It's 10pm and here I sit at the laptop trying to wrap my mind around my right-brained (potentially ADD) incredibly intelligent 10 year old. I'm his mom. I should be able to do this, right? I know him best? I'm a teacher? Ya...all those things hardly make me qualified as I'm not an expert in any of those departments.
My thoughts tonight:
I have some goals for this child of mine.
1) I'd like to give him a great schooling experience so that he's prepared to go to 'normal' high-school if he chooses
2) I'd like to use technology as much as possible as he enjoys it
3) I'd like him to master his times tables
4) I'd like him to become a proficient typist
Having said all those things, however, I'd really like to try to "grow" an interest in written expression without much actual writing until he's ready to write. Really, that's what I want. I want for him to write. WRITE. Truly, I want him to be able to create...get thoughts on paper...express himself and generate ideas outside of his head.
If this was the only goal I had to accomplish for grade 5 we would be singing.....but there's tons of stuff he has to learn by the end of this year on top of that ultimate goal.
I know that I need to use the required curriculum as a spring board - he's not going to remember it but there are skills he needs to learn in the process. But, some of the curriculum resources (and topics!!) are super boring. I need to help him determine what is most interesting to use to develop the skills.
For example, if he needs to learn to do paragraph summaries, then what paragraphs can I use that are most interesting so that he'll WANT to read them and be motivated, at least somewhat, to summarize them? Clear as mud...I know I'm rambling. I'm so tired - running as fast as I can already and we don't even have all of the activities into the mix yet.
Anyways, that's the key. He needs to feel like these educational decisions are his choice.....
Clever writing websites that we're hoping to use:
Wacky headline starter
Fortune Cookie Stories
Post card Creator
Book Report Sandwich Station
Creative Writing prompts
That's all I've got for now.
What I need is a really comprehensive integrated unit study that caters to a reluctant writer and still manages to cover all the curriculum content. Possible?
Just a suggestion, but maybe you can incorporate some kind of church learning into it. I'm not sure how enthused he his about Sunday school lessons and what not, but maybe trying to get him excited about writing things down that he learned at church will help with the school stuff too. :) It's a long shot, but the Spirit knows better than we do how to create and/or grow something in us.
ReplyDeleteWhat if his choice is not to be a writer? There are many other ways he can create. Of course he needs to know how to write but that may not be his form of self expression.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I think he IS choosing not to write but I think part of that choice is because he finds it difficult. I'd like him to learn to write so that if he does choose to express himself in that way he can, AND then also give him many other means of self expression. He's such a multi-talented kid that I think he needs as many options as possible.
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