I have a 9th grades who struggles to write. I am looking for a tutor/program, who/that can help improve her writing skills. I don’t know anyone locally so looking for online. Anyone know some good writing programs that starts with basic skills, strategies and doesn’t break the bank? really appreciate your help.
Has your child ever been evaluated for writing issues?
By that I mean visual tracking, spatial issues, language development?
You may want to have her evaluated and begin to help her in that manner.
Thanks! I don’t think that’s an issue. She is in 9th grade and 4.0 GPA kid and I think it’s just that she needs some practice.
There is a common method that involves 5 paragraphs.
The introductory paragraph essentially “tells 'em what you are going to tell 'em”;
The next three paragraphs each discuss a separate aspect;
The final paragraph “tells 'em what you just told 'em”.
There are many online writing courses available. Should be able to find them via a Google search. Also, check out Amazon for books on this topic.
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This^^^ is what we taught our students.
Writing emanates and emerges from reading but writing can also easily develop from art.
We used pictures, paintings and musical lyrics, at our high school, to get the students to create passages.
(I also taught my former students a quick trick to practice sentences: using foods and landscapes to describe colors and feelings.)
Ex: The tomato-hued sky told us that the fire had jumped the hill.
Her sea-green dress was a lovely match for her skin.
The mountainous wave knocked the sailors off the bow.
I had my language students write letters/cards to family, friends, and local businesses (thank you’s) just to stay motivated. I provided colorful cards/envelopes/stickers and stamps which helped to make this activity really popular.
For motivation, sometimes, we would take a classic painting and post it up and ask the kids to describe what came next? EX: They would then ask an aunt or grandparent (in writing), What did Whistler’s mother do after she got up from her chair? What else did Andy Warhol eat with his Campbell soups? Why is Mona Lisa’s smile so wicked/devious?
You have to get creative to keep your teen motivated. (We educators have to compete with the internet.)
My middle daughter loves the Jane Austen classics- she had some visual tracking problems. We started a neighborhood Mother-Daughter book club in 7th grade (based on Shireen Dodson’s book). With practice, our daughter got stronger in writing. For one assignment, she decided to write about how hard it must have been for a young woman, at that time, to prepare to sew, dress and wash long elaborate gowns and undergarments. It was an interesting take, and satirical at times, but her teacher loved it.
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Your best option is to look for referrals from local parents. Use your community Facebook page and ask for recommendations. There are various online tutoring companies you can contact, but CC isn’t a place for free advertising of private establishments.
As an addition to (or maybe even replacement of) tutoring:
- Exposure to stories that are so strikingly well-conceived that they can open someone’s eyes to possibilities of narration. Not only books but movies - it’s a matter of taste but Altman’s The Player and Mamet’s House of Games come to mind.
- Self-reflection. It’s hard to write a compelling story about yourself when you don’t know who you are and what makes you tick.
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