Reducing writing in Preparing?

This is where new posts begin. All questions or discussions about any of Heart of Dakota's curriculums start here. If you wish to share a one-time post about your family's experience with our curriculum, you may post under the specific curriculum title (found beneath this "Main Board" heading).
Post Reply
Mumkins
Posts: 792
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:45 pm
Location: Ontario
Contact:

Reducing writing in Preparing?

Post by Mumkins » Sun Sep 04, 2011 8:28 pm

My boy is on the young end of 3rd grade, He'll be 8 next month. He does place in Bigger better, but we did Bigger last year and he's enjoying all of Preparing, except the writing. The two things he really didn't want to do last week was the written narration and the written science question. I was thinking of allowing him to skip those for the first 5 weeks, then adding some back in. Not sure how often to add more or which first. He's a very bright boy, he just resists writing.

Any thoughts?
7 awesome kids!

2 graduated
2 at highschool
3 coming home to homeschool in the fall💕
DD5 LHFHG
DS9 Preparing
DS12 RTR

We’ve enjoyed LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Preparing, CTC, WG

Lynnw
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 11:33 am
Location: Kentucky

Re: Reducing writing in Preparing?

Post by Lynnw » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:57 am

Mumkins,
We're not very far into Preparing, but I do know the struggles of having one who doesn't love to put pencil to paper! My first thought was to possibly go half pace for awhile, but then I saw in your signature that you are combining, so I understand that might not be what you want to do. My second thought was to build the writing up gradually rather than eliminate all of it for 5 weeks. I would do every bit of the written narration assignment (at first don't they dictate and copy? and doesn't it build from there? I would not want to mess with the progression there), but let him answer the science questions orally or dictate them to you and you do the writing (making sure he still uses complete sentences when he tells you his answers). When that is going more smoothly, I would add writing the science answers back in gradually - one week do 2 written and 3 orally.... 2 weeks later do 3 written and 2 orally.... 2 weeks later do all 5 written.... or even more gradually if necessary. Just turned 8 is young for Preparing, and I know you don't want to frustrate him, but on the other hand if he doesn't build the written narration skill he won't be prepared for CTC. I would still consider half pace for awhile if you can keep your older one beefed up. (Btw, hope I'm not sounding discouraging.... if those are his only complaints then he's doing a lot of challenging work already - vocabulary, science notebooking, researching, etc. Good job!)

Hope something there helps. I'll be interested to see what other advice you receive. I could very well be in your shoes in a few years - I have a just turned 6yo combined with a 3rd grader in Beyond!
Married 19 years to Dh, Detective and Army Reservist: 1 tour in Iraq, 1 tour in Afghanistan
ds 12.5 (7th grade) RevtoRev
ds 9.5 (4th grade) Preparing

dd 8 (3rd grade) Beyond
ds 6 (K/1st grade) Beyond
dd 3

LynnH
Posts: 1846
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:41 pm
Location: OH
Contact:

Re: Reducing writing in Preparing?

Post by LynnH » Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:36 am

I agree with Lynnw. I wouldn't cut it out entirely for 5 weeks. I would let it be a gradual build up like she suggests. Start with letting him dictate to you and then have him copy what you have scribed for him and then work up to doing it on his own. The way written narration progresses in Preparing is very slow and purposeful and if you try and jump in to doing it in the middle of the year he will have missed all the gradual build up. I think Lynnw's ideas for the science questions are great. With those you could let him dictate the answers for quite a while if you need to and then start with him just writing one question and the rest have him do orally etc.
Mom to:
dd 22 college graduate and employed as an Intervention Specialist
ds 18 US2, Loved Preparing, CTC , RTR , Rev to Rev, MTMM ,WG, WH and US1
http://www.graceandfur.blogspot.com/

Mumkins
Posts: 792
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:45 pm
Location: Ontario
Contact:

Re: Reducing writing in Preparing?

Post by Mumkins » Fri Sep 09, 2011 11:13 am

Didn't give me any problem with it this week. :D And he's trying hard to write smaller and neater and proudly showing me. Maybe it was just a first week resistance thing.
7 awesome kids!

2 graduated
2 at highschool
3 coming home to homeschool in the fall💕
DD5 LHFHG
DS9 Preparing
DS12 RTR

We’ve enjoyed LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Preparing, CTC, WG

Lynnw
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 11:33 am
Location: Kentucky

Re: Reducing writing in Preparing?

Post by Lynnw » Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:54 pm

Woo-Hoo! That's great news! Celebrating with you!
Married 19 years to Dh, Detective and Army Reservist: 1 tour in Iraq, 1 tour in Afghanistan
ds 12.5 (7th grade) RevtoRev
ds 9.5 (4th grade) Preparing

dd 8 (3rd grade) Beyond
ds 6 (K/1st grade) Beyond
dd 3

Post Reply