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Writing Without Tears Digest (part 2)
======================================== MESSAGE: Creative flow vs. total washout AUTHOR: Carol DATE: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 2:30 p.m. Two years ago my dd and I did this "Draw a Story" exercise several times each week. She would draw a picture, thinking of a story to go with it as she drew. When she was finished she would dictate the story to me and I'd type it, print it and insert both the drawing and story into a notebook which we added to throughout the year. These stories were each about a page or two long. I'm sorry to say we got away from doing that last year. Reading the messages here has encouraged me to start doing this activity with her again and we have. She doesn't want to do "stories" this time, though - she wants to do a "chapter book." (7 years old now) I've noticed, however, that her stories (or chapters) seem to just ramble, compared to her stories of two years ago. Everything seems to be: "First she woke up, then she ate breakfast, then she brushed her teeth, then she played outside for a while, then she . . ." and so on ad nauseum. When I ask her to tell me what the story is ABOUT she is able to give me a pretty good synopsis: "It's about these friends that want to make a secret club, but they have some troubles along the way and have to fix the troubles." But she never seems to get to any of the friends, or the plans for a club or the troubles . . I seriously do not have a clue how to guide her along without discouraging her efforts so I just let her ramble and I just type the ramblings. Anybody got any experiences, ideas, recommended reading, etc. that can give me some insight into how to provide direction without intruding on the creative flow or offering too many suggestions to my "budding author?" Thanks! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 5:37 p.m. Response To: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Carol Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 2:30 p.m. Well, Carol, I want you to know that I RECOGNIZE this phenomenon! My own kids have done this same kind of thing, and I've asked myself the same sorts of questions. First of all, I think it's natural for us to expect that our children's abilities will develop steadily -- always in a forward motion -- so that if we were to chart all their skills over time, we'd end up with all these little lines moving in an upwardly diagonal direction at a constant rate. Well....NOT. I don't think kids really grow that way. "One step forward and two steps backward" is more the general rule of things. One thing that occurred to me in your description of how your daughter's chapters are unfolding is that it sounds like she's showing a real interest in DETAIL. Two years ago, she was probably listening to (or reading) short and simple stories that were pretty much "all plot," and her compositions doubtless reflected that. But now, at 7, she's probably enjoying longer stories that include more little daily events in the lives of the characters, and that may be what she's wanting to achieve in her current writing. It might sound like pointless rambling, and we're left wondering "where's the beef?" -- but this might just be a sign of your daughter's increased maturity. Another possibility is that her ambition currently exceeds her skill level. (Oh boy, I feel that way every day, myself!) Writing a novel, chapter by chapter, is a huge job. Definitely, it's a fantastic thing that she has so much confidence and ambition at this stage of her life. The lively, original mind that wrote those wonderful and creative little stories 2 years ago is STILL THERE, chugging away -- it's just working in a different gear this year. Even if her writing stays kind of pedestrian and rambling all year long, I think it's just fine. She may be developing skills in a completely different area right now -- for instance, her drawings may be showing a whole lot of creativity and the writing may just be auxiliary to her visual art expression this year. If she's happy with what she is producing, ALL IS WELL. Above all, avoid letting her get the impression that her storytelling talent has diminished in any way -- that could spell disaster for her future confidence as a writer. Meanwhile, you could do creativity exercises with her, just for fun. These wouldn't have to have anything to do with writing, as such, and in fact, the prime benefit might be that they'll help YOU feel better! LOL! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout AUTHOR: PattiC DATE: Thursday, 9 September 1999, at 9:50 a.m. Response To: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Cerelle Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 5:37 p.m. Hi Carol! As always, adore Cerelle's inspired perspective! My youngest , who adores to write and read (11yob), writes up a first paragraph or chapter that is all inspiration then usually has to stop, do a brainstorming sheet ( write everything he can think of on his topic/story in a few minutes or so), and then make himself some sort of rough "web" so he knows where his story is going and how he wants to get there. I introduced him to brainstorming and making webs last year as techniques to use in writing essays, but he has carried it over to his own personal creative writing with a lot of success. Maybe some of these techniques could be used ever so lightly with your daughter? Rough who, what, when, where and how "bubbles" are filled in with the information from the brainstorming page, with the extra info and adjectives branching out from these...giving you the web. Try it, but tread lightly, we do not want to stifle those creative juices or trounce on her enjoyment! > Well, Carol, I want you to know > that I RECOGNIZE this phenomenon! My > own kids have done this same kind of > thing, and I've asked myself the same > sorts of questions. > First of all, I think it's natural > for us to expect that our children's > abilities will develop steadily -- always > in a forward motion -- so that if we > were to chart all their skills over > time, we'd end up with all these little > lines moving in an upwardly diagonal > direction at a constant rate. Well....NOT. > I don't think kids really grow that > way. "One step forward and two > steps backward" is more the general > rule of things. > One thing that occurred to me in > your description of how your daughter's > chapters are unfolding is that it sounds > like she's showing a real interest in > DETAIL. Two years ago, she was probably > listening to (or reading) short and > simple stories that were pretty much > "all plot," and her compositions > doubtless reflected that. But now, at > 7, she's probably enjoying longer stories > that include more little daily events > in the lives of the characters, and > that may be what she's wanting to achieve > in her current writing. It might sound > like pointless rambling, and we're left > wondering "where's the beef?" > -- but this might just be a sign of > your daughter's increased maturity. > > Another possibility is that her > ambition currently exceeds her skill > level. (Oh boy, I feel that way every > day, myself!) Writing a novel, chapter > by chapter, is a huge job. Definitely, > it's