Archive for the ‘Natural Stages of Growth in Writing’ Category

[Podcast #245] High School Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #4

Brave Writer Podcast

Welcome to our fourth episode in our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! Today we cover the High School Writers stage, broken up into two parts:

  1. The Great Conversation (Freshmen and Sophomores)
  2. The Rhetorical Imagination (College Prep)

It can feel overwhelming for homeschooling parents to teach writing at the high school level, but it doesn’t have to. We talk about keeping it simple: the basic architecture of an essay, deeply engaging with perspectives, and of course, big juicy conversations.

Be sure to check the show notes’ resources section below for links to all the writing programs we discuss in this episode, plus links to our free Olympics guide, Fall Class Registration (beginning July 22), and Brave Writer Training (sign-up ends July 31), 

Show Notes

The Great Conversation (Freshmen and Sophomores)

At this stage, kids become aware that they are studying the great thoughts and research of other people, and that they can interact with that through their own writing. 

Architecturally, this comes in the form of an essay:

  • making an assertion,
  • developing points that support that assertion,
  • and finding source material to back it up.

You will find that kids are already quite good at this– they have a lot of experience arguing with you about why they should be able to play video games, etc. Now they just need to practice effectively putting their argument to the page. 

Once your student gets the basic architecture of the essay down, they can then learn to translate it into different essays “flavors” like compare-and-contrast and exploratory essays.

The Rhetorical Imagination (College Prep)

While we refer to this as the “College Prep” stage, it is really for any high schooler headed out to face the world as independent adults. In this stage, your student learns how to inhabit someone else’s perspective in order to deeply engage with context and communication. 

This stage can be practiced through a historical analysis of Jane Austen, picking a side in a contemporary political debate, or even writing funny group texts to their peers. The key is developing their ability to hold multiple viewpoints at once so they can evaluate their values, roles, and interactions.

We hope you have enjoyed this Natural Stages of Growth series! Don’t forget to check out the Resource section for links to our High School Writer programs.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

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[Podcast #244] Middle School Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #3

Brave Writer Podcast

Welcome to our third episode in our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! Today we cover the Middle School Writers stage, which typically occurs around ages 9-12.

This stage is all about building confidence, instilling in your student that they can consistently express themselves well in writing. 

On today’s Brave Writer podcast, we:

  • dive into freewriting practices—generating ideas and writing in short spurts,
  • walk through how to do low-stakes revisions to help kids get comfortable with messing with their writing after it is on the page,
  • and talk about non-writing activities students can do that contribute to their writing skills.

Be sure to check the show notes’ resources section below for links to our online Summer Camp (it’s free), Fall Class Registration (beginning July 22), Brave Writer Training (sign up ends July 31), our Tools for the Art of Writing, and all our Bundles.

Show Notes

Freewriting

Freewriting is a powerful practice for building confidence. Start by setting a timer for seven minutes (three, if necessary). The only rule is that your middle-schooler has to write the whole time. They can generate a list of their topics ahead of time or decide in the moment. They can even write about how much they hate writing. This practice will show them that they are capable of writing even without a lot of preparation.

Low Stakes Revisions

Revisions can feel like a personal failure and cause your student to shut down. To help them feel comfortable with their writing being shaken about, engage in low stakes revisions. Rather than focusing on grammar or syntax revisions, make up a silly revision task like “retell this story from the perspective of a dog.” This gets them used to changing their precious writing, not getting stuck in debilitating self-doubt.

Non-Writing Activities

Writing is a form of self expression. If your middle-schooler is hitting a roadblock with writing, change things up. For example, watch a movie together and discuss it. You are showing them that they naturally have thoughts and opinions that are worth sharing. They can then take that confidence with them as they approach more formal writing tasks.

The middle-school years can be an especially fun and fruitful time for your writers. We hope you can enjoy them!

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

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[Podcast #243] Emerging Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #2

Brave Writer Emerging Writers Natural Stages

Welcome to our second podcast episode in our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! Today we cover the Emerging Writers stage, which typically occurs around ages 8-10. 

We explain that the key to the Emerging Writers stage is partnership. Parents need to partner with their kids while writing, just like parents naturally partner with their kids while teaching them how to drive a car, or any other major life skill. We dive into exactly what this looks like, and all of its benefits.

Plus, we talk about the Brave Writer Emerging Writers Bundle and the Dart and Partnership Writing Bundle.

Show Notes

Development Stage

At this stage kids can read and write, but they aren’t fluent in either. They’re just getting to the point they can read chapter books. They can verbally tell a great story, but they struggle to put it all down on paper with the correct:

  • grammar,
  • spelling,
  • and structure.

They have all the pieces they need to write well, but it’s hard for them to put it all together at once. 

The Key: Partnership

The key to the Emerging Writers stage is partnership. Parents need to partner with their kids while writing, just like parents naturally partner with their kids while teaching them how to drive a car, or any other major life skill.

What this looks like in practice is parent and child sitting down side-by-side, both with pencils in hand. The parent can take notes or even dictation of the story the child tells. Then the child can work from those notes, or trace that dictation.

In this role, the parent is sharing the load of the heavy transfer of verbal words into written structure.

Benefits

There are several benefits to this partnership approach. One is that you’re keeping your student’s creative mind and confidence undimmed. Another is that this approach lends itself to “writing back”—the innate human desire of wanting to write back a reply to what someone has said. Siblings can be great partners in this.

For more details on how to partner with your Emerging Writer during this stage, check out the Brave Writer Emerging Writers Bundle and the Dart and Partnership Writing Bundle.

Resources

  • Big juicy questions. Memories that last a lifetime. Meaningful ways to learn grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If this way of homeschooling speaks to you, check out our Brave Writer programs: Quill (ages 5-7), Dart (8-10), Arrow (11-12), Boomerang (13-14), Slingshot (15-18). On sale through the end of June. Sale includes a free lifetime membership to Brave Learner Home. Purchase by June 30 to take advantage of this deal!
  • Check out the Brave Writer Emerging Writers Bundle, on sale through the end of June.
  • Check out the Dart & Partnership Writing Bundle, on sale through the end of June.
  • Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
  • Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

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[Podcast #242] Beginning Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #1

Brave Writer Beginning Writers Natural Stages

We’re re-recording our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! If you’re a longtime listener, you may remember our first series on the topic. It was made up of conversations between Julie and her son. Now we’re recording in an updated format with more lessons learned and observations gleaned over the years.

In this Brave Writer podcast episode, we cover the Beginning Writers stage, also known as the “Jot It Down” stage. This stage actually starts when your baby says their first word and you reflexively write it down. As they grow older and break out into passionate stories like toddlers do, jot down those stories right there in the moment. In this stage you’re teaching your child that writing is simply capturing thought in words that can be preserved for an interested audience.

Julie and Melissa share adorable anecdotes of when they did this with their own children, not only building a foundational concept of writing, but also preserving invaluable family moments.

Be sure to stick around for the end of the episode to learn about the Beginning Writers Bundle and the Quill & Jot It Down Bundle.

Show Notes

The “Jot It Down Stage”

This first writing stage actually starts when your baby says their first word and you reflexively write it down. Don’t stop there. As they grow older and break out into passionate stories like toddlers do, jot down those stories right there in the moment. This stage lasts until your child starts to pick up a pencil themselves… but of course you don’t ever have to stop writing down their cute moments!

The Foundation for Writing

The “Jot It Down” stage lays the foundation for your child’s writing for the rest of their lives. You’re:

  • teaching your child that writing is simply capturing thought in words that can be preserved for an interested audience.
  • showing them that what they think and express matters.
  • transforming their thoughts and words into something they can physically hold and even play with.

For example, when Julie jotted down her four year old son’s Lego character stories on a clipboard, he then carried around the clipboard around him as he played Legos. 

Family Archives

Not only does the Beginning Writers “Jot It Down” stage lay the conceptual foundation of writing for your kids, but it also acts as a family archive. Melissa’s young adults love to go back and look at what they said when they were little.

Resources

  • Big juicy questions. Memories that last a lifetime. Meaningful ways to learn grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If this way of homeschooling speaks to you, check out our Brave Writer programs: Quill (ages 5-7), Dart (8-10), Arrow (11-12), Boomerang (13-14), Slingshot (15-18). On sale through the end of June. Sale includes a free lifetime membership to Brave Learner Home. Purchase by June 30 to take advantage of this deal!
  • Check out the Brave Writer Beginning Writers Bundle, on sale through the end of June.
  • Check out the Quill & Jot It Down Bundle, on sale through the end of June.
  • Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention!
  • Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
  • Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684.

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

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Podcast: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing

Brave Writer Podcast

Are you planning for the upcoming school year? Whether you’re homeschooling or sending kids to a traditional school, writing is that one skill that so many of us find unnerving.

One of the big problems is that your child’s age or grade level doesn’t tell you much about your writer. Writing develops the same way as any other skill: over time, at the writers’ own pace.

Over 22 years of working with tens of thousands of students, I’ve developed what I call the natural stages of growth in writing and my confidence in its accuracy has only solidified over time.

Today on the Brave Writer podcast, we’re going to walk through each of those stages.

Show Notes

  • [04:58] Beginning Writers: Jot it Down (5-7)

This is the stage where a child is too young to write and isn’t quite reading yet, but is so eager to self-express. They are a writer in need of a secretary—someone to jot down their thoughts and read those thoughts back to them so they can experience being authors long before being able to write for themselves. This stage focuses on delight and the joy of writing.

  • [07:51] Emerging Writers: Partnership Writing (8-10)

In this stage, you are a partner with your child in writing. Participating in the writing process with our child is not cheating, but in fact opens them up to the benefits of the adult’s vocabulary, as well as the mental processing of getting words onto the page. The challenge is the gap between a child’s oral fluency and their writing, spelling, and punctuation skills. This is normal—children will continue to grow into the mechanics of writing, and your participation helps.

  • [10:31] Middle School Writers: Building Confidence (11-12)

We tend to see two dichotomies at this stage of writing: Either a child shows a lot of enthusiasm for writing, or they absolutely hate it—often swapping between the two. They may write a lot one day only to refuse to write the next. Their spelling and punctuation may seem strong only to shift into reckless mistakes. They have a lot of competence, but many of their skills are still under construction. Allow them to self-express in the ways they like, and then give them rest from that commitment. The rough edges will smooth themselves out over time.

  • [15:39] High School Writers: Experimenting with Forms (13-14)

Once your child has built confidence and experience in using writing as a tool, they are ready to learn how to put that writing into the formats of academic life. These formats require a level of maturity and rhetorical imagination that doesn’t typically form until puberty. Kids at this stage feel comfortable with writing in general, even if they don’t yet know how to write an essay.

  • [17:29] College Prep Writers: Joining the Conversation (15-18)

Your kids, when they enter academic life, are joining a conversation already in progress. As your kids get an education, they are going to be reading what the experts and others have to say and amassing an understanding of what interests them the most. By the time they graduate, they will be called on to make meaningful contributions to those fields.

  • [19:43] Adult Writers: Fluent and Competent (18 and beyond)

These are adults not afraid to write their words, including professional writers, academics, and confident, competent adults. Once you’ve made it through all of the stages of writing, you should be able to face any writing task without worry or intimidation.

Visit bravewriter.com/stages to learn more about how our products and classes are organized according to these stages and find the ones that are going to help you.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

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