Would love to hear success stories from parents that do NOT have

[Gamom3]

a background or a degree in writing that have taught their dc to write successfully.

 

I would like to know how you went about doing it.

When did you start with your dc?

What did you use?

 

My dc are 13 and 11. I need to focus on teaching dc to write.

 

I am bad about buying a writing curriculum, start it, then drop it because I just don't get it.

 

I am purchasing Put That In Writing, level 1 today.

I plan on starting this on Monday and going through the summer with dc.

Then I plan on starting IEW SWI B in August.

 

 

Any advice or suggestions?

[Karen sn]

I am purchasing Put That In Writing, level 1 today.

I plan on starting this on Monday and going through the summer with dc.

Then I plan on starting IEW SWI B in August.

 

 

Any advice or suggestions?

 

No advice, just following this because I am in this boat.

What are IEW and SWI?

 

ETA - just looked at PTIW - looks good. Something we'll consider in the future.

Edited February 26, 2009 by Karen sn

[Gamom3]

No advice, just following this because I am in this boat.

What are IEW and SWI?

 

ETA - just looked at PTIW - looks good. Something we'll consider in the future.

 

 

IEW = Institute of Excellence in Writing

 

SWI = Student Writing Intensive

[Pongo]

My degree is a BSN (nursing bachelors) no writing degree here.

I started researching what writing programs were out there. I felt it was important to go with a tried and true method and after researching the history of IEW I went with it. I also wanted 1 program for the long haul, I feel the same way about math;) As a beginning homeschooler 7 years ago with my oldest then 5 I decided to start with IEW ( crazy,,huh?), I had the overachiever bug:) This is how I started, I have done this with all three of my kiddos, different genders , different learning styles. I have a chart I have posted for myself, so I can just glance at our benchmarks and long term goals. My oldest is in 5th so we have a ways to go, I outlined where I would like to go with writing.

 

Pre-K/K- Focus on letter formation, I do not allow them at this formative age to write without my monitoring them for proper writing formation:) As soon as they get down manuscript, lower case only, we started cursive. I am a real stickler on this.

 

K-1-Cursive practice, SWR for spelling and we start a Journal. Every day I dictate sentences from the spelling list, and she gets to illustrate it. By mid- year I start teaching KWO using what ever we are learning in history or science. By the end of the year they can do a KWO and write 4-6 sentences (unit 1+2). Any misspelled words gets added to the spelling list.

 

2-Cursive is beautiful and done easily, KWO is mastered and writing a paragraph from it is easily done with 4-6 sentences. I spend this year adding ALL the dress-ups and 3 openers, moving to the next one only when they have gotten the idea of how to do it, not mastered it. I pop in a few weeks of picture writing and story writing just to break it up a bit.(unit 1,2,3,5)The paragraphs are now 6-8 sentences long.

 

3-(currently with ds) He does quite easily the KWO, ALL dress-ups, ALL openers, with 2 decorations. He writes 3 paragraphs on history or science weekly. By the end of the year he will learn intro and concluding paragraphs with transitions.(unit 1,2,3 learning 4&5)

 

4th-Doing above and mastering taking notes from multiple references, for reports (2 for the year),2 modified book reports (critique IEW unit a la lite;)) with all decorations required. Spend some time on letter writing ( I love TLP focus for this), and then they do the SWI-A independently to finish out the year.

 

5th-(currently with dd)-All of the units from IEW are done fairly easily except for unit 8 which we focus on The Grammar of Poetry course.

 

6th-1/2 of SWICC-B independently, poetry

 

7th- second 1/2 of SWICC-B and Fix It! Grammar and Editing Made Easy with the Classics, and really nail down the essay and thesis statement in preparation for PSAT and SATs.

 

8th- SWICC-C and Teaching the Classics

 

9th- The Elegant Essay( first 1/2 of the year), Secrets to Great Communicators

 

10th- Classical Rhetoric through Structure and Style: Writing Lessons Based on the Progymnasmata & Windows to the world (world view)

 

11th and 12th- Writing at the QCC maybe?

 

Currently I have to say my kids are doing really well. How do I know, I have a local HS Writing teacher whom I trust very much look at my kids work several times throughout the year, she is really impressed and says they have writing abilities above some of her HS students.

 

I prepared by spending the entire summer watching every TWSS video and doing ALL the practicums. I still watch it every summer. I have a summer mom list that I do, it helps me to focus on the upcoming year. As they get older the goals change and having done the previous year I know where they are coming from and where they need to go:D

Edited February 26, 2009 by Pongo
tyops....

[Wildiris]

Would love to hear success stories from parents that do NOT have

a background or a degree in writing that have taught their dc to write successfully.

I do not have an English degree, but I did take a several writing classes in college that focused only on writing the essay and not creative writing. Once my DSs got into public school I found that I did a great job teaching them to write. They out performed their peers on standardized tests, and their papers were praised for clarity and style.

