Posts Tagged ‘Natural Stages of Growth in Writing’

[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

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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

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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

Tags:
Posted in Natural Stages of Growth in Writing, Podcasts | Comments Off on [Podcast #243] Emerging Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #2