in longhand, I allow my son to use the computer for subsequent drafts and revisions. This allows him to focus on composition and not on perfect handwriting. It eliminates the frustration of trying to make it perfect the first time because it is so tedious to revise in longhand.

 

Although we do not use it for writing per se, we also use SWB's Writing With Ease for oral narration. This helps my son learn to speak in complete sentences, which indirectly improves his writing as well.

 

Writing (using either IEW or CW Aesop) is now a daily activity for us and is mostly fun -- no longer painful at all.

Edited December 26, 2008 by plimsoll

[Tiramisu]

My dd also 8 can get very frustrated with "loose" writing assignments. When she was in ps in first grade, she did a lot of good writing so I knew she could do it--kind of like your dd with your husband. But last year, I couldn't get her to write for me at all without a lot of frustration. Then I learned about classical methods for writing instruction. I had her do a lot of copywork, some dictation and daily oral narration. At times I really wondered if it was doing any good. This year began and she's doing excellent written narrations so I've seen that the classical methods work. I witnessed an incredible jump.

 

She's also doing written very good compositions this year with the Calvert writing assignments. This is what I was looking for a year ago, but now I question the value of it because I've seen the success of the classical method of writing instruction.

 

Like the pp, I would recommend trying Writing Tales. The reviews I've read make it sound like both children and parents really enjoy it.

[Amy from WT]

The key for me in your original post was that she WILL write when you let her use the computer! Ahh, I thought, how are her fine motor skills? Are they developing at a normal pace, or are they lagging behind? If you feel they are lagging behind, first of all - don't worry, they WILL catch up. And second, this could be your answer. Perhaps one of the reasons she is giving you so much trouble with writing is that she simply doesn't like the actual mechanical act of handwriting! (Now, I could also argue that yes, the cake assignment was not perhaps one of my favorites, and that creative writing is difficult for children of this age, it is easier for them to write when they are given a subject/story line to start with - but I am obviously a fan of the imitative style of teaching writing, so I will let this be obvious, and move on.)

 

I would recommend that you continue with a little bit of copywork or dictation each day (perhaps alternate which one you do each day, or match it to her current abilities), and then regardless of which writing program you choose for her (choose what you like best for your teaching style and her learning style), and regardless of whether you start her this year or next year, let her do her writing on the computer! She is not too young to start her on an easy typing program as well.

 

Hope this helps.

[Wee Pip]

I just want to thank everyone for the advice! I have a better idea of how to proceed. I would love to start her on typing lessons, too, because I think that would help (I do suspect that maybe her fine motor skills are a little underdeveloped). I plan to have her write more for science/history (make mini books, etc.). For her BJU books and the "stupid" writing assignments, I'll help her through with those, maybe give her some questions to answer. For example, the cake assignment could've been better if I had said -

1. what flavor is it?

2. what color frosting?

3. did you put sprinkles on top?

LOL. Some of those writing assignments really are dumb. We're writing Thank You notes for Christmas gifts this week, which I think will give some good "real life" writing experience.

Thanks again!