a fantastic thing that she has > so much confidence and ambition at this > stage of her life. The lively, original > mind that wrote those wonderful and > creative little stories 2 years ago > is STILL THERE, chugging away -- it's > just working in a different gear this > year. > Even if her writing stays kind > of pedestrian and rambling all year > long, I think it's just fine. She may > be developing skills in a completely > different area right now -- for instance, > her drawings may be showing a whole > lot of creativity and the writing may > just be auxiliary to her visual art > expression this year. > If she's happy with what she is > producing, ALL IS WELL. Above all, avoid > letting her get the impression that > her storytelling talent has diminished > in any way -- that could spell disaster > for her future confidence as a writer. > > Meanwhile, you could do creativity > exercises with her, just for fun. These > wouldn't have to have anything to do > with writing, as such, and in fact, > the prime benefit might be that they'll > help YOU feel better! LOL! > Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Middle school writing.... AUTHOR: Brendan Desilets DATE: Friday, 10 September 1999, at 6:38 a.m. Response To: Middle school writing.... Author: Christina Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 12:03 p.m. Hi, Everyone, I don't have any particular grammar program to suggest, but I know that many home-schooled kids have had good on-line writing experiences with the Kidlink organization, which is on the Web at http://www.kidlink.org Starting on September 15, Kidlink, in its Kidforum division, is offering an opportunity for young people, up to age fifteen, to particpate in an exchange of views on friends and friendship; and, of course, home-schooled kids are most welcome. There's more information on the friendship topic at http://www.kidlink.org/KIDFORUM/friends99 I hope this is helpful. Peace, Brendan Desilets ======================================== MESSAGE: Institutes for Excellence in Writing AUTHOR: KarenS DATE: Friday, 10 September 1999, at 12:01 p.m. Has anyone used this? It's very expensive, but looks good. ======================================== MESSAGE: different approach AUTHOR: Gina Dawson DATE: Friday, 10 September 1999, at 10:56 p.m. I have a little different approach to writing I guess. I started last year having my daughter write whatever she wanted and then I gave her starters, that grew old real fast. She is just not gifted in creative writing, I'm not either and I hate it. So, this year I have her do a report on whatever she wants, this gives her writing practice by putting things in her own words and she is learning stuff at the same time. I guess I don't feel that I should make her do creative writing when it is a real struggle, I had the same problem, my brain just doesn't think that way. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout AUTHOR: Carol DATE: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 1:30 p.m. Response To: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Cerelle Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 5:37 p.m. Thanks for the feedback, Cerelle! Tedious as it seems, I believe I probably should just let the "writing" flow and let the content evolve as she matures. Can you give me some examples of what you mean by "creativity exercises?" I've got resources for creating writing exercises, but I'm not sure I understand the the type non-writing activities you're suggesting. (Probably because I'm not "creative" enough myself.) "And then she sat under a tree, and then she got up, and then she went back inside, and then she . . . " <8-} ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout AUTHOR: Carol DATE: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 1:32 p.m. Response To: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: PattiC Date: Thursday, 9 September 1999, at 9:50 a.m. Yikes! I'll have to learn to do this before I can help her do it! Have you ever seen any examples of this online or in print that I can use as a model? ======================================== MESSAGE: well after an hour of searching... AUTHOR: PattiC DATE: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 3:40 p.m. Response To: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Carol Date: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 1:32 p.m. No. So I will try and explain it. =8O Say your brainstorming for your story ( how about we use Charlottes Web) yeilds Wilbur,pig, runt, spider, barn, Fern, web, Templeton, mouse, kind, young, Charlotte, friend, lonely, hungry... You make a large circle with Wilbur in it then a line/spoke to another smaller circle with pig inside and another small circle for the other adjectives or other words having to do with Wilbur resulting in a "web" about Wilbur. You would do the same thing for all the other characters or topics that you got from your brainstorming ( sometimes interconnecting the related topics). This is a LOT more complicated then you probably want to get into with her just yet but I wanted to try to give a complete explanation. To start out with your daughter, you could do a story she already knows, the shorter the better. You could even try the who what when where and how style web ( although how may not make much sense to her). Keep it short and simple as you can. Towards writing her own story, you could ask her who is the story about, and what happens( in a sentence or two). Then she could brainstorm about those ideas ( dictating to you as much as she can think of about the main characters and the story itself, one topic at a time). Together organize it into a web. I wouldn't try this more than once in a blue moon, not with every writing project she wants to do. You definately want to go VERY easy with this but it might help her see the story should have some sort of loose structure. And my kids like doing it...like making their own puzzle. Another technique is for her to make a story board style drawing herself to work out how the story begins, unfolds, and ends. That you could probably do more often. Hope this is helpful and not too confusing. > Yikes! I'll have to learn to do > this before I can help her do it! Have > you ever seen any examples of this online > or in print that I can use as a model? > ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: spelling AUTHOR: Terri DATE: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 7:24 p.m. Response To: spelling Author: Leslie Date: Sunday, 5 September 1999, at 11:33 a.m. Where can I find this book? Terri ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: spelling AUTHOR: Leslie DATE: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 10:31 p.m. Response To: Re: spelling Author: Terri Date: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 7:24 p.m. I'm not sure where you can find this book now. It's written by a homeschooler. I bought it through Great Christian Books. I know they are out of business now. At the time I bought my copy, GCB was the only catalog carrying the book. That was a year or two ago. The publisher is Back Home Industries Inc. PO Box 22495; Milwaukie, OR 97269. I hope you can find it. It's a great little book. For several years, I looked and looked in every catalog and