Struggling with CTC Notebook pages

[pjdobro]

We are 5 weeks into CTC, and we are struggling with our notebook pages. I say "we" because it is affecting me as much if not more than my dc. The boxes are small enough that my dc are struggling to get all of their writing in the boxes. The lack of lines in the boxes is making their writing difficult to read. Up until now we have been using wide ruled paper and when I draw enough lines in the box for their work, it is less than college ruled space. The physical act of writing has been the area that has always been a struggle for my dc. My ds is all boy and not very naturally coordinated and my dd is a leftie. So neither of them have great handwriting. They have improved, but writing something as small as college ruled just isn't happening here.

My dd isn't doing too poorly with the pages. She is still having a difficult time keeping it neat and in the box, but at least she doesn't make many mistakes the first time around so erasing is kept to a minimum. My ds is really struggling. He is having problems keeping the verses in the boxes and his written narrations really don't fit well. He makes multiple spelling and copying mistakes, and we're finding it difficult to get mistakes erased well on the pages. So the end result is a messy page that is difficult to read. That is where my problem is. I am struggling to read their work and make sure that it is correct. It's very difficult to see their pencil on the pages but I don't dare let them use pen because that would be a disaster especially for my ds. I admit that I'm a perfectionist with many things and having the notebook pages not be neat and pristine looking is bothering me too. So there are our struggles.

I have been thinking of different ways to address this. I started 2 weeks ago having them do their written narrations on paper then copy them over after they had been corrected. That helped, but still they are having a difficult time fitting it in the box. I remember someone (I think it was Lynn?) making some accommodations for their dc a while back using paper that folded out in the boxes. If you have some examples of that, I would love to see it. I have thought about trying to add lines in the boxes for them so they would have something the right size and straight to write on. I'm thinking that might help, but I dread going through and trying to line the boxes. (Though honestly it would probably save me some time in the long run because it wouldn't be as much of a struggle reading it.) I could just require them to line their boxes. That would be another option. I have thought about having them not use the notebook pages. My ds has requested to go back to the way we did it last year copying the scripture verses in the Common Place Book and writing his written narration on paper. I hate to do that because I'm sure that this is a skill they need to develop and the notebook pages are beautiful. I'm just not sure how to make this work for us. I would appreciate your ideas and suggestions.

[netpea]

I remember someone (I think it was Lynn?) making some accommodations for their dc a while back using paper that folded out in the boxes.

this is what my son did. He cut out a piece of notebook paper to the same width as the box then did his writing on it and cut it off lengthwise whereever he finished. Then he pasted the paper over the box and folded up the excess.

[LynnH]

Yes it was me. This is what we do for most copywork. I measure it to the correct width and then just make it as long as it needs to be. He glues it in and just folds up the excess. I still use the ruler to mark lines on the paper also. With his dysgraphia he just needs that visual guide. You could do the lines and just slowly make them closer together so they eventually learn to write small enough. I am pretty sure my ds will never write small enough so it is just an accommodation I will continue to make for him. He types all his written narrations. Here is a picture in my blog post of how it looks before he folds it up. http://www.graceandfur.blogspot.com/201 ... 72012.html

[pjdobro]

Thank you Lee Ann for letting me know that my dc aren't alone in needing more space to write! Thanks Lynn so much for sharing that visual! It really helped to see the extra paper in use. For some reason I was thinking of folding it in width and that seemed harder to get right. Folding it in length will be much easier.

My ds was working on correcting some mistakes he made in his notebook yesterday and was having to recopy some of the narrations. On two of them I had put the lines in the boxes for him, and I didn't on the third one. When I looked at them last night, what a difference it made! I showed him the difference, and he was able to see it as well. I think that convinced him how important it was to use guide lines. I explained to him that even draftsmen who are professionals use guidelines to do their lettering. I think that convinced him how important this step is. I went ahead and lined the next 3 weeks. We'll see if there is enough lines for his written narration in the box. If not, I'll do the folded up paper like you showed. Hopefully I can train both of my dc to start doing their own guidelines as the year progresses. I think it will make quite a difference and make my checking/reading time much more pleasant and less time consuming.

[4Hispraise]

I have to confess...we do everything directly on the HOD notebook pages EXCEPT the written narration. After struggling through making it work in CTC, I decided just to let him write his narration on lined notebook paper. Then, he puts it in the appropriate unit. We did this with RtR and are continuing it in Rev to Rev. It isn't as pretty as it would be if he could get everything written neatly in the box , but it relieved a lot of stress! Oh, and we do have to buy a bigger notebook because of all the paper we are adding to the notebook pages, but...it is what works best for us!

[Tansy]

I'm taking a much more hands off approach to the note-booking. Yes I want the note-booking pages to be "beautiful" but since Sweet Potato already struggles with finishing in a timely manner, I accept what she can do without pushing to hard. If I made my Child do the work then recopy I'd have her in tears. I'm not always happy with the neatness factor but I know if she is enjoying the work she will eventually start taking pride in her work, or at least I keep telling myself that

[Carrie]

Ladies,

I do think it is important that the notebook not become a chore to the child, so this thread is so good at addressing a few areas for us to think about as the teacher. First of all, writing smaller is a skill that takes muscle strength and practice to hone. It is often especially a more difficult skill for a boy than it is for girl, simply due to the size and pliability of a boy's hands.

