Back to Basics- Writing

This fall, as we have been in a time of transition as a family, I have needed to get "back to basics" in our homeschool.

Over the years, we have had many subjects going at one time and I have enjoyed planning and implementing different approaches, actually relishing the planning and teaching as I would a treasured hobby. Not so this year! I am tired! The adoption process and the subsequent travel and transition of our awesome new son into our family has left me very little mental energy for "mile-wide" school planning. All of my "systems" that I've used in the past are still what I default to (and I'm so glad to have them in place) but they only work if I *do* them! And it's been slow-going getting back into my tried and true systems of planning and organization. Add to that, that for the first time I have a high schooler, a middle schooler and an elementary schooler. Oh, and add to that that the elementary schooler speaks very, very little English.

So, it's been "back to basics" around here. Here's what I mean by that:

I sit at the park every afternoon while my sons play, practicing their basketball skills, Minte honing his bike-riding skills, all of us enjoying the change of seasons and getting some much-needed exercise. These daily outings to the park have afforded me the opportunity to read back through a few books that have become a lifeline to me as a homeschooler over the years:

• The Well-Trained Mind -- I LOVE this book because I think it sets forth a vision of excellence, and a buffet of "doable" things- binders, schedules, etc. from which to choose. I *don't* follow it to the letter, but I have always loved how Bauer and Wise inspire me to raise the bar in my homeschool.
  

• Ruth Beechick's books, A Strong Start in Language, An Easy Start in Arithmetic, A Home Start in Reading, and You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully. These are invaluable to me! I have always used these as a very basic resource because she gives you actual techniques and solid, time-tested wisdom. LOVE these.

So it is, on these afternoons at the park after I walk my laps around the pond, I have sat with my coffee or Diet DP and perused these books, trying to re-energize myself towards our school, refresh my memory on what I've done that has worked in the past, and convince myself the "all is not lost" in certain areas in which I've let us get behind. Yes, we've gotten behind! There, I said it! Over the years we have taken mission trips, taken on ministries, adopted a child, and certain academic areas ::cough::writing::cough::: have slipped through the cracks. Whew, I feel better now that I've admitted it. :)

So. What to do about it? Two weeks ago during my "park reading" I came across a list in Ruth Beechick's language book that helped me greatly as I was mentally lamenting not being as diligent in writing as I should have been. I have read this list many times, it was highlighted in my book, and I have implemented it over the years. But this time I read it with fresh eyes: the eyes of a mom with an English Language Learner, a middle schooler who hates writing, and a high schooler preparing to tackle essays for college prep.

Here is her list of writing skills, leveled in difficulty from easy to hard:

1. Trace a model letter or word.
2. Copy a model word or sentence.
3. Write a sentence from slow dictation, getting all the help necessary to make it correct.
4. Write a familiar sentence from dictation fiven at normal speed and expression. Compare. Write again.
5. Write an unfamiliar sentence from dictation. Compare. Write again.
6. Study a paragraph. Write as it is dictated sentence by sentence in normal expression. compare and correct errors.
7. Write an unfamiliar paragraph from dictation, deciding from the expression how it should be punctuated. Compare. Talk about any differences between your writing and the model. Learn from these differences.
8. Write from dictation a variety of passages which are longer than a paragraph- dialogues, descriptions, news stories, and others. Compare. Learn.
9. Review by repeating two or three times any lesson in which you made too many errors. (If you keep on making many errors, find easier sentences or paragraphs.)
10. Make notes on a passage of writing, put the notes away for a few days, then try to rewrite the passage from your notes. Compare to the model.
11. Find a description, poem, or any short piece of writing that you like. Use it as a pattern to write something of your own.
12. Find a letter to the editor or other piece of writing that you disagree with (wouldn't blogs be great for this? ;) Write your answer.
13. When you have something to say, decide what form you will use- essay, poem, letter, or other- and write your thoughts for someone else to read.

This has helped me so much because as I read this list, I saw it at a sort of "writing continuum." I could see where my ELL-son is. I could see where my 7th-grade-writing-hater is. I can see not only where they currently fall on the "continuum" but where we need to back up, review and practice in order to get our "writing feet" back under us and keep taking those steps.

Dr. Beechick goes on to expound on implementing these steps as well as give grade level guidelines, discuss spelling, and give sample lessons in the book, so I encourage you to get it (it's only $4.00 new on Amazon, and only $.01 from some sellers!). But just this list of steps has helped me to assess my kids writing "skill level" and realize that all I need to do is back up a "step" and do that for awhile. Another thing I've had to do is give myself (and my writing-avoidant son!) a LOT of grace. So, rather than struggling, we've simply been doing some well-chosen copywork and dictation. He's reminding his brain what good writing sounds and feels like. Just like a piano student plays songs that have been been written and performed by many others before him so he can learn the technique, a writing student can copy beautiful pieces of writing that have stood the test of time. My English-language-learner son can copy modeled letters and words. I know what they can do and what the next step is. I can get out of "analysis paralysis" and take some actual steps.

