Is this normal? (5th grade writing)

[Carrie12345]

This is my 5th graders first year home, and he's using a cyber charter, so he has not grown up with any of the WTM writing suggestions. My other kids are 6 and under, so I don't have real experience with any of the writing programs either.

Also, ds is an aspie, which may be a big part of this.

 

He's been working on simple essays this year. He has a fairly impressive vocabulary and an excellent grasp on spelling and grammar. He is not so great at summarizing or evaluating the information he reads, content-wise, but he can make it sound official, lol.

 

The part that's driving me nuts is his tendency to speak directly to the reader. "Let's take a look at the similarities and differences." or "Did you know that...."

 

I don't know if this is a big deal or not. I am trying to figure out if it's "normal". It drives ME bananas, so I want to know if I should ignore it, or if it makes sense to focus on it and fix it. He's really just copying the style he's used to reading.

 

If this is a habit I should try to break, any recommendations on what to use as a guide for a 10.5yo who has not had a classical education thus far?

[Soph the vet]

I have a 5th grader who enjoys writing ( so much that I outsource it). She is taking an IEW like class at a local co-op once a week with lots of homework. I think in some forms of writing that addressing the reader is OK and makes the piece interesting. The other thought I have is that your ds should not be using contractions in any formal writing (let's) unless it is in a conversation in a narrative.

I would change things in bits and pieces rather than overhauling him so you don't discourage his desire to write.

[Carrie12345]

I have a 5th grader who enjoys writing ( so much that I outsource it). She is taking an IEW like class at a local co-op once a week with lots of homework. I think in some forms of writing that addressing the reader is OK and makes the piece interesting. The other thought I have is that your ds should not be using contractions in any formal writing (let's) unless it is in a conversation in a narrative.

I would change things in bits and pieces rather than overhauling him so you don't discourage his desire to write.

 

That's exactly what I'm worried about. He LOVES to write. It's part of who he is. The last thing I want to do is discourage him.

 

Thank you for the tips. I was considering IEW if his father ever okays pulling him out of the cyber charter, but maybe we can look at it for the summer.

[Kay in Cal]

I think that rather than trying to "correct" his style, it is more important in the long run that he master the ability to write in other styles. My own personal writing faux pas is beginning propositional statements with the phrase "I think..." As one teacher noted in the margins, "We know you think it, you are writing the paper. Stop qualifying your arguments." But I still do it all the time in informal settings (note the truly unplanned beginning to this paragraph).

 

Addressing the reader is a legitimate stylistic choice that may be appropriate in many settings. For example, I'm a pastor--I address the "reader" all the time in my sermons, and have a similar style when I write devotions/articles/etc. However, I also can write a decent research paper. The trick is learning when to use various styles. If he's a natural writer, I might say "This is wonderful! Now, how might you write it if it was a formal research paper? Or a fictional story? Or a letter to a friend?"

 

Let's think about that, shall we? ;)

 

:auto: <--- my 5 year old insists that I need to insert the smiley face driving a car. So here it is!

:lurk5: <--- he likes this one too.