My dd will be going into 6th grade and I am kinda burned out on "writing" curricula. Is it really necessary?? I plan to have her write some research papers and essays throughout the year, but I would rather throw in something more interesting in place of a writing curriculum. Any thoughts on this? :?
I have not used a writing curriculum until now. My ds will be 10th grade next year and I felt like he needed to have a more rigorous writing program. I love to write, but I found it difficult to go through the writing process with a child who hates writing. Using a curriculum to springboard from this past year helped a ton for us. Next year we will be following a writing curriculum my retired English teacher friend gave me. Looking forward to and so is ds. Glad we changed our approach.
I think it depends. If you are comfortable with teaching how to write and different strategies on how to improve writing then you don't need a curriculum. I see a curriculum as more than writing assignments. I see it more as a tool to improve writing.
No. There's nothing that is "absolutely needed". If you can get by without one, great. If you can't get by without one, that's fine, too. But you don't "have" to buy one just because others do. However, WRITING is important, with or without a set curriculum.
I wonder the same thing! My kids write a lot on their own time but absolutely hate it for school!!! I've had to trick them. We even tried IEW this year, and it just didn't click (well, not yet. Trying again next year b/c I really like the program....I'm just not really consistent with it!). I've tried so many different approaches and all have been failures. My oldest will be taking an Art Journalling class this month. I'm looking forward to that b/c it will get her writing. She does write a ton on her own. She's working on a book right now and won't let me look at it (I snuck a peak at the first chapter, and she's doing really well - but I don't want her to know I looked yet! LOL ). I don't know. I like what my evaluator says "Writer's write". Meaning if it's a heart's desire, they will do it, regardless.
This is one of the main reasons I decided to take a more systematic approach to teaching writing. As a person who enjoys writing, I found it extremely difficult to teach how to do it. I had to get help turning an art into a science.
I liked what kbabe said: "writers write". That is so true. I dont have much advice to give, really, I was kind of wondering the same thing myself... I do know that the more you write, the better you get (provided someone is correcting your work, obviously), with or without curricula. Sorry I can't be of any real help, but good luck!
I also gave up in "teaching" writing. To me, writing comes as natural as talking, and my kids have NO trouble talking, lol! You just "do it"!
Thanks guys! I feel better. We did a curriculum that I really liked this year, but it beagn to be so long we would never finish. After the first semester I gave up on it. I am thinking about doing sometheing low key, such as poetry. My dd only knows Roses are Red, not any of the other poetry things I remember learning. So, speaking on the terms of poetry, any recommendations? I was thinking Logos: Poetry Primer??
I try to unite poetry with unit studies. My kids have memorized "In Flanders Field", we've read "Old Ironside", "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", and "Oh, Captain, My Captain". Oh, and "Barbara Frietchie". Rachael even won a fiction contest for a piece she did based on "Barbara Frische". Poetry also makes great copy work!
The school I went to as a kid must have been absolutely horrible! I cannot for the life of me remember learning any poetry whatsoever! I've never heard of any of the above mentioned poems. I also never learned "writing". I'm not even sure I could tell you what a writing curriculm consisted of. The longer I'm at the Spot, the more I see the gaps in my own education, and I'm beginning to get more and more worried that I am going to miss something just out of ignorance.
I'd be thinking ahead. In many jobs, the ability to write is important. For some roles, the ability to collaborate on a report is important. With this in mind, could you make the writing a bit more fun by working with other parents so your children can work on a team project and write a team report together? Also, what about typing lessons at the computer? There are several good programs for this; I wish someone had taught me to type properly, instead of using just two fingers on each hand. It's a lifelong skill.
One of Michael Clay Thomspon's programs depending on how old your daughter is. I have A World of Poetry for my 12 yr old although it could likely work for kids a few years on either side of that. It's brilliant fun. It's Socratic in nature with the two of you sitting down and discussing the content so it's not dry at all.
I agree. I have a natural writer in my house but I myself was a natural writer and that didn't get me the skills to tackle anything but fiction. Different forms of writing have different demands in terms of structure. Some need proper citation, footnotes, a proper bibliography. Some need to build a persuasive argument while some simply need to present facts in a compelling manner. I honestly think sometimes that having a bit of talent in one direction can be a real handicap because might people see that talent and think, "She's fine. She's got a thing for that so she'll figure it out." Talent is just a leaning. It's not a replacement for solid, clear, reliable skills. ETA: I started out an unschooler but the further I get in homeschooling the more pushy and old fashioned I get with my kids. And funny thing is, the more I expect and the more work I give, the more they blossom. Weird. Another ETA: After rereading this post I think I'm probably more of a natural storyteller then writer. Ew.
Dawn, I'll check that out, thanks! Faythe LOVES poetry. She has three journals filled with poetry she's copied from all kinds of places, and has asked for a rhyme dictionary for her birthday (which is Saturday...15!!!)
She'd probably love this then. I should mention that it's less about studying different poems and more about learning the structure of poems and different kinds of poems. But it's one of those programs that needs to be done on the sofa with popcorn and hot chocolate or iced tea, depending on the season. Very cozy and inviting.
I agree. While I don't remember anything specific I may have learned about writing or poetry I think I must have been introduced to it. All I know is I hate it and dread teaching it. I don't mean to offend poetry lovers but I have happily survived my whole life without needing to know a thing about it. My hubby too. I think my kids could get by too unless it's some sort of requirement. I truly hate teaching things I think will not be of any use to my kids in their future (and I don't like). Poetry is one of them. I'd rather fill their minds with things I know they are interested in.
If Nancy Hanks came back as a ghost Seeking news of whom she love the most She'd ask first, "Where is my son? Where is Abe? What has he done?" I remember learning that one about third grade! I learned lots of Robert Louis Stevenson, and also A.A.Milne. One time in 7th grade, a guy was teasing me because I was reading "When We Were Very Young". He grabbed the book from me. Without skipping a beat, I started reciting the poem on the page...a rather long, drawn-out one, which totally floored him!
I think it all depends on the person. Some people can easily put their thoughts down on paper. Some people panic at the thought of having to write a paragraph, or worse a 5-paragraph paper or research paper, etc. I used to get stressed at the idea of any type of writing. I liked concrete subjects where there was only 1 right answer. Writing involves a lot of things--spelling, grammar, style, etc. I recently bought some stuff from IEW, but I haven't used it yet. I am hoping that it will help my son write better and show him that he can do it.
Writing is number 1 at our house. My older kids do writing in Social Studies, Science, and Lang. Arts. My 3rd grader is struggling a LOT with writing. A LOT! It is back to basics with him. I'm not sure you need an actual curriculum BUT writing can be taught. If I need more help I'll get the IEW for next year.
