Another writing question

[MommyThrice]

Earlier, I asked about writing in Omnibus. So, I've been looking for a writing progarm. Several people suggestion IEW books. I've been looking at them online, and I can't find anything my son doesn't already know how to do?!?!

Am I missing something?

He's in his third year of speech & debate. He's been writing speeches for 3 years. Short speeches, long speeches. Prepared speeches, impromptu speeches. Most of his speeches are basically essays - narrative, persuasive, expository. He does them all. Some of the speeches would pass for a research paper, we just didn't know it at the time. He spent weeks researching Swiss Army Knives and wrote an expository speech on them - the history, the various kinds, famous uses - and did really well. He edited and improved it many, many times. He writes his own debate cases (but needs a little help understanding how government works - he's in 9th grade)

So, an I missing something? What else is there that to writing? It can't be this simple.

[Michelle in AL]

Maybe you could focus on style and structure? Has he had rhetoric? If not you could focus on how writers use rhetoric and then focus on adding rhetorical modes and devices into his writing. He may have already had this being in debate, if so maybe the progymnasmata exercises may give him a different perspective to write from.

[Cedarmom]

I think what we're missing is when people ask for writing curricullum advice, we need to reccommend speech and debate! Really, my son learned more there than anywhere. To answer your question, you could work on improving his rhetoric with a a rhtoric book. SWB's Well Trained Mind has ideas for long research papers, which would strengthen you sons writing. And just keep doing what he's doing.More practice will improve his writing, just by doing. You may not even need a currucllum if he already know it. Just have a set amount of writing due every coupleof weeks.

[MommyThrice]

Earlier, I asked about writing in Omnibus. So, I've been looking for a writing progarm. Several people suggestion IEW books. I've been looking at them online, and I can't find anything my son doesn't already know how to do?!?!


Well, obviously I need a spelling and grammar curriculum - for myself :D

I do plan to work a little more on rhetoric, but he's getting a heavy dose already this year in debate. The first year was spent just "getting through" debate rounds, but this whole year has been spent looking at the logic of the case and how to present an organized, persuasive rebuttal.

OK. So this is one area of his education I'm going to quit worrying about. No wonder he wants to be an attorney.