I want my kids to be good writers but we can’t afford private-suggestions for Hs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a mom of a reluctant writer. He has an avid reading with an incredible vocabulary. He has hated writing since kindergarten. He's now in middle school. His private school has shied away from "teaching" writing. Teachers assume writing will happen spontaneously.
Reading and writing are different skill sets. Reading or watching is more passive consuming. Just because I enjoy eating doesn't mean I know how to cook! I've heard so many early childhood teachers say, "Love of reading is the most important thing for literacy and writing. Have a lot of books lying around." They mistakenly think teaching mechanics of writing somehow kills creativity.

Writing requires many executive functioning and cognitive skills that might need explicit teaching or support, depending on the students' learning style.
If teachers don't have the time to give individualized instruction or feedback on sentence or paragraph composition, I agree with the value of writing tutors. I also highly recommend Killgallon's Sentence Composing and Paragraph for Middle School, etc. There are different levels for elementary, middle, and high schools.

There is no way that I would sacrifice my hard-earned dollars for a private school that does not emphasize the teaching of writing skills. That is the number one reason my kids are in private schools. "Teaching" writing is essential, as "writing" is simply a skill. Like every skill - dancing, singing, cooking, driving, swinging a golf club -- it can be done very well (as in, professionally), or extremely poorly, and at every level in between. Also like every other skill, it is repetition, practice, and instruction/ correction by someone more knowledgable that improves ability.

No one has said that proficient reading makes a good writer, but I know very few excellent writers who are not, coincidentally, proficient readers. So yes, reading does help hone writing.

[Anonymous]

^^ Sorry, "prolific" is probably a better word there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you pupil place to an IB high school?

This, OP. Are you in DC? I'm not sure if there is IB in DCPS but check it out. It may be late to transfer to a new HS though, if their assigned HS doesn't offer IB.

If you are in FCPS, and their assigned public FCPS high school has the IB curriculum, have them take IB classes--there is huge emphasis on writing in all subjects including science and math. They'll get a lot of experience. If you're in FCPS and their assigned high school does not have IB, you can request that they be transferred to whatever nearest high school is an IB school. It's called an academic transfer or as PP says, a pupil placement. If you're told that the IB school is "closed to transfers," keep trying--often the "dashboard" site that tallies FCPS school information shows a school is closed to transfers when actually that status can change.

Be aware that if you place your kids in a high school that is not their assigned one, they don't have a right to bus transportation so you'd need to arrange to get them to school. But it can be well worth that hassle.

Also, there are writing classes and camps all over the area but who knows when they'll reopen, alas. George Mason University's Northern Virginia Writing Project had a young writers program that was focused on creative writing but which included essay writing and expository writing at one time. Not sure if it still does but you can check.

[Anonymous]

Why can't you teach your kids to write?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a mom of a reluctant writer. He has an avid reading with an incredible vocabulary. He has hated writing since kindergarten. He's now in middle school. His private school has shied away from "teaching" writing. Teachers assume writing will happen spontaneously.
Reading and writing are different skill sets. Reading or watching is more passive consuming. Just because I enjoy eating doesn't mean I know how to cook! I've heard so many early childhood teachers say, "Love of reading is the most important thing for literacy and writing. Have a lot of books lying around." They mistakenly think teaching mechanics of writing somehow kills creativity.

Writing requires many executive functioning and cognitive skills that might need explicit teaching or support, depending on the students' learning style.
If teachers don't have the time to give individualized instruction or feedback on sentence or paragraph composition, I agree with the value of writing tutors. I also highly recommend Killgallon's Sentence Composing and Paragraph for Middle School, etc. There are different levels for elementary, middle, and high schools.

There is no way that I would sacrifice my hard-earned dollars for a private school that does not emphasize the teaching of writing skills. That is the number one reason my kids are in private schools. "Teaching" writing is essential, as "writing" is simply a skill. Like every skill - dancing, singing, cooking, driving, swinging a golf club -- it can be done very well (as in, professionally), or extremely poorly, and at every level in between. Also like every other skill, it is repetition, practice, and instruction/ correction by someone more knowledgable that improves ability.

No one has said that proficient reading makes a good writer, but I know very few excellent writers who are not, coincidentally, proficient readers. So yes, reading does help hone writing.

