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E-Book Straight from the Heart

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Greetings!

Deborah Wuehler and family

Writing and Handwriting

This week, one of my many tasks was to write about the theme of writing and handwriting. I had a theme and a time limit, but I just couldn't do it until now. And then, I realized that this happens with our children, too. And yet, we become upset with their seeming lack of effort. What I needed was someone to come alongside me and give me some fresh ideas. Sometimes, that's what our children need as well.

Here are some ideas that have helped me:

Dictation: For younger elementary ages, I have the children dictate to me whatever they are to write about. I ask appropriate questions along the way, such as, "What happened next?" "Where were they?" "What time was it?" etc. I write or type it as they dictate, and then they read it back to me (or if very young, I would read it back to them). This not only freed up their minds to think (as they didn't have to worry about penmanship), but they also enjoyed doing it, increased their vocabulary, and were proud of their finished product. I still have them physically write, but I separate the writing process from penmanship or handwriting. Requiring both at a young age will tend to frustrate both of you. Hang on, moms, it does come to pass. I have a couple of college students who are very proficient writers now but were boys with many tears in the early years.

Handwriting: For penmanship/handwriting, we would copy Bible verses or complete a daily workbook page in manuscript or cursive writing. Right now, I am looking into Cursive First for my younger kids.

Five-Day Essay As the kids get older and it is not physically hard to write anymore, I would have them write or type their own assignments according to a "five-day essay" fashion. It looks like this:

Day One: Pick a subject and brainstorm with me some ideas, coming up with three main points. Write the opening paragraph, which includes a brief description of the three main points.

Day Two: Write paragraph two, which describes main point No. 1.

Day Three: Write paragraph three, which describes main point No. 2.

Day Four:  Write paragraph four, which describes main point No. 3.

Day Five: Write the closing paragraph, wrapping up the three points above.

The second week, we would take each of the five days to go over the entire essay and correct only one paragraph a day.

The third week, they would rewrite the essay, focusing on getting rid of "boring" or ordinary words and replacing them with better verbs, adjectives, etc., until they ended up with a polished, finished product. This was not overwhelming and taught them the basics of essay writing, which is important as they go into higher learning environments.

Contests: Another great way to inspire children to write is to give them a purpose for writing--places like local homeschooling newsletters, library poetry contests, bookstore writing contests, Internet contests, etc. Anything to get them to write with a reward attached to it seemed to inspire greatness. You will be proud of the effort, and of course they love the prizes!

Other People: As the children have gotten older, it has been helpful occasionally to have them under the tutelage or requirement of other teachers (co-op writing classes, presentation days, community college classes, etc.). Take advantage of what your homeschool community has to offer.

Praise: Praise their efforts before showing them their errors. Pray continually, and God will be faithful to show you the "write" way for each child. 

~Deborah

 

Hey from Gena 

Gena Suarez

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS     

~~~

Amanda Jones

When writing seems too hard, are we talking structure or form? We have struggled in our homeschool with both-from getting my hyperactive child to focus on one idea and relaying it comprehensively to watching my son with dysgraphia squeeze his pencil tightly, as if willing the letters to look right to his own dyslexic eyes. Writing has not been an easy art for us.

When first homeschooling, I thought my children HAD to do it by-the-book. Just like public school: Teach a lesson, see results.

Not exactly.

Submitting the matter in prayer, I found a way to claim peace. The hard part would be letting go of what I thought they HAD to do and remembering all God requires of them . . . and me.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. -Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. -Colossians 3:14 (ESV)

God showed me where I was caring more about what others thought (especially my critics) instead of giving my children the tools they needed to succeed (which for a time were more like crutches). I had been exasperating them with expectations they just couldn't meet. I was complicating the process of learning and ignoring the fact that all things, through the Lord and love, would work together to produce results.

If God gave grace . . . surely I could too.

We began using copywork. I read articles from seasoned homeschoolers who recommended this form of writing for training children in good grammar and structure. Through using good literature excerpts, the children's structure and spelling has improved far more than when I simply taught a lesson and expected understanding and results. They have grown in their ability to contain thoughts and focus main ideas as well. Their own writing projects are seeing far fewer red marks and much more praise!

A wonderful bonus: Some copywork comes from Scripture. It has helped them learn new verses and planted a desire to copy more! I often see them copying their latest favorite verse to save! God is winning their hearts and growing their abilities!

As for my dysgraphic child, I submitted to letting him trace and accepted dictation on big projects and rough days. His handwriting actually improved, and his frustration declined! His writing will always be wild and messy when he's not trying, but he can finally contain his letters and space when needed, something he could never do before.

I praise God for His guidance through the times when the very idea of contained writing seemed hopeless.

The simple answer to when teaching writing is hard: Let go of your inhibitions, ease up on your expectations, and see your children as God does, individually and with love. Learn how you can grow their skills using their strengths and trusting the Lord with each step. Learning gaps and naysayers will quickly be closed and quieted--the results will speak for themselves.