Middle School writing

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  • November 8, 2016 at 7:16 pm
    CrystalN
    Participant

    Just wondering how to teach writing the CM way. I have tried several different curriculum with my 7th grade son and cannot find anything that suits us. I know narration should be the bulk of his writing, but for 7th grade the SCM free curriculum guide says “Require oral and written narrations; throughout the year work on expository and descriptive styles; include story, poetry, and letter forms”. If you are completely unqualified to teach these forms of writing “from scratch” then what do you use? How can I teach without buying a writing curriculum year after year. I am so discouraged. Isn’t there anything out there that would guide the teacher in these writing forms? Any suggestions would be helpful.

    November 9, 2016 at 11:46 am
    KeriJ
    Participant

    We are getting ready to try Write With the Best volume 2. Volumes 1 and 2 teach those forms in a way that I feel is CM friendly.

    November 9, 2016 at 12:04 pm
    HollyS
    Participant

    It’s not CM based, but I plan on using Classical Composition from Memoria Press.  The writing exercises it’s based on have been around for 1000s of years and used by many great speakers and writers over the years.

    Many CM users use Bravewriter but I’m not really familiar with it.

    November 9, 2016 at 1:13 pm
    Tristan
    Participant

    There are so many options that there really are too many, aren’t there?! One suggestion I have is to do the learning yourself. Library books, online websites, you have resources at your fingertips to learn what an expository essay involves, what a persuasive essay involves, what are the parts of a letter, or different rules for poetry forms. Don’t go crazy over it. Pick one. Figure out what it is, write it yourself – more than once. Then introduce it to your child. Let them play with it and try it out – more than once. Then you start learning about another one, try it more than once, and pass on that experience to them.

    For actual curricula – we like Brave Writer (the philosophy and products) and Write Shop Junior (has great games built in which some of my kids enjoy) for anything below high school. In high school we do 1 year focusing on academic writing (essays, etc) with The Power in Your Hands by Sharon Watson. And fun writing – like One Year Adventure Novel. And then whatever fits the child’s interests and goals.

    November 9, 2016 at 2:11 pm
    CrystalN
    Participant

    Thanks Holly and Tristan. I actually spent a good portion of the day yesterday looking at Brave Writer. I like that it seems to encourage the love of the written word over structure and mechanics. I think that is what we need right now. I have this gut feeling that ds is going to be a phenomenal writer, I really think its in him and I want to try to encourage his creativity and give him freedom to have fun. Then once I convince him he likes writing teach the boring stuff. I am thinking of going with Brave Writer to unlock his inner author and then do either The Lost Tools of Writing or Classical Composition in high school. Leaning toward Lost Tools, but we will see.  Tristan I like your idea of just learning myself and teaching a style now and then. I purchased one of the Brave Writer Arrow “units” to try next week, we happen to be reading the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe so I bought that one to try. Thanks so much for the input, I am feeling excited about this new plan.

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