teachers book store for a book like it. All I wanted was a list of spelling rules, no lists or tests, just the rules. No one had anything like it. When I saw it in the GCB catalog, I ordered it imediately. I think I paid around $12 to $14 for it. Leslie > Where can I find this book? > Terri ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout AUTHOR: Leslie DATE: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 10:49 p.m. Response To: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Carol Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 2:30 p.m. Carol, My teenage daughter has been reading mystery novels...you know the ones where you can't wait to turn the page. This has really made her writing interesting. Now, instead of writing a "then she did this, then she did this" she writes very descriptive, almost in color. For instance, she and her cousin are writing a novel. She gave her cousin ideas on how to make it more interesting. Instead of describing all the details of each person and place in a boring way, she wrote something like this..."The car came screaming down the wet road. Cindy panicked and ran into the woods..." This was her introduction to the book. Instead of... "Cindy was 15 years old, lived in a country house, went to a big school, had lots of friends....." Rather than report form, it's more of a grabber from the beginning. Anyway, reading many different styles of writing helps to increase writing ability. Leslie > Two years ago my dd and I did this > "Draw a Story" exercise several > times each week. She would draw a picture, > thinking of a story to go with it as > she drew. When she was finished she > would dictate the story to me and I'd > type it, print it and insert both the > drawing and story into a notebook which > we added to throughout the year. These > stories were each about a page or two > long. I'm sorry to say we got away from > doing that last year. > Reading the messages here has encouraged > me to start doing this activity with > her again and we have. She doesn't want > to do "stories" this time, > though - she wants to do a "chapter > book." (7 years old now) > I've noticed, however, that her > stories (or chapters) seem to just ramble, > compared to her stories of two years > ago. Everything seems to be: "First > she woke up, then she ate breakfast, > then she brushed her teeth, then she > played outside for a while, then she > . . ." and so on ad nauseum. When > I ask her to tell me what the story > is ABOUT she is able to give me a pretty > good synopsis: "It's about these > friends that want to make a secret club, > but they have some troubles along the > way and have to fix the troubles." > But she never seems to get to any of > the friends, or the plans for a club > or the troubles . . . > I seriously do not have a clue > how to guide her along without discouraging > her efforts so I just let her ramble > and I just type the ramblings. Anybody > got any experiences, ideas, recommended > reading, etc. that can give me some > insight into how to provide direction > without intruding on the creative flow > or offering too many suggestions to > my "budding author?" > Thanks! ======================================== MESSAGE: 8 silly ways to be more creative TODAY! AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 2:29 a.m. Response To: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Carol Date: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 1:30 p.m. Ha ha! Does that sound like a magazine headline or what? But Carol asked, "Can you give me some examples of what you mean by 'creativity exercises?'" -- so here's my mostly inadequate answer... I really didn't have anything real fancy in mind -- just something in the "divergent thinking" vein, I suppose, the idea being to loosen up the thought processes a bit, so that instead of doing the usual thing -- trying to zero in on the "one right answer" -- we encourage ourselves and our kids to generate multiple possible answers. Am I making any sense yet? You want examples, right? OK, here are a few VERY simple ideas (you'll be saying, "Shucks, we do this every day, already!"): 1.) The answer is "Ten." What's the question? Think of as many questions as you can (perhaps in a pre-agreed time period) to which the answer is exactly 10. Ex.: How many toes do I have? What is 25 - 15? How many years in a decade? How many dots on a double-five domino? How many puppies did Brownie have last summer?) 2.) Play "Curious Connections." In this "game," you begin with two completely different items or ideas and establish some kind of relationship between them. There aren't any rules here -- just have fun. If the two items are, let's say, a diamond ring and a dog, you could tell a story about how a dog restored a ring to its rightful owner, or you could draw a picture of a tiny circus dog jumping through a diamond ring, or you could simply point out that "dog" and "diamond" both begin with the letter D. 3.) Look at the world from a fresh angle. This could mean standing on your head in the middle of the living room. It could mean reading the comics through a magnifying glass. It could mean having pizza for breakfast or oatmeal for dinner. It could mean using acorns for math manipulatives. It could mean imagining that you've just grown 20 feet, and that little bug on the sidewalk might be Grandpa. Careful -- don't step on him! 4.) Play a familiar game, but change the rules. (If you turn pale at the thought -- like I always used to -- it means you could probably use a little more creativity in your daily life!) For example, you could play your favorite card game, but let all the queens be "wild cards" and agree that each player takes two turns at a time. If the game doesn't work well under the new rules, no harm done -- and in fact, you've both learned something! If you keep experimenting, you might discover ways to make certain games more satisfying or fairer or more exciting -- or you might develop a deeper appreciation for the old rules. 5.) Take half an hour to make up new words for familiar household objects. Write them on cards and attach them to the objects in question. See if you can memorize them all by the end of the day. (Caution: This is one of those seemingly harmless activities that can snowball on you. Your kids could end up insisting that everyone refer to the dining table as a "hoxy-poxy" for the next several weeks.) 6.) Come up with 10 new uses for some routine object, like a paper clip. In the arena of creative activities, this one's terribly overused (in my opinion), but it still has its place. Kids tend to be really good at thinking up new applications for napkin rings or those little plastic tabs that keep bread sacks closed -- and sometimes we adults are lucky enough to profit from the originality of their ideas. 7.) Imagine you're granted a wish that will last for exactly one hour. What will you wish for? Try to think of lots of different things and then choose one. 8.) Put on some instrumental music, close your eyes, and let it suggest a story. Start with a setting, then add a character, and so on. Most educators tend to do this with classical recordings, and that's fine -- but why not try jazz or blues or folk? What about a good drum solo or bagpipes? Well, that's a start. I imagine lots of parents do things like this with their kids intuitively and never think of them as "creativity exercises," per se. You can find long lists of ideas like these in books and articles that are specifically about boosting creativity, but it's probably more CREATIVE to think up your own. LOL! Have fun! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Here's an interesting website... AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 2:50 a.m. Response To: Re: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Carol Date: Saturday, 11 September 1999, at 1:30 p.m. Somewhere in the back of my head, I must have remembered that you asked Patti for a website about webbing, because I went looking for good sites with creativity exercises. "Enchanted Mind" really looks good. I haven't had time to explore the whole site, but they make some good points here about the dampening effects of a typical education on creativity, etc., and there appear to be many attractive links and features. Enjoy! http://enchantedmind.com/tools.htm Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Book recommendation AUTHOR: Kat DATE: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 3:50 p.m. I recently read _Lessons From a Child, On the Teaching and Learning of Writing_ by Lucy McCormick Calkins. It's got our whole household infected with the writing bug, even my husband had to try it out when he comes home after work...he saw the girls and I having so much fun with it. The book is mostly concerned with 2nd and 3rd grade children, but the information is applicable to anyone. Kat ======================================== MESSAGE: New Writing Club met today for plans.... AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 9:01 p.m. Hello All!! We got our writing club off to a good start with a planning meeting today. We've got kids from age 6 1/2 to age 10! Looks like at least 7 families. Hooray!! To me, that's terrific. The club also feels very balanced in the boy:girl ratio which I am very excited about. We've got a first meeting date set aside, oh...and a place to meet. [we all know how important securing a good place is!] To open the club the kids will all be giving a "book recommendation" to the group. One mom has already volunteered to host the first session and plan the activity. We generated tons of ideas of what we could do. One thing for sure is that at the end of the year or several months down the road the kids will be able to place their "best" work into a "group-produced" book. We'll have it bound professionally at the local Office Depot and it doesn't cost much. I think this will be a very exciting thing for the kids. Just wanted you all to know that it was very helpful posting here and getting all your ideas. It helped me to have a framework to think in and to generate ideas of my own. Thank you again. Dawne Oh, since this topic is only for Sept. I'll be here again with more questions I'm sure :0) ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: New Writing Club met today for plans.... AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 10:57 p.m. Response To: New Writing Club met today for plans.... Author: Dawne Date: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 9:01 p.m. > Hello All!! We got our writing > club off to a good start with a planning > meeting today. We've got kids from age > 6 1/2 to age 10! Looks like at least > 7 families. Hooray!! To me, that's terrific. > The club also feels very balanced in > the boy:girl ratio which I am very excited > about. This is terrific! Dawne, I'd like to know everything you end up doing with your writing club. I really want to start one. Please post ideas and what your plans are as they develop. Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: Giovanna, just the woman I wanted to talk to... AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Tuesday, 14 September 1999, at 9:31 a.m. Response To: Re: New Writing Club met today for plans.... Author: Giovanna Date: Monday, 13 September 1999, at 10:57 p.m. > This is terrific! Dawne, I'd like > to know everything you end up doing > with your writing club. I really want > to start one. Please post ideas and > what your plans are as they develop. > Great timing!! I was gonna email you today on this very subject! I know you want to start a writing club too. One of the things I'd like to see would be some of our kids paired with kids from your group to be pen-pals or e-pals. Wouldn't that be fun? I don't think EVERY kid in our group would be interested but I'm guessing many of them would be. Believe it or not it your link to the page on dictation was perfectly timed. MANY of the kids in our group will benefit from this. Including my own son whom I suspect to be dyslexic and some of the younger 6s. We met in a park to plan while the kids played. We set up some goals and found a meeting time (the hardest part). We just decided first of all to be flexible and relaxed. Some kids may draw a lot or write captions while others may write paragraphs. Everything is just fine with us. We also agreed there would be NO editing in the first few months. Later as the year progresses we'll tackle that. We'll be meeting 2x a month. Luckily it looks like we have the use of a church. We will split the younger siblings into one room and the 6 and above into the other. This way we can take turns helping our older kids in the writing club. Each week a diff. mom will supervise the younger ones. The younger kids will be allowed to play but will also be read to. All the kids will bring a snack/lunch to the meeting. The meetings last 1 hour and a half. We all agree that parents must be there. They know where their own child is in development and also need some clue as to what is going on so they can help the child with the "in between activities". For our next meeting late this month we have decided that each child will "review" a book for the group [whatever that means to each child]. So, I think the meeting will go like this. Show up and settle down. Introduce ourselves. Each child shares their book review and is applauded, NO criticism constructive or otherwise. Then one of the moms will have an activity. I don't know what she'll do. But the "host" of that meeting is responsible for getting books from the library around their "theme". Then as a group we do something in line with her theme and then the kids are encouraged to do it more independently or with help from mom for the rest of the meeting. The take home activity will follow what they "learned or practiced" in that session. Then 2 weeks later we do it again. Present "take home work". Learn something new. Read good books and work indiv. or in small groups. Hand out assignment for next meeting. Somewhere in that time we'll feed 'em too!! You know how food soothes even the savage beast, ha ha. Some of the things we'll be doing: round robin stories sequencing (many sentances from the book just read and the kids have to put them back in order) poetry (the haiku, cinquain, couplet) I would like to see the group tackle "literary devices" such as personification and alliteration. We could read Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel. Talk about how she has a face, dialogue and emotions. Encourage the kids to create a story where some