I would like to know how you went about doing it.

When did you start with your dc?

I start my children writing when they're in kindergarten. We do dictation~DD tells me what to write, and I write it down, then she copies it. At this beginning level I only work on helping her formulate two or three complete thoughts.

What did you use?

I have yet to find that one curricula that does it all. I would like to look at IEW. I've heard many good thing about it, but for me it is cost prohibitive, so I cobble together a program.

 

1. I think a good grammar program tied to writing is essential. I am finding a knowledge of grammar an indispensable writing tool, particularly a grammar program with a diagramming component. I use Hake Grammar with my 11 year old DD. There is a writing section that I resisted in the beginning; however, the writing lessons, when thought through with a little imagination, can work. They cover the necessary types of writing expected at grade level.

 

I've been at home schooling for 12 years, and in that time I've read countless books on writing. My all time favorite book is 6+1 Traits of Writing. What I like so much about this book are the student examples of what does and does not work. I urge you to take a look at this source as a companion resource and not a writing program. It is a Scholastic imprint.

 

2.Read with an eye for writing. We have a local newspaper that my DD and I regularly tear a part and find its mistakes and rewrite a paragraph or two for fun. I would say the most important element of writing that you want to get across to your student is that writing is a process. Writing, good writing, is about rewriting and saying what you have to say in the clearest most concise way possible with style. To achieve that goal takes time.

My dc are 13 and 11. I need to focus on teaching dc to write.

 

I am bad about buying a writing curriculum, start it, then drop it because I just don't get it.

 

I am purchasing Put That In Writing, level 1 today.

This is a good start, but this book focuses only on the paragraph. Your kids should be moving toward five paragraph essays. The five paragraph essay is an easy format, and you should be able to find, with a little web surfing, a site that offers the skeletal outline of the format. Once your kids become comfortable with the paragraph you might want to consider their expanding into this longer format. In your internet surfing you might also want to find the different types of essays expected of junior high students. Be sure your kids write paragraphs and essays in these different types.

I plan on starting this on Monday and going through the summer with dc.

Then I plan on starting IEW SWI B in August.

 

Best of luck and I hope this helps you on your journey.

[AnnetteB]

The Wordsmith series has worked well for us. The dc also work through Writing Strands, but they like the Wordsmith Craftsman books better. Both series speak directly to the child and guide them through the writing process. Our son's college professor asked who had taught him how to write and sent his compliments home to me. I feel that I just provide good materials and feedback. Ds has had published stories and enjoys writing. Four of the children so far enjoy writing stories and "books." We use A Beka 3rd grade Handwriting for their cursive skills. All the dc are voracious readers and reading good literature is a great aid to good writing skills.

[MamaT]

When I started teaching my dc to write (only two at that time), there was not much out there in the way of help. I had them write a LOT. They rewrote a lot. My 22yo son is now a prolific poet and a history major excelling in college. My other son has had several of his short stories published in magazines and is now in the process of writing a book at the urging of his English professor (he is a Marine and taking classes while stationed on Okinawa).

 

I would say one of the most important things was to have them read really good books all the time, and to have them do lots of writing - which you proof and they rewrite. They both will still hide with a book when they get the chance. They went through a Great Books Study and devoured the books (sometimes more than once).

[Riverfront Headmistress]

 

I would like to know how you went about doing it.

When did you start with your dc?

What did you use?

 

My eldest has an amazing gift of writing. I attribute it to her love of reading, and an inborn natural talent. In college, I never pursued (or finished) English 101, nor did I enlist in any writing classes.

 

What has worked for our family the following: narrations (first oral, then written), R&S 3-5, IEW A (currently enrolled in B). Dd has no problem whipping out 5 paragraph reports, including all the required dress-ups and openers. Writing is in her blood.

 

I'm following the same path with my younger dd. She is beginning to write narrations.

[Alana in Canada]

Pongo--what is KWO?

 

Your program sounds wonderful.

[MIch elle]

PTIW 1 was a bomb here. IEW History Based Writing works well for us!

[Stacy in NJ]

Pongo--what is KWO?

 

Your program sounds wonderful.

 

KWO = key word outline. An IEW strategy

[Julieofsardis]

I do not have a good writing background. We used Put That In Writing last year for 7th grade and it was a great success. It helped me to understand how to teach writing to my dd. Before that we had used R&S with a short stint in CW.

 

We actually went throught the first 14 lessons and then went back and did them again with different writing assignments. I thought my dd would benefit from solidifying the concepts and it really did help.

 

A couple of suggestions to make PTIW more user friendly. I changed the writing assignments slightly to match some of our current studies. That seemed relatively easy to do and made the program more enjoyable. I also reenforced the material with some items out of the appendix of the BJU 7 grammar and writing. It condensed the process of writing into some tables that were helpful. I think you could find something similar online.

[Pongo]

KWO = key word outline. An IEW strategy

 

 

Exactly!;)