Is narration enough in middle school?

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  • October 6, 2009 at 12:54 am
    Beth Covalt
    Participant

    I am struggling with teaching my 12 year old dd and ds writing.  We have been using written narrations for about two years now. My son is severely dyslexic, so he struggles with structure.  My dd, on the other hand, still cannot grasp a more structured format for writing or a more sophisticated style (which concerns me, a former writing instructor).  Is narration enough for composition, or is it time for a more formal writing program?

    October 6, 2009 at 12:37 pm
    Jimmie
    Member

    My daughter is 10, and I used to be a public school teacher (8th grade language arts). Hi!

    I don’t know about formal, but I think the writing should go beyond narrations to expository paragraphs and essays. The topics can still come from history or literature living books, but should not always be simply a retelling of facts. The child should be rehashing ideas and formulating conclusions.

    I taught plenty of 8th graders who finally saw writing click at age 13 or 14. So the time is right to start teaching it, but it may take some time for it all to gel.

    October 15, 2009 at 4:09 pm
    Beth Covalt
    Participant

    Thanks for the input,  Jimmie.  As I thought back on my own writing experiences, I know that I was writing detailed and thoughtful essays by 8th grade, and this is what has been concerning me most as I observe my childrens’ writing at 12.  I knew we were at a point where more was needed but have been struggling to move beyond the more simplistic level I keep getting from them.  I was especially encouraged to read that writing may not “click” until 13 or 14 but that we need to really get started.

    October 15, 2009 at 4:39 pm
    Betty Dickerson
    Participant

    According to CM, though, from what I understand and have read, she really did rely on written narration to high school.  Those can be more creative in nature (check out the narration ideas on the SCM website), but she truly used just that.

    My 11 yr old boys also struggle with the physical writing of things.  I’m trying to work on oral narrations more (like using a narration cube–google that) and eventually getting them to write down what they are narrating. 

    One idea I have seen is to have your children dictate to you their narration and you type it out for them to use as copywork the next day.  I just can’t keep up with that right now, but I think it’s a great idea. 

    We are using Writer’s Inc as a reference to help us structure a paragraph.  My 13 yod who is a strong reader, started writing a novel a few years ago. She’s still working on that.  We use ideas from the http://www.bravewriters.com website to help us be more descriptive or use a thesaurus to help us choose more exciting ways of communicating. 

    It is a process.  I know that I have neglected to enforce oral narrations and I think that this reflects in their struggle with writing.  Hope this helps!

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