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Writing resource for grade 5
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I have not really planned any formal composition this year for my grade 5 son who struggles with written assignments due to dysgraphia. However, I wonder if I should reconsider? He can be very creative and I would like to encourage some creative writing, as well as aim for short written narratives in the second and third term. Has anyone got any suggestions? He can struggle so much with getting thoughts onto paper because his mind processes info so much faster than he is able to capture it — he will miss letters in word, or whole words even, plus forming letters, staying on the lines and remembering conventions like spaces, punctuation, etc. all get in the way of his thoughts coming out the way he wants them to. Should I wait until he has improved significantly with these things or find something to help with his composition now? He is such a bright kid and I want to encourage thoughts and ideas without frustrating him.
What if you gave him a tape recorder and let him put his creativity to work in that way so that you are fostering that area without encumbering him to the point of frustration with the writing? Would that work for him?
Does he know how to type? Perhaps that would help? I am not very excited about products that teach composition at this age. I’d rather he write one or two sentences of a narration or story and then someone take the rest down for him, or record like blue j mentions, or teach him to type and that might help him “keep up” I had disastrous experiences using writing programs with kids under 12 who hate to write. I could write a book on that, and it wouldn’t be a happy one!
So perhaps I should stick to my original plan to not intro a formal composition curriculum at this stage. I wondered if I should be trying some written narration with him because he is in grade 5 and nearly 11, but in many ways his writing skills are closer to a grade 2 or early 3. Would you recommend a weekly journal of some type? I plan to add in typing second term but I would like to work on increasing the legibility of his handwriting first. I think that copy work might be enough of a challenge starting out. I’ve esentially decided to hold off on spelling until at least after Christmas for the same reason. I can get a lend of AAS level 1 from a friend after her son is finished with it about a months time.
I think journals are great for personal reasons but of limited benefit educationally, especially with reluctant writers. If he WANTS to do this, by all means encourage him. But you can’t really correct someone’s JOURNAL, and if you push him to do it I can promise you are going to get entries like “Today was nice” “It rained today.” “I can’t think of anything to write today.”
Work on his handwriting for a while. Then start nudging him toward written narrations by asking him to write two sentences and then finish his narration orally. Then gradually increase that. Take your time, writing CAN be learned when needed in not too much time. My current 17yo does well now but wrote nothing of any consequence until he was almost 13.
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