PP here. To clarify, our school professes to do a great job with writing using Writers' Workshop. I would have had no way of knowing the inadequacies of the writing curriculum when we were applying at the preschool level. Totally agree with you - some teachers are great at breaking down the steps and teaching the skills that build over the years. Some teachers don't believe in modeling sentences, teaching grammar in isolation, or anything that remotely resembles 'drill' or 'practice.' Unfortunately, my kid can't internalize writing skills just by reading great writers. Writing is hard for working parents to 'teach' without infinite time or patience week after week. So depending on the year, I have outsourced it to a tutor who is more fun and attuned to the cognitive and planning process required of good writing.

[Anonymous]

Buy the book The Writing Revolution. It has very straightforward ways to teach your child to improve their writing.

-teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy the book The Writing Revolution. It has very straightforward ways to teach your child to improve their writing.

-teacher

I love Judith Hochman approach! It so turns out that my son's EF tutor (for problem solving and writing) attended her workshop in NY years ago. I ask the tutor to apply a combination of Hochman and Killgallon approaches. Very good fit for my DC.

[Anonymous]

I agree with reading a lot. I went to a mediocre public high school and never had extra help with writing. I just read QUALITY books - like real classics, not Harry Potter and Goosebumps - starting early. Also publications like the Economist. You absolutely pick up the rhythm of good writing just by reading it.

Also, the basic 5-paragraph essay structure is so easy and a good basis for later papers. It's so simple and so many bad writers ignore it. Topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy the book The Writing Revolution. It has very straightforward ways to teach your child to improve their writing.

-teacher

I love Judith Hochman approach! It so turns out that my son's EF tutor (for problem solving and writing) attended her workshop in NY years ago. I ask the tutor to apply a combination of Hochman and Killgallon approaches. Very good fit for my DC.

I use the basics with my first grade ESOL students. It’s sad that the curriculum in our district and many others doesn’t teach the basics. It’s how students in later grades think that they have written complete sentences just because they start with a capital letter and end with a period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with reading a lot. I went to a mediocre public high school and never had extra help with writing. I just read QUALITY books - like real classics, not Harry Potter and Goosebumps - starting early. Also publications like the Economist. You absolutely pick up the rhythm of good writing just by reading it.

Also, the basic 5-paragraph essay structure is so easy and a good basis for later papers. It's so simple and so many bad writers ignore it. Topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.

Agree with everything in this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with reading a lot. I went to a mediocre public high school and never had extra help with writing. I just read QUALITY books - like real classics, not Harry Potter and Goosebumps - starting early. Also publications like the Economist. You absolutely pick up the rhythm of good writing just by reading it.

Also, the basic 5-paragraph essay structure is so easy and a good basis for later papers. It's so simple and so many bad writers ignore it. Topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.

Agree with everything in this post.

But don’t you understand that not everyone has an aptitude for writing? People who have an aptitude can learn easily through reading quality books or the Economist, even!

For most people, it requires hands-on teaching: sentence construction, grammar, word choice, style, rhythm, cadence, how to be concise, how to be persuasive and so on.

[Anonymous]

Where does one find a good writing tutor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with reading a lot. I went to a mediocre public high school and never had extra help with writing. I just read QUALITY books - like real classics, not Harry Potter and Goosebumps - starting early. Also publications like the Economist. You absolutely pick up the rhythm of good writing just by reading it.

Also, the basic 5-paragraph essay structure is so easy and a good basis for later papers. It's so simple and so many bad writers ignore it. Topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.

Agree with everything in this post.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with reading a lot. I went to a mediocre public high school and never had extra help with writing. I just read QUALITY books - like real classics, not Harry Potter and Goosebumps - starting early. Also publications like the Economist. You absolutely pick up the rhythm of good writing just by reading it.

Also, the basic 5-paragraph essay structure is so easy and a good basis for later papers. It's so simple and so many bad writers ignore it. Topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.

Agree with everything in this post.

But don’t you understand that not everyone has an aptitude for writing? People who have an aptitude can learn easily through reading quality books or the Economist, even!

For most people, it requires hands-on teaching: sentence construction, grammar, word choice, style, rhythm, cadence, how to be concise, how to be persuasive and so on.

You have to do both. Read a lot and be taught good technique.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, I have twins entering high school this fall. I really want my kids to develop into good writers, and I always hear that schools like NCS and Sitwell do a really good job at rigorous writing/humanities. Is there any way to replicate that in public school? We are in a not so great hs zone and from what I have heard 10 page research papers, etc aren’t a thing there. Any inexpensive writing classes? Online tutoring? Lots of reading? Thanks

The class that helped my DC the most in writing was AP World History. He finally learned how to write in that class.