inanimate object is personified. I'd also like, LATER in the year, to give proper attention to PARTS of a book. Why the table of contents is where it is, what function it serves. What a preface is and why we have an index or glossary in the back. Ok, maybe some of this may be "too much" but certainly the table of contents and preface should be covered. After all, our writers are creating a book! Why not just jump in once you've got a few families? We're kinda playin it by ear these first few months but I think it'll work out just fine. At the end of the year we will have a book created by the group. This is where I think editing falls in nicely. They will WANT their best stuff in a "book" you know and should be very open to gentle suggestions and learning certain "rules" and such. Keep us posted when and how your club forms, Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: No, but I just heard about them from another mom... AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Tuesday, 14 September 1999, at 9:35 a.m. Response To: Institutes for Excellence in Writing Author: KarenS Date: Friday, 10 September 1999, at 12:01 p.m. > Has anyone used this? It's very > expensive, but looks good. Are you referring to the all day workshops they put on? Kids in I believe 4th grade and above go to an all day workshop put on by 2 professional authors. We have an Institute for Excellence in Writing about 90 min. away. I haven't checked it out b/c my son is too young. Is this what you meant? IF it is I have heard they are WELL worth the time. Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: An idea... AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Tuesday, 14 September 1999, at 9:45 a.m. Response To: Creative flow vs. total washout Author: Carol Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 2:30 p.m. > is ABOUT she is able to give me a pretty > good synopsis: "It's about these > friends that want to make a secret club, > but they have some troubles along the > way and have to fix the troubles." > But she never seems to get to any of > the friends, or the plans for a club > or the troubles . . . ok, here is what I thought when I read your post. Maybe she needs what I think is a "story board". In a summer reading club this year the last book was "Make your Own Space Story". The first thing we did was take a poster size piece of paper [included] and jot down what each page would have on it. Ben did NOT want to do this however; he did it b/c he thought all the other kids would be doing it :) So he gave me a feel for the larger work and I helped him break in into pieces so that each page would have room for a pic. and a sentance. ANYway...the point is that maybe she needs to see the bigger picture. Brainstorm it and then jot in down somehow. THEN as she goes forward in the story's development she can refer back to HER OWN IDEAS at any time. You cannot get the book I mentioned in the library but you can buy any book from the "Make Your Own _____________ Story" series and see if it works. Or just take the idea of jotting down the rough plot and filling in details. FWIW, I was told by the reading club leader that Ben had one of the best stories. I think it was because he had a plan and followed it. Many kids didn't do that step and their work was dis-jointed and scattered. Their moms also reported a "struggle" to get them to do the work, etc.., Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: FYI, Zany Brainy is hosting a Journal Jam journal club that I believe follows the American Girls theme. nt AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Tuesday, 14 September 1999, at 9:46 a.m. a ======================================== MESSAGE: Homeschooler email/geography project. Could be great for the kids who keyboard eagerly but complain over "writing". (details inside) AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 10:32 a.m. Just forwarding this along. Hello! My name is Amanda and I am a homeschooler in the 5th grade. I live Goodlettsville, Tennessee, USA, about 15 miles north of Nashville. I have decided to map an email project. I am curious to see where In the world my email will travel by Internet, between August 10 - October 10, 1999. I would like your help. If you receive this message, please: 1) email back and tell me your location so I can plot it on my world map; AND, 2) Send my letter on to more people. Thank you for any help you can give. My email address is: jtandmt@mindspring.com Thanks again, Amanda Taylor ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Giovanna, just the woman I wanted to talk to... AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 5:02 p.m. Response To: Giovanna, just the woman I wanted to talk to... Author: Dawne Date: Tuesday, 14 September 1999, at 9:31 a.m. > We also agreed > there would be NO editing in the first > few months. Later as the year progresses > we'll tackle that. Yes this is good. My big goal for our writing club wouldn't be handwriting improvement. I want to see some creative juices flowing! I want to see the kids inventing and creating. Later on the grammar part of it can be addressed. Maybe. :-) > We'll be meeting 2x a month. I think this is good. At first I thought once a month. But I don't think that's frequent enough. > Each child shares their book > review and is applauded, NO criticism > constructive or otherwise. Will this be an oral review or will it be written? Have you thought of giving your writing club a "name?" Giovanna (who survived Hurricane Floyd...I had to evacuate my home but the storm took a turn at an unexpected hour...we have minor damage, nothing serious. I'm glad to be back home) ======================================== MESSAGE: WELCOME BACK!!!! AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 5:29 p.m. Response To: Re: Giovanna, just the woman I wanted to talk to... Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 5:02 p.m. > Yes this is good. My big goal for > our writing club wouldn't be handwriting > improvement. I want to see some creative > juices flowing! I want to see the kids > inventing and creating. Later on the > grammar part of it can be addressed. > Maybe. :-) I don't think handwriting or "penmanship" will EVER be an issue in this club. > I think this is good. At first I thought once a month. But I don't think that's frequent enough. I think for this age group 2 x month is pretty good. > Will this be an oral review or will it be written? They are encouraged to "write" a review. That may mean draw a picture about the book, a caption, sentance or even a paragraph. It will be shared BY THEM orally. > Have you thought of giving your writing club a "name?" Well...no. Can't believe we didn't even think of that. > Giovanna (who survived Hurricane Floyd...I had to evacuate my home but the storm took a turn at an unexpected hour...we have minor damage, nothing > serious. I'm glad to be back home) Welcome home! Glad you are all safe but what happened to the ducks? And...when you left did you rush to save the curricula and DK books? Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: Writing Club AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 6:17 p.m. Response To: WELCOME BACK!!!! Author: Dawne Date: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 5:29 p.m. > They are encouraged to "write" > a review. That may mean draw a picture > about the book, a caption, sentance > or even a paragraph. It will be shared > BY THEM orally. This is a great idea for the club's kickoff meeting. Maybe you can let the kids pick a name for the writing club? > Welcome home! Glad you are all > safe but what happened to the ducks? > And...when you left did you rush to > save the curricula and DK books? HA! Yes! I did save curricula and my most cherished DK books. I couldn't save them all. We didn't have enough trunk space in the car. We took our dog and our rabbit. We tried to put our ducks in a crate but they wouldn't stand for it. I finally had leave them and hope they would be able to sustain the storm. I left the house in tears. The ducks did just fine, though! And we had no water damage or flooding of any kind so everything is pretty much intact. Thank God! I'm really excited about the writing club and I am very thankful that you have posted your wonderful ideas for me to copy! :-) I plan to have a mom's meeting soon. How long will you meetings be? 2 hours? Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Writing Club AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 8:51 p.m. Response To: Writing Club Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 15 September 1999, at 6:17 p.m. We chose to meet for 1 1/2 hours. Of course a good 30 min. of that will be food time but that's ok. glad to hear the ducks are ok, guess they really do like water :) Here in MD we are getting some "nice" rain and tomorrow is billed as a tropical storm. but writing club isn't until the 27th so we'll be fine sitting it out at home. I like the idea of kids giving book reviews. Most of them have seen Reading Rainbow and the end is a really great segment. We often get those books after hearing other kids talk about them. Enjoy the planning meeting. Its really a great brainstorming exercise for the grown ups. Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: middle school writing AUTHOR: AudreyA41 DATE: Thursday, 16 September 1999, at 9:34 a.m. Response To: Here's something... Author: Whitney Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999, at 1:28 p.m. I really like a book I purchased that is actually designed for the teacher. There are plenty of workbook pages to copy along the way. It's called Four Square Writing Method. The cover "says" it's for grades 7-9, but I'm using it with my sixth grader. The assignments do need a brief explanation at first. I also like the Basics First workbook series. The Grammar one seems goods. (by Frank Schaffer Publications). Best wishes! ======================================== MESSAGE: Spelling AUTHOR: Gina DATE: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 2:22 a.m. Response To: spelling Author: Leslie Date: Sunday, 5 September 1999, at 11:33 a.m. I was curious about this book also so I did a search on Amazon.com by the authors name and I came up with Spelling Boosters by Wanda Sanseri. Is this something different? Gina > This is my fifth year homeschooling. > We tried many different types of spelling > programs. After finding they were not > producing lasting spelling skills, I > finally started having my daughter make > her own spelling notebook. This notebook > is a simple spiral bound notebook with > each page labeled for one letter in > the alphabet. We circle the misspelled > words in her own writing. She writes > the word the way she spelled it on the > appropriate page. She looks up the word > and then writes the proper spelling > next to the original. We go over the > spelling rules that give the "why" > for the spelling and many times add > other words under the original word > that follow that same spelling rule. > For finding the spelling rules, we use > a book called: "The Alpha List > - A Dictionary Focusing on the Logic > of English Spelling" by Wanda Sanseri. > (ISBN# 1-880045-15-X) This book is not > a spelling curriculum, but a list of > common misspelled words and the spelling > rules for them. My daughter improved > her spelling skills (as per a standardized > test) by two grade levels in one year. > We have found this to be a much better > and longer lasting system than memorizing > random spelling lists. ======================================== MESSAGE: found this neat book, anyone heard of it?.... AUTHOR: Christina DATE: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 12:26 p.m. I got a book called Writing Incredibly Short Plays Poems and Stories from the library discard shelf for a dime. I really like the text and activities, they are short but very clear and easy to understand. I am going to use it with my three middle schoolers. They read the first few pages and did the first activity and love it! It appears to be a textbook and was published by Harhourt Brace Joovanovich in 1972. Anyone heard of it? ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Spelling AUTHOR: Leslie DATE: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 3:12 p.m. Response To: Spelling Author: Gina Date: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 2:22 a.m. Gina, I'm not sure about this book. I've never heard of it. I don't know if it's the same one or not. Maybe you could contact the publisher or the distributer and ask them. I wish I could be of more help. Like I said, the only place I could find the book was in Great Christian books catalog and they are now out of business. If it were me, I think I would write to the publisher: Back Home Industries, Inc. PO Box 22495; Milwaukie, OR 97269 Hope you find it. Leslie ======================================== MESSAGE: I found it!! (spelling) AUTHOR: Leslie DATE: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 3:25 p.m. Response To: Spelling Author: Gina Date: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 2:22 a.m. Hey Gina, I did a search and found it at a Barnes and Noble online book sale. The URL is VERY long.... http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=25NHXBEIIP&mscssid=KPN93PHXDVS12J5G0017QJ1W755CAAB3&sourceid=00002155800261505897&bfdate=09-18-1999+15:17:15&pcount=0&srefer=&salesurl=Rshop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp&isbn=188004515X Leslie ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Institutes for Excellence in Writing AUTHOR: jenny DATE: Saturday, 18 September 1999, at 4:35 p.m. Response To: Institutes for Excellence in Writing Author: KarenS Date: Friday, 10 September 1999, at 12:01 p.m. > Has anyone used this? It's very > expensive, but looks good. I am using this material. I never went to the seminar, nor did I order the videos, instead I ordered the Semnar Workbook and the Blended Structure and Style in Composition and am doing OK with them. Probably I would benefit from the videos or seminar but can't afford them. Teaching writing this way involves a lot of teacher involvement The material is divided up into 9 units which you repeat each year but only go through 3 or 4 units in the lower grades. In the first unit you learn to do outlines from paragraphs. The teacher has to provide appropriate paragraphs at appropriate reading levels, mostly narrative or short story, or from history or science, eventually the students can find their own. In the second unit you write summaries from the