I just wanted to share something that is working for us, and encourage you during this season when so many of us typically slow down school for the holidays (a good thing) but then get disheartened as we reflect on what isn't working or what we didn't get done this fall (a bad thing.) All is not lost! Maybe you just need to stop, take an honest look at where you are and get "back to basics."

Writing Progress

I've posted before that we've been using Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Writing Intensive this year. I've been very pleased with their progress. I have required writing in previous years in the form of journaling, creative writing, and narrations from history readings, but we have never had a systematic writing curriculum until this year. Several years ago I listened to a Jessie Wise conference tape, and she suggested not doing a formal writing until the logic stage, especially creative writing. I remember her suggesting to simply fill their minds with great literature and well-crafted stories. I breathed a sigh of relief at the time, and took that as my license to lay aside writing until another year, as I felt really inadequate in teaching it. (I'm not sure that's what she meant, but that's what I did!) Last spring, after much research and a couple of years of prayer about IEW specifically, I walked into our HUGE homeschool curriculum fair and bought the IEW curriculum. That's all I bought at the curriculum fair, and it has been a wise investment for us. I bought the general dvd's for me, and the Student Writing Intensive levels A (for my 5th grader) and B (for my seventh grader.) I downloaded the weekly lesson plans which accompany the dvds here. I watched the teacher dvd's last summer, and they really refined how I view teaching writing. I am planning to implement what he said in future years of writing as we integrate it into our content areas (science, Bible, history, etc.) but I've been glad I had the student writing seminars for the kids. They have really been something I would concretely use, rather than just ideas or techniques for the teacher. Knowing me, I might have abandoned some of it or would not have been consistent if I didn't have weekly plans and curriculum.

My seventh grader has always been an apt writer, but this year she has gotten some specific techniques for strengthening her sentences and paragraphs. Last week, in her final week of report writing (before finishing the year with creative writing) her assignment was to apply the "dress-ups" she's learned so far to a paragraph she wrote in the first week of school. She read me the "before and after" sentences today, and I just wanted to share them to show the difference in her writing as a result of what Mr. Pudewa teaches in the program. The first paragraph was from an exercise in doing a key word outline and then rewriting a paragraph from the outline. The second paragraph is a rewrite of the first paragraph, using the dress-ups, clauses, and techniques she has learned:

Before:

(no title)

The heart is the most important muscle in our body, since it carries oxygen to all of our cells. Its frequency of beat is controlled by both the brain and a small patch of cells called sinoatrial node. It generates an electric signal which turns off and on around 100 times a minute. When the electric signal is on, muscles contract. When it is turned off, the cardiac muscles contract. When it is turned off, the cardiac muscles relax. The brain monitors the body's need for oxygen. When our body is resting, it decreases the electric signal in the sinoatrial node, which slows down the heart rate. Things such as nervousness or activity increase the electric signal.

After:

Your Amazing Heart

The heart, delivering oxygen to all of our cells and pumping blood throughout our body, is by far the most important muscle in your body. Its frequency of steady rhythm is kept so by the brain, and is also contributed to by your sinoatrial node. This tiny patch of cells generates an electric signal, turning off and on nearly 100 times per minute. Once off, your cardiac muscles relax. The brain, one of the most complex structures in your body, is constantly monitoring your body's need for oxygen. It will also decrease the electric signal of your sinoatrial node and take it to a slower pace while your body is resting. Likely, it will increase its activity and begin pumping harder once your body is active, or when nervousness or worry is present. The heart is truly one of the most important and amazing muscles in your body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her favorite writing is creative writing, so this isn't a sample of her "best" (nor is it meant to be) but simply an example of progress from September to April. In the past couple of weeks they have learned how to synthsize research from more than one source into a cohesive report using techniques I wish I would have learned when I was in school! It's been extremely helpful, and I just thought I'd share, in case you're thinking about this curriculum or it's being offered at a co-op near you.

Happy Writing!

It must be working!

We've been using the Institute for Excellence in Writing Student Writing Intensive dvd's this year. My fun and creative son just told me a subheading he's going to put on his next paper:

"Warning: This paper contains strong verbs and adverbial clauses. Reader discretion advised."

LOL! He chooses "strong verbs" now! He knows what "adverbial clauses" are now!

Oh, happy day...