For The Love of Writing:
two serious considerations
L. A. Kids Home Page
If your child "hates" writing, you want to SERIOUSLY consider the Institute for Excellence In Writing (IEW) Student Writing Intensive (SWI) and Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course (SWICC). I can't possibly describe the IEW programs adequately!
The IEW's writing programs are the best of all I've used for converting reluctant writers into willing writers. The step-by-step, detailed instruction is so straight-forward, and kid-friendly, that I believe any child can use the IEW process and feel successful. After years of beating my head on the wall, using several different programs, the Student Writing Intensive is the first program we've used that my kids LIKED, and showed significant progress in their writing development!
IEW's owner, Andrew Pudewa, was formerly a reluctant writing and has an engaging teaching style that lets the students know they are not alone in their dread for writing assignments. Mr. Pudewa has broken the writing process down into a straight-forward, step-by-step process that makes sense to anyone. His teaching videos make the process easy for the homeschooling parent--really easy--and having Mr. Pudewa as your kids instructor means they have the best instructor they can possibly get--and who will repeat himself over-and-over as many times as you wish to play the DVD!
Now that I've found the IEW courses, I doubt I'll look ANY further. The Student Writing Intensive (SWI) course was SO effective in bringing forward my reluctant high school boys' writing ability, that I intend for them to complete every IEW course I can get my hands on.
(more on writing continued below..)
Another good program for reluctant writers is Brave Writer's program called "The Writer's Jungle". From the moment it comes out of the box, you can't help but love this program. With chapter names like "Machette Mechanics" and "Dumb Assignments", you automatically be engaged in wanting to know more. Who among us can't hear her child saying, "This is so dumb"? So, let's move 'write' along the road and talk about the "dumb" assignments.. What I like most about this curriculum is that it isn't a curriculum at all. The path you will take through The Writer's Jungle is a journey you take lovingly with your child. When you emerge from the jungle, you will have a writer standing beside you. The Writer's Jungle is a recipe for teaching writing with love--a recipe for creating a creative writer.
Julie Bogart, the program's author, approaches writing from a published writer's perspective, not as a teacher who only knows writing as presented in a traditional curriculum. Julie's passion for writing comes through in every page of The Writer's Jungle. She loves to see writer's bloom, and her program will help you grow your own writer.
The Writer's Jungle will take you a long a path to progressively teach your child a love of writing. You'll start with basic language skills--communicating through talking. By keying into language as a communication skill, you can take the steps outlined in the Jungle to help your child get her ideas on paper. Expounding on ideas and learning to focus on expression will help your child begin to to appreciate writing as a way for him to express himself. The path is easy and the burden is light as you walk through the Writer's Jungle with your child. So, go check out The Writer's Jungle and stop trying to drag your child along the writing road in shackles.