outlines. In the third unit you make a three paragraph outline from a story, the first concentrating on the setting, the second the plot, and the third the climax, and then you write summaries from the outline. In the fourth unit you learn to make outlines from three different sources and fuse them together. In the fifth unit you make outlines from a series of pictures. I haven't done the others yet but they go into more complete essays and critiques. As the student is working through these units, you teach them style, called dress-ups and sentence openers. For example, you start with vivid verbs. You look at each verb in the summaries and work on making them better. From then on every paragraph has to have at least one. Then quality adjectives, then and "ly" word, then an adverb clause and so forth. After each style is taught then each paragraph has to have at least one of each. Then you teach sentences starting with preposition phrases, then "ly" openers, then clausal openers, and so forth. Then each paragraph has to have as many kinds of sentence openers as possible and no more than two of a kind in a row. FOr older kinds after they have managed all this you start on more advanced stylistic devices. The lessons are not spelled out. I teach each style to each of my children as they are ready and not always in the same order. How to teach the style is up to me. There are some suggestions in the two books I use. I teach the grammar of whatever style we are working on at the same time. My kids turn out some well written paragraphs. It is an excellent program and they really like it. ("really" is a banned word, by the way.) They can read their paragraph over and hear how good it sounds. We can vary it by doing outlines on whatever subject we want, and not just from another paragraph. Doing outlines from paragraphs gives content to the writing, though, without the kids having to come up with their own subject. But it does require someone to teach each style, to go over the paragraphs with the child, to make suggestions, and so forth. I have learned a lot trying to teach using this method and have been well rewarded by their interest. It provides me with guidelines in how to evaluate their writing and provides them with specific ways to write good paragraphs. ======================================== MESSAGE: Format Writing AUTHOR: AudreyA41 DATE: Sunday, 19 September 1999, at 9:09 p.m. I saw the term "format writing" mentioned somewhere. Is this simply a term for following a format when writing, like an essay for example? Or is it some kind of book/workbook/company? I'm very interested in diagramming essays. Anybody got any suggestions? Following a format was very helpful to me, and seems to help my daughter. Also, on a somewhat related topic... I'm new to homeschooling. My child and I are reading novels. Does any company produce outlines, vocab lists, suggested questions, etc. on the various books commonly used (like Newberry winners)? We are currently reading The Egypt Grade (rec. for sixth grade). Help!!! Thanks audrey farmer2@gate.net ======================================== MESSAGE: novel studies AUTHOR: LizMessick DATE: Monday, 20 September 1999, at 4:08 p.m. Response To: Format Writing Author: AudreyA41 Date: Sunday, 19 September 1999, at 9:09 p.m. > Also, on a somewhat related topic... > I'm new to homeschooling. My child and > I are reading novels. Does any company > produce outlines, vocab lists, suggested > questions, etc. on the various books > commonly used (like Newberry winners)? > We are currently reading The Egypt Grade > (rec. for sixth grade). Help!!! > Thanks audrey farmer2@gate.net Audrey, I have used novel studies for several years with my kids. My favorite novel study lesson books are the Inside Stories series from Dandy Lion. These have vocabulary lists, questions (not just run-of-the-mill repeat-the-plot questions, but ones that require some thought) for each chapter or group of chapters, and, at the end, conclusion and summary questions for the novel as a whole, and a page of ideas for extension activities. There are 5 Inside Stories books, ranging from Book 1 (for grades 2-3) with titles such as Charlotte's Web, Sign of the Beaver, Soup and Me, and Little House in the Big Woods, to Book 5 (for grades 7-8) which has questions for A Swiftly Tilting Planet, A Christmas Carol, Jacob Have I Loved, and Ten Little Indians, among others. (There are 10 titles covered in each Inside Stories book.) I really like novel studies for teaching writing. The kid doesn't have the burden of coming up with something to write about, for starters. And analyzing someone else's characters, themes, and plot, are a good way to learn how a story is put together. Reading and writing are both more interesting that way. And for teaching kids to write essays, answering a novel study question like "Describe Johnny as he appears to be at this point in the story" (from Johnny Tremain), forces the reader to use examples from the book to back up an impression or opinion. The URL for Dandy Lion is www.dandylionbooks.com ======================================== MESSAGE: Novels AUTHOR: Kathy in CT DATE: Tuesday, 21 September 1999, at 8:43 a.m. Response To: Format Writing Author: AudreyA41 Date: Sunday, 19 September 1999, at 9:09 p.m. Hi Audrey, Another good source of novel studies is the Doucette Index K-12 Lesson Ideas for Literature, which can be found at: http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/litindex/ Good Luck! Kathy in CT ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Format Writing AUTHOR: Susan M DATE: Thursday, 23 September 1999, at 11:14 a.m. Response To: Format Writing Author: AudreyA41 Date: Sunday, 19 September 1999, at 9:09 p.m. > I saw the term "format writing" > mentioned somewhere. Is this simply > a term for following a format when writing, > like an essay for example? Or is it > some kind of book/workbook/company? Format Writing is a book by Frode Jensen. My high schooler is currently using it. It covers all types of essays--although not diagramming essays--as well as writing precises (condensations of passages) and research papers. It uses a definite format for the essays--hence the title--which is a good way for students who are not natural writers to learn essays, although we do not always follow it precisely. We have found it to be a useful book. Susan M ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Format Writing AUTHOR: AudreyA41 DATE: Thursday, 23 September 1999, at 7:41 p.m. Response To: Re: Format Writing Author: Susan M Date: Thursday, 23 September 1999, at 11:14 a.m. > Thank you Susan and the other great moms re: novels. Susan, do you think that Format Writing would be helpful for me in working with a middle school student? Also, can you tell me the publisher's name? Thanks. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: novel studies AUTHOR: Holly DATE: Friday, 24 September 1999, at 1:27 p.m. Response To: novel studies Author: LizMessick Date: Monday, 20 September 1999, at 4:08 p.m. > Audrey, > I have used novel studies for several > years with my kids. My favorite novel > study lesson books are the Inside Stories > series from Dandy Lion. These have vocabulary > lists, questions (not just run-of-the-mill > repeat-the-plot questions, but ones > that require some thought) for each > chapter or group of chapters, and, at > the end, conclusion and summary questions > for the novel as a whole, and a page > of ideas for extension activities. There > are 5 Inside Stories books, ranging > from Book 1 (for grades 2-3) with titles > such as Charlotte's Web, Sign of the > Beaver, Soup and Me, and Little House > in the Big Woods, to Book 5 (for grades > 7-8) which has questions for A Swiftly > Tilting Planet, A Christmas Carol, Jacob > Have I Loved, and Ten Little Indians, > among others. (There are 10 titles covered > in each Inside Stories book.) > I really like novel studies for > teaching writing. The kid doesn't have > the burden of coming up with something > to write about, for starters. And analyzing > someone else's characters, themes, and > plot, are a good way to learn how a > story is put together. Reading and writing > are both more interesting that way. > And for teaching kids to write essays, > answering a novel study question like > "Describe Johnny as he appears > to be at this point in the story" > (from Johnny Tremain), forces the reader > to use examples from the book to back > up an impression or opinion. > The URL for Dandy Lion is www.dandylionbooks.com > Hello MY name is Holly. I have been Homeschooling for about 2 1/2 years, this is my first year Homeschooling all the way through. (I'm a JR. in High school.) I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird right now, & I get my Vocabualry words out of the book. NOT what I think soem "teacher" in school would give me, but words I don't know. AS for getting your child to write, you could have her re-write the very begining or ending or chapter of a book. (For creative writing, I re-wrote The first 2 1/2 pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, because I always thought the begining was very boring! Well, let me know if this helps you any! ~~~~Holly P.s. When I was in sixth grade, I loved reading Laura Ingells Wilder books. They also help teach history. > ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Format Writing AUTHOR: Susan M DATE: Friday, 24 September 1999, at 3:06 p.m. Response To: Re: Format Writing Author: AudreyA41 Date: Thursday, 23 September 1999, at 7:41 p.m. I think Format Writing is better for high school age, unless your middle schooler is already a good writer for his/her age. It uses a pretty high level of vocabulary in it, and it is not written in a particularly interesting way, although I think the material is quite helpful. My recommendation would be to wait a while yet. It is published by Wordsmiths, which is Frode Jensen's own company. It is carried by many homeschool suppliers. Susan M ======================================== MESSAGE: Writing Club met today AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Monday, 27 September 1999, at 3:56 p.m. Our writing club had its first meeting today. I think it went rather well although my boy was the only boy in a group of girls. He commented briefly about it on the way home. There was a getting to know you activity where everyone wrote a description of themselves. then they were read out loud by the mom in charge today and everyone had to guess who was who. That was fun. Then they made bookmarks. We heard a story about a "trip" in HEY AL. Then looked at real postcards. Each kid was then asked to create a post card as if they were a character in a book they've read. They drew on one side, wrote on the other and placed the address in the proper place. Each kid was given a book, blank inside, to create for next week. The kind where the back has a space for a pic and bio of the author :) Not too shabby for a group of kids ages 6-9 :0) Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Writing Club met today AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Monday, 27 September 1999, at 9:54 p.m. Response To: Writing Club met today Author: Dawne Date: Monday, 27 September 1999, at 3:56 p.m. > Our writing club had its first > meeting today. Dawne: This sounds wonderful. I will really need to keep in touch with your after we are done with this month's topic. I want to know everything you do in your writing club so I can get some ideas. I love what you are doing!!!! Will you be giving "homework" in between your club meetings? ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Writing Club met today AUTHOR: Dawne DATE: Tuesday, 28 September 1999, at 10:06 a.m. Response To: Re: Writing Club met today Author: Giovanna Date: Monday, 27 September 1999, at 9:54 p.m. the kids get take home activities. they either do them or they don't. frankly, I expect my kid to do them. it keeps the class following and reinforces some skill or format. yesterday they were giving little books, blank inside with the special backside for a pic of the author and a brief author biography. so while everyone has the same activity whether they draw or write is no big deal. the kids were supposed to write a book report for yesterday's meeting. one girl created her own story and that was just fine. I believe one child didn't share anything and that was just fine too. Dawne ======================================== MESSAGE: Essay Writing AUTHOR: AudreyA41 DATE: Tuesday, 28 September 1999, at 8:21 p.m. Gotta get this in before the topic of the month changes! I am teaching essay writing to my gifted sixth grader. I have two sources for this and they vary slightly. On top of that, they vary from what I was taught. I am particularly interested in expository essays and personal narratives. Does anyone have any suggestions or particularly good resources for this? Thanks. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Essay Writing AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Wednesday, 29 September 1999, at 12:08 a.m. Response To: Essay Writing Author: AudreyA41 Date: Tuesday, 28 September 1999, at 8:21 p.m. Well, Audrey, I wrote one response to your question, and then thought better of it and deleted it. Now I'm having another go at it. That's the power of revision! LOL! For starters, I wouldn't expect any two sources to precisely agree on something as imprecise as essay writing. It's just not gonna happen. While that may be unsettling to a student who is hoping to get some solid guidelines, it should also be reassuring. It means there's plenty of room for variation. That said, I'll divulge my favorite text for formal writing instruction: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, by Edward P. J. Corbett & Robert J. Connors I think it's a great book, and it's out in a new edition. But before anyone runs out to look for it, let me hasten to say that I still think the best way to learn how to write essays is to READ lots and lots of them and then to practice writing your own -- without necessarily following a lot of rules about how it should be done. If you want to teach your kid to write expository essays, I'd suggest finding good expository essays to read. Read them, discuss them, think about them, take them apart, see what makes them tick. Ditto on the personal narratives. We learn to write the same way we learn to walk and talk -- by imitating others. I believe that will help more than anything. Cerelle ========================================Back to the TopBack to the Digest Index