Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Teaching writing

I don't homeschool, and I don't intend to start; however, I'm interested in teaching my ds8 some writing this summer. Ds has had difficulty with handwriting, so he's never really developed his writing. He has been typing more lately, and I think that's going to be the way he'll be able to develop the speed to approach the speed of his thoughts.

I was thinking I need to get him writing most days (4-5 days a week). I plan to start with "quick lists," something a teacher I know does with her class. (Make a list of all the x you can think of in 2 minutes.) It's supposed to help them think of things to write faster when they're given a topic to write about. I'm also planning to have him write letters to family and to companies requesting various things (a photo of a baseball team, a brouchure about a museum, etc.) Once the return mail arrives, I think that will be motivation to continue. I have to say, at least some of this writing he will consider torture, but a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do.

Anyway, I'm hoping you'll have some more suggestiongs, or maybe even an inexpensive curriculum to help with paragraph or multiple paragraph writing. Also, how do I know what to expect from him?

Thanks.

I posted a similar topic a while back. Here is a link, see if you can get any ideas out from it:

http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/41411/1.html

I bought Barron's Painless Junior Writing at my local Sam's Club yesterday for that very reason. Friends of ours have used it and I thought it would be a fun way to get my DD9 writing this summer. I thought she would like the fact that it has an ocean/sea animal type theme to it as well. It looks like a lot of fun and only cost $6! She will also be doing some journal essays for her new science class so I'm hoping the combination will help.