So my blog entry isn’t finished. I will be posting a discussion of how Brave Writer can support kids in school (not just homeschool). Coming your way to a computer near you (sometime later today, I hope!). Have to get all those important Thanksgiving groceries first.
Archive for November, 2007
Project Feeder Watch
My family has joined the ranks of birders who report to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology the birds that frequent our feeders. You can join or read more about birding by visiting their wonderful site.
If you are new to bird watching, here is a great site that has tips for how to identify birds you don’t recognize. One of the benefits of bird watching is that it s one of the easiest ways to teach careful observation and identification by details. Kids train themselves to be patient, to look carefully and to make distinctions (does the wing on the chickadee have a pale white stripe or not? Black-capped or Carolina?).
Additionally, keeping a log of all the birds you see, particularly what is called a “life list” where you note the very first time you see each species, is a great way to exercise those handwriting and listing skills.
I’d love to see photos of your bird watching! Send them to me. We’ll post them here.
Friday Freewrite: Birds
Spend a morning watching birds. Pay attention to one or two specifically. Then write what you witnessed. Turn it into a description, poem, freewrite, story…
Email: What if my daughter doesn’t believe she’s a good writer?
Hi Julie,
My 13 year old daughter reluctantly participated, ( I made her! ) in a Teen writing contest at our library. Much to her surprise, she won first place in the personal narrative category for 7-9 grade. My question is, how do you convince these kids that they have been blessed with talent??? She doesn’t believe me that her story was good, nor anyone else that has said so. This is our 3rd year to homeschool, while using The Writer’s Jungle.
Help!!
Thanks so much for reading.
Mary
Hi, Mary!
Some mothers would say, “That’s a great problem to have!” But when it’s your problem, it sure feels strange. You want your kids to feel valued and that their skills are ones they can count on. When they don’t see it, you want to insist more: “You’re great at this. Why can’t you see it?”
I like to start with what’s real. If your daughter feels she is not a good writer, then allow her to have that point of view. You might even say something like, “It must feel weird to receive an award for your writing when you don’t think you’re very good at it. What’s it like to feel that way?” Give her the chance to say the truth for her so that she isn’t always having to defend a position (which tends to entrench any of us in a position, sometimes more than we feel it).
I would also admire her for writing and submitting a story when she feels that her writing isn’t up to her standards. Let her know that you are impressed with that kind of perseverance and that you are looking forward to the day when her efforts to be a good writer match her evaluation of herself.
The truth is, when kids are talented, they are also much more able to see the flaws in their work. They have higher standards for themselves, they have more critical ability (that’s what makes them good writers to begin with).
So when we keep insisting that they are good when they don’t see it, they put those comments down to the person (or people) not having the skills to evaluate. This process is intuitive (they don’t say to themselves, “My mom doesn’t know how to judge writing”). They just know that what they are reading doesn’t feel as good as they thought it would and so anyone who says otherwise must not be able to evaluate writing.
To help your daughter grow into one who has a more balanced view of her efforts, make sure that you are very specific in your praise. Identify ONE good word pair or clever phrase or moving sentence. Don’t say “what a good writer she is” in general. Make the most of the specific things she does well.
“I really like the way you hooked me with your opening line. I wanted to know what would happen next.”
“You write such vivid descriptions. The blood-orange moon against the night sky made me think of Halloween and creepiness.”
Don’t say, “You write such great stories. Everybody loves them.”
See the difference? One enables her to understand what you see that is worth repeating and admiring, the one thing that works, the one thing that is a skill she can rely on. The other comment means she has to live up to some ideal that she doesn’t feel she’s achieved. That’s a lot of pressure! So take the pressure off. Honor her point of view and offer concrete compliments.
I hope that helps!
Julie
Winter Classes still open!
Seems we’ve done it. We’ve finally come up with enough classes that families who want classes will get them. We still have openings in every class, every session of the winter class schedule.
If you missed yesterday’s sign up, don’t worry. You can probably still get in the class of your choice. Here are the classes that are nearly closed, so act soon if you want to be in them:
- SAT/ACT Essay Writing: One space left
- Expository Essay: Five spaces left
All other classes have plenty of room.
Here’s what moms say about Brave Writer classes:
Kidswrite Basic:
I would describe (Kidswrite Basic) as treating YOURself to a personal tutor! As homeschooling parents, we’ve done so much on our own, it’s a nice reward to have someone do the thinking and handholding and teaching.
It is worth every penny to pay someone else to read your child’s work. Even though the point is to better equip the mom to walk through the process – the walk should still include an outside commenter if at all possible. It was such a joy for the girls!
I really love Brave Writer’s ideas on teaching writing and never knew quite how much until the class. The class showed me exactly how to use The Writer’s Jungle. I needed the hand holding to walk me through TWJ. I’m so excited about writing this year. I thought we hadn’t really done much “school” writing in the past, but found out that all the lists and stories written in free time and narration is all a huge part of writing. Why do we get so caught up in thinking only about that dreaded elementary school report, when we hated it so much when we were little?
SAT/ACT Essay:
As we’re concluding our homeschooling journey in two weeks, I just wanted to say thank you so much for being an extremely valuable part of what we did. Thanks for helping AJ be a thoughtful writer, and thanks for helping Ben get scores on the SAT that allowed him to get the money he needed to go to his first choice but very expensive college. We will always remember your generosity on his behalf, as well as recommend your writing classes with enthusiasm whenever the opportunity arises.
Here’s what a student said:
It was fun. Mrs. Bogart did a great job teaching, and what she said was not confusing. The other students in the class were friendly and encouraging.Here’s what his mom said:
The writing steps were given in a logical manner, with exercises to build up to the whole essays. The prompt examples were invaluable. We would not have otherwise known what to expect, or what the test graders were expecting for a response. The times for the first assignments were longer. The subsequent writing times gradually honed down to the time given on the “real thing.” Much encouragement was given between the students and from Mrs. Bogart. I might have liked a little more instructional comment on some of the essays, but that can be added as a parent if you read the instructional material and have a good rapport with the student. Frankly, I don’t know how Mrs. Bogart keeps up with all the corrections – it is truly amazing to see it in action!! I enjoyed learning both from comments she made on my student’s essays, and her comments on the other student’s essays. I also learned from the writing styles of the other students. It was encouraging to see the ideas of other students across the world. As a parent, it made me proud of the youth of today. The students were intelligent and thoughtful; they wanted to make a difference in their world. This class was worth the investment.
Just So Stories:
Mrs. Rachel I would like to thank you for this wonderful class that has helped my creativity and helped expand my outlook on the world around me. Now every time I see the animals God created I constantly go into “Kipling mode” and think of comical, endearing stories about how they got their features! (13 year old student)
Kidswrite Intermediate and the Essay:
I’m writing to thank you for the help you provided me and my son through your classes. Walter took several of your courses, and I took a curriculum building class. We both learned a great deal. Walter started college this year and his freshman English professor is so impressed by his writing she is encouraging him to be an English major. She even asked him if she could use one of his papers as an example for future classes. Walter hasn’t decided on a major, but so many doors are opening because he is confident in his writing. Thank you for providing all the help and resources through the years.
If you need a mid-year shot in the arm, someone to hold your hand or offer your kids valuable feedback on their writing, winter quarter is the perfect time to take an online class. You’ll be indoors, your kids will be ready for a change of pace and you’ll like having the support in your writing program.
