? for Writing Tales Users

[Donna T.]

I have a question for those of you who are using or who have used Writing Tales. How hard do you push the creativity part?

When my son writes his first draft of the stories, he turns them in with near perfect spelling and correct grammar. He takes his time with the stories and applies all he's been taught through previous copywork and dictation. His first drafts don't always need to be rewritten because he's done such a good job with them. He sticks very close to the story and does a good job remembering all of the important info. The basic story line is there.

If you follow the TM, the child would be writing his story four times before he is done. First/rough draft, Final draft, Final draft with creative touches, and then that would be rewritten. I don't have the TM in front of me, so I may not be describing it exactly right. Regardless, there would be a total of four "writings" of the same story.

I don't consider my son to be a reluctant writer. I used to think he was but I now realize he was just lacking good instruction. He really didn't know what was expected of him at times, so naturally he was hesitant (he's very cautious by nature anyways). I haven't found a writing curriculum that I have felt comfortable enough teaching to stick with... it's been more me than him. Anyways, I want to give Writing Tales a hearty try and so far, so good.

Except, I'm not sure how to proceed when his first drafts really are done very well. Since we've struggled some in this area of writing, I don't want to overwhelm him or scare him off by having him do rewrites that don't seem necessary. So, that's one issue I'm not clear on. If the paper he turns in really is done very well, can that just be it? And, as far as the creativity part, is that something that I need to require at this point? He is a real perfectionist and he's proud when he tells the story back and does a good job with that. He thinks it "ruins" the story to then rewrite it with his own creative touches. I'm not real clear on how to help him with that. The Writing Tales TM doesn't give much guidance in that area, in my opinion. He's not a creative thinker and he is struggling with understanding what that means... and I don't really understand how to help with that. So, he's just turning in really well done first drafts (maybe one word spelled incorrectly, which I do address and he corrects) and he has done none of the "creative rewrites".

Should I be forcing the creative part? And, if so, how in the world do you teach creativity? :tongue_smilie:

Thanks for any feedback. I'm inclined to let him continue to build his confidence by turning in the well-written first drafts, correcting what really needs to be corrected there, if anything, and moving forward. He does all of the other parts of the lessons. Thanks again!

[Lucidity]

I'm not exactly there yet... I just bought Writing Tales for my 8 and 11 year old. My inclination would be the same as yours and just let him do his best. It's only been this year that my son, 11, has started asking me, "How can I make my sentences sound better?" Until then, I really think he didn't see the difference or even realize his writing might be "dull". :)

Good luck, I may be back soon with my own questions. :D

[whitestavern]

As far as I remember, the student isn't required to do the second rough/final; it's really if the child craves more creativity. I'd just skip that part if your DS isn't interested in it. You can wait a few more years before getting into creative writing.

[Testimony]

:iagree:
You do not have to do the creative part.

I have the opposite problem. My sons want to skip the summarization part and go right into the creative touches. They just want to write stories and more stories.

I think that if the child has a good understanding of the story and wrote the summarization well, then you are OK. The creative touches adds that creative writing piece.

Blessings in your homeschooling journey!

Sincerely,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Donna T.]

Thanks so much for the responses. I felt much better after reading them.

But, would you believe that my son has suddenly decided that he can be creative! I think once the pressure was off, he calmed down about it!

On his own, he decided to go back and do some of the creative rewrites. So, the crow's name is Bob and the pebbles are actually bits of a meteor that suddenly hit the earth and shattered into pieces! He even typed up a cover for his notebook for his stories and entitled it "Nonsense Tales."

Phew... I'm hoping this burst of creativity will last!

Thanks again!

[OhElizabeth]

Well you definitely don't need to do 4 drafts for WT... Not sure whether that's in the tm and I missed it or what! In any case, my dd was very similar to your ds, with good drafts. She did a handwriting initial draft, we spilled red ink, and then she made the changes orally as I typed the final. Print, bind in a book, and done. I had kids in my class whose rough drafts had lots of mistakes, and will still did the same thing. Don't make it unpleasant! Use the technology.

As far as creativity, sounds like things are percolating for him. You can also make it more concrete, with specific requirements using the grammar. For instance, in the lesson where you discuss adjectives, require 4 adjectives in the story. In the lesson where you cover adverbs, require 4 adverbs. You can even spiral the list if you want and find it appropriate.