When we decided to homeschool our children, we did not buy a writing curriculum. As a fifth-grade teacher with six years experience, I knew how to create a writing curriculum. Most of the homeschool writing programs I saw were like the writing curriculum in the public school system. These programs taught students what to write, not how to write.
I was firmly convinced that this was the best approach to teaching writing, at least until I discovered the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). Its founder, Andrew Pudewa, has created a fascinating product called Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. His program does not focus on helping students develop ideas to write about. Instead, he focuses on teaching students how to write. This seemed contrary to all my training - my students, like all others, were most concerned about finding a topic to write about.
In the IEWs lesson plans for writing process, teachers give the students a topic rather than selecting one for themselves. From there, Mr. Pudewa teaches the students various outlines, or "structures", for different kinds of writing - essays, book reports, letters, and more. By defining the purpose of the writing, students can select an effective outline to organize their thoughts.
Once a structure is defined, the program teaches students how to develop their own "style". By selecting strong verbs and adverbs, descriptive adjectives, and various clauses, students learn to dress up their writing and experiment with their writing style. They learn effective ways of opening and closing a sentence for maximum impact.
In part two of this series, I will show you a simple activity to do with your children. This activity can be done anytime - during the school year or over summer vacation. If you have a budding writer or an older student who is struggling to learn how to write, you won't want to miss the second installment of teaching writing skills.
I was firmly convinced that this was the best approach to teaching writing, at least until I discovered the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). Its founder, Andrew Pudewa, has created a fascinating product called Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. His program does not focus on helping students develop ideas to write about. Instead, he focuses on teaching students how to write. This seemed contrary to all my training - my students, like all others, were most concerned about finding a topic to write about.
In the IEWs lesson plans for writing process, teachers give the students a topic rather than selecting one for themselves. From there, Mr. Pudewa teaches the students various outlines, or "structures", for different kinds of writing - essays, book reports, letters, and more. By defining the purpose of the writing, students can select an effective outline to organize their thoughts.
Once a structure is defined, the program teaches students how to develop their own "style". By selecting strong verbs and adverbs, descriptive adjectives, and various clauses, students learn to dress up their writing and experiment with their writing style. They learn effective ways of opening and closing a sentence for maximum impact.
In part two of this series, I will show you a simple activity to do with your children. This activity can be done anytime - during the school year or over summer vacation. If you have a budding writer or an older student who is struggling to learn how to write, you won't want to miss the second installment of teaching writing skills.
About the Author:
Kerry Beck helps homeschool moms and classroom teacKerry'ss with writing activities. Check out Kerry's free mini-course on Teaching Writing Easily.
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