Questions about Writing
October 30, 2007 4:54 pm Writing| I copied some questions that were submitted to me awhile back. I hope these help some of you.
About how much time a week/day do your students spend writing? My kids are 13, 16, 18 and they write each day. Sometime they write on a formal writing project and other times they are writing in their reading journal, copybook or commonplace book. They usually spend 15-30 minutes/day writing. The older ones may spend more time. When they were younger, they spent about 15 minutes/day writing. How much time did it take you at the beginning to work with them on IEW? I realize this is one of my weaker areas and don’t mind spending the time to get us up to speed; I just need to know how to set up our schedule if we decide to use it. Right now I allow 1-1½ hours for a language arts block each day for my 4th grader. (This includes grammar, spelling and writing.) We all spent more time together when we first started IEW so we could learn the process. It probably took about 4-5 months for the kids to learn the process and work independently. Even before that time, they had some assignments where they could work on their own. The biggest skills they had to learn include key word outlines, writing a rough draft from an outline, what the dress-ups are and how to do them, editing their piece. If you spend 30 minutes a day on writing, you should be fine. Do your children write every day? YES At what age would you start using IEW? (I have a five year old who has walked around with a pencil since she was about 18 months and she is constantly writing. She has my husband’s very quick mind, and is already reading on a 2nd/3rd grade level.) My youngest began around 7 years old. We wrote an outline together (I did the writing). He dictated a sentence for each part of the outline (I typed his sentences). We printed the paragraph and we edited it together, adding dress-ups. We followed this pattern until he was 8 or 9 years old. Then, he started writing his own rough drafts. At this younger age, we did not do a formal writing assignment each day. We alternated with copy work and dictation. Would I be able to teach both of the girls simultaneously and just expect more from my 9 year old? Your five year old might listen and do what she could. Until she is old enough to read fairly well, I wouldn’t worry about these types of writing assignments. I would have her copying words and sentences from good books she is reading or you are reading to her. I don’t encourage writing assignments until a child is reading and spelling on their own, usually around 7 or 8 years old. I would gear your writing assignments to your 9yo and let your 5 yo “catch” what she can from the discussions. I hope this helps a little more. If you have any further questions, post a comment or check out our website, www.CurriculumConnection.net/teachingwriting.htm. Better yet, subscribe to our free newsletter at http://www.curriculumconnection.net
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