CW users: what to do with writing for logic stage history?

[Kathie in VA]

My oldest dd is 13yo, in 7th grade. She is working her way thru Homer A this year... slowly as we have a lot going on. She can write a narrative easily. However for history I started to think that since she is in the logic stage now I should have her write papers that compare and contrast something she read or tell why something did or didn't happen instead of a simple narration of what she read. ug. We hit a road block and I just don't know how I didn't see it coming. She says she knows how to narrate but doesn't know how to do a 'report'.

 

So here is my question: do I work with her and show her how to research, take notes, form an outline to the report and write the paper

-OR-

should my history paper assignments stick to what she has learned in CW for now... meaning she should just keep narrating what she has read about and perhaps add in the descriptive details, dialogue, etc. like we do with CW Homer?? In this case, do you do anything different for "logic stage" history then you did for "grammar stage" history? Perhaps we should just discuss the whys and comparisons and leave the writing for later years?

 

tia

[Beth in Central TX]

You will get to essay writing in Diogenes. (http://home.att.net/~MikeJaqua/TheBooks.html)

 

Comparison is further down the progymnasmata, but I'm not sure what level of CW will address it. (http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm)

 

So far, my boys are following the assignments in CW and applying what they learn to other subjects.

[Kathie in VA]

Now I know there are more CW users here, this board still moves sooo fast!

 

Thanks Beth. You're right, the later levels teach the 'logic' level of writing. Since you just follow what has been taught so far in CW, do you do anything different in your history in the logic stage then what you did in the Grammar stage (other then the level and amount of reading)?

 

Anyone else? So what do you all do for history in the logic stage? What type of papers do you ask for?

[Julie in GA]

Well, I'm using Omnibus for history, and they give various types of writing assignments, from short persuasive essays to higher-level progym assignments. I skip the ones that I know he can't handle, and let him try the ones I think he can. Some that have been good fits are those that he does in chart form. Comparison charts are good for the logic stage. You can also take these a step further if you like, and try to put the chart into essay form.

 

However, I wouldn't worry about your writing assignments for history. I think it's a good idea to reinforce the writing you're doing in CW in other subject areas. When you get to the later parts of Homer, you'll see that some of the skills work very well with history (like learning how to re-arrange the chronology of an event, or learning how to be more credible in your writing).

[cajun.classical]

Kathie,

 

I agree with the other ladies. I let the skills we are learning in CW lead my other assignments. Writing in other subject areas is just another way for us to practice our CW skills.

 

If you need reassurance, I taught Composition in a University and I worked for years at a Publishing House; I rewrote poorly written books. I am convinced that anyone going through CW will be more than adequately prepared. I trust the CW sequence. You'll get to those research skills in good time. If you feel the need to get your child thinking more deeply about History class, you could ask those questions orally. How is X like Y? How are they different? This is basic Socratic Dialogue.

[Kathie in VA]

Thanks everyone. I'm really not worried about the progression of the CW program. Although, one thing I did notice was that if my dd started in 3rd grade she would be in or past Diogenes by now and I wouldn't have a problem with history at this point. It all boils down to dealing with skills at different levels.

 

I'm just confused on what to do for logic stage history. Doing more narratives is great for writing, but the history papers aren't just for the sake of more writing ... they are also a tool to analyze what you are reading in history. Julie had a good point though, I could have her do comparison charts and then just use that for discussions. hmm, wonder what else... perhaps some venn diagrams, lap books?, comic strips? historic journaling? All neat ideas.

 

I wonder if there is a way to write a narrative that is more appropriate for the dialectic stage then would have been for the grammar stage. Perhaps something like... write two seprate narrations, each describing a different viewpoint of an event, place or person? ( ex Original Jamestown colony/ Second Jamestown colony, Union view of the Civil War/Confederate view of Civil War, etc.)