With this in mind, it is no trouble at all to do as I suggested to Lynn a couple of years ago, and simply cut paper the approximate size of the box height and just have the width of the cut paper be double the size of the box. Then, the paper can be folded in half and still fit in the box after the child has written upon it. Or, if the child needs even more paper, cut the paper the same height as the box but tri-fold it with two outer flaps that lay over one another. Then, glue or the back of the tri-folded paper in the box. This way, you still get the notebook effect without all of the angst.

It is also important though to hone the skill of writing smaller. It is a skill that will be needed in the future when filling out forms, taking notes for classes, and writing in a size that is more equated with grown-up writing. This is a process though that does not need to take place overnight. It is just something to work toward.

I would make sure not to have kiddos rewrite their written narrations once they've already been written, as it is double the work. So, make a single writing the goal. If you can see the assignment is likely to cause some stress for your kiddos with their writing fitting in the box, then use the paper folding trick. Often, it is only the longer selections that some kiddos may have difficulty fitting in a box. The rest of the time the space will likely work well. I know my own son has always been able to fit the assigned written work within the box, however my next son in line may differ. So far, we're only in Preparing with my next little guy in line, so only time will tell with him. I do know that his writing skills are not up to the same level as my second's son's were.

I just want to encourage you not to despair You're still very early in CTC and there is a definite jump up in skills at that level. Take heart that the same issues with writing are true in school when all kiddos shift to writing on narrower lined paper or shift to writing in smaller blanks for their school work and tests. Some do fine right away. Others need a bit more time, and others need even longer. So, you can still enjoy your beautiful pages with the paper trick and give your kiddos time to adjust at their own rate.

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

Great dialogue here! One thing that helped my ds with this transition was to first learn to write on wide-lined notebook paper, and then to learn to write on college-ruled notebook paper. This helped him learn to shrink his writing down to a size more like middle school and high school, but of course typing is also an option as a good accommodation. Just thought I'd share as this helped him!

In Christ,
Julie

[pjdobro]

Thank you all for your encouragement and your suggestions. It's nice to hear that it's not unusual for dc to have difficulty adjusting to writing smaller. I almost feel like my dc have regressed somewhat in their writing from last year which is probably contributing to their difficulties. They did read and do a little bit of writing over the summer, but not much. Writing has always been a more challenging area for them as well.

I am trying to let go of the idea of a pretty notebook and doing fairly well, but I am requiring that it be legible enough for me to read it. That has been a challenge for both my dc and me to do. I think the adding guidelines and the folded paper will help us all tremendously.

I have gradually been taking down the size of the paper that they write on over the years but have stopped at wide-ruled paper. We've been at this size probably for a couple of years. All of the composition books we've used are wide-ruled and the notebook paper is wide-ruled. Do you think it is time to start trying to get them used to college ruled paper? I hadn't thought to start having them do work on that sized lines yet. When is the usual transition? I have thought about beginning typing. I had a program ready to use and then found out it won't work on their computer because it isn't compatible with Windows 7. So, I have to get some other program for them to use. I think a typed narration would work really well in that space, and the type size could be adjusted to fit even my long winded dc.

Thank you all again for your reassurance, encouragement, and guidance. I found myself very tired and struggling in my role as the teacher the other day and you all lifted me back up with your kind words. Thanks!

[moedertje]

Great post. Thank you ladies for the ideas as handwriting is a big issue for my oldest ds who is about the start CTC in January! I have entertained the idea of having him type out the narration in the beginning, but I like the idea of him learning to write smaller as Carrie mentioned as well! This will be a great goal for him in the future!

[my3sons]

...I almost feel like my dc have regressed somewhat in their writing from last year which is probably contributing to their difficulties. They did read and do a little bit of writing over the summer, but not much...

Pjdobro- We did not do one single bit of writing over the summer - maybe a letter here or there, but really not anything worth counting as writing. It has taken a little while for them to get back into writing for school again, really to build those muscles back up some. But, I'd not change a thing about summer. The break was as good for them as it was for me, and we have many school days ahead of us to work on writing. Just thought I'd share so you know you are not the only mom embracing a summer off with complete joy!

...I am trying to let go of the idea of a pretty notebook and doing fairly well, but I am requiring that it be legible enough for me to read it. That has been a challenge for both my dc and me to do. I think the adding guidelines and the folded paper will help us all tremendously.

I have had to let go of the idea of a very lovely notebook - though I must say with the pretty notebook pages, it looks pretty lovely anyway. Wyatt's writing is small but sometimes hurried and not as legible as I would wish. His timeline pictures, well... that is more of where I long for something more. I love to draw, and he loves to do just the basics when it comes to that. I have actually made myself reread the plans in the guide and ask myself if he has done what the plans have asked him to do. If he has, I accept the work. If not, we fix it. But, perfection, I have had to let go of. Not easy, but the result is a much happier ds and mama. Valuing his ideas rather that the curve of the "j" or "g" or "q" letters in his writing (which BTW, the curve is nonexistent ), has become my mantra this year.

As far as the college ruled paper, you can try it, but if it's a source of angst, I'd set it aside. I'd say trifolding the paper and letting him write larger for awhile is fine. "Typing Instructor" is a painless, inexpensive, easy, and fun way to teach typing, so I'd recommend trying that. Wyatt just set the timer for 15 minutes each day this past summer, and worked on that as far as he got. I think your ds sounds totally normal. I don't know of a large number of boys or men that write very neatly, much less very small. I think it will come, but in the meantime, using trifold paper, trying out college-ruled paper, and beginning to type will help too. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie