writing process samples

Peter completes two writing-process pieces a week, both of which start with a planning web and a topic sentence.  The following needs some revisions and some more details, but my husband and I were so proud of it!

Peter, I thought this one was so endearing!  Your siblings will enjoy it!

I have 3 siblings.  Ferst I will tell you about Beth.  She is curious and active.  Next I will tell you about Paul.  He really likes math.  He is really exuberant.  Finally I will tell you about Mary.  She is very sweet and loving.  


I love all my siblings.


Here is another writing sample:

I went on a hike at AWANA.  I saw plants.  I saw pinecones and flowers.  I saw grass and rocks.  The rocks were red and gray.  The flowers had bulbs.  The rocks were in dirt and the pinecones were under a tree.  I really like nature hikes.


New writers tend to use bare-bones language.  We scream at them, details, details, details!  Be descriptive!  What kind of car?  What kind of tree?  What words describe your sister?  What else can you add?

Adult writers, in contrast, must learn to cut extraneous words and details--essentially unlearning some lessons from elementary school.  Solid, professional writing emerges only after years of practice.  Even with 28 months of frequent practice under my belt, I still struggle with passive voice and other bad habits.

I want my children to leave high school capable of beautiful, precise prose.  Daily practice is the key, along with the reading of good literature to build vocabulary and enhance sentence structure and style.

unschooling part 2

In reference to my last post:  I just saw the GMA segment--maybe the second segment, the longer one--on radical unschooling.  I am not interested in the no-rules, no-discipline approach, nor in allowing a donut for breakfast, or TV time during school.  But, I do think kids will learn quite well if they read about, write about, do research on, do experiments regarding, whatever topic they are interested in, whether it be photography or insects.  The parent has to be very involved though, to ensure that they're learning effective communication skills (reading, speaking, writing composition, listening), which will later allow them to do well in college and in the workforce.  As well, I think it would be beneficial to have the children choose from interests in a variety of areas, so that no discipline is entirely neglected.

This uproar reminds me of an educational debate that existed right about the time I became a public school teacher.  Back then, it was about the "whole language" approach to reading.  It was misunderstood.  Some thought it meant not teaching phonics at all, and just reading lots and lots of books to children, who would eventually pick up reading by osmosis.  That is true for some kids, by the way.

What it really entailed, when done correctly, was to introduce phonics in the context of a whole piece of text, rather than through an isolated worksheet.  When this was done, the child could clearly see how phonics related to reading and writing.  They learned that it was a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.

It is really through writing that kids learn the most about phonics, which is why the "write to read" approach is so effective.  Lots of reading is important in the process, too; it allows them to practice and apply what they've learned through the composing process.

Anyhow, the family GMA chose seems to definitely fall into the most radical segment of the unschooling population.  If given more opportunity to show what their kids could do, I'm sure the family would have come out in a better light.  I think it would have been better to have chosen a less radical family, if the purpose was to highlight the unschooling trend.  Definitely, the mother in the segment saying that her kids "might watch TV, or play computer games", was not the best thing to say, IMHO.

unschooling on GMA

I learned from The Homeschool Adventure blog that Good Morning America did a very negative segment on unschooling.  There was such an outcry (positive and negative) that they brought the featured family back the next day.  Read about it here.

Without cable TV, I'm out of the loop.  If you see any more segments can ya'll let me know?  I am interested in unschooling, but not until the kids are all out of diapers and sleeping through the night.

Thank you!

counting my blessings

During Beth's first 13 months, I wasn't a regular at church services.  We used to take our babies to church faithfully, but because that rarely entailed listening to a sermon, by the time our fourth came along, we were so over the notion that church was for babies too.  We could care less what people thought of our spirituality in this regard.  (Walk a day in our shoes, if you want to judge.)  So, husband attended church with three children, while I stayed home to give the baby her nap (which happened to fall right at church time, no matter what I tried).

Now, at 16 months, her nap still falls right at church time, but she falls apart less when we have to get her down late. So I volunteered at the nursery and began taking her faithfully two weeks ago.  They don't have enough help to make her stay there fully safe, so I still haven't been to a sermon.  Since the girls are ultimately my (our) responsibility, I feel obliged to continue to be a regular in the nursery until God puts more volunteers in there.

What do I have to show for my regular church attendance?  Nothing but a bad cold, which so far has hit Beth and myself, with the other three beginning to show symptoms earlier tonight.  I'm sure it was church nursery germs, since Beth fell ill first.  She hasn't been anywhere else this last week.  (Don't get me wrong, I do love working in the nursery--children still delight me to no end.  It's a blessing to be there.)

Having a nursing baby with a cold is no small problem.  It entails sleeping in weird, upright positions, to facilitate nursing for a baby whose nose is full of copious mucous.  I hate colds......positively dread them.  I get depressed as soon as I see her nose begin running, for I know what is coming--little sleep, that blue sucky-bulb thing up a screaming baby's nose, a trashed house, snot everywhere, whining, and days that feel like marathons, because I'm sick as well.

Instead of falling further into self-pity, I'm going to count some blessings:

- rich green grass everywhere

- brilliantly colored tulips

- green leaves and blossoms on trees

- an eight year old with a heart for helping

- homeschooling

- a baby who still nurses

- God-loving children

- a six year old who loves cuddling

- a baby who enjoys learning new words

- a happy baby (except for her cold symptoms)

- a Christian husband (not perfect, but focused on heavenly matters)

- a three year old who still asks semi-regularly, "Can I be in your arms?" (Thank you, God!)

- berries

- chocolate

- black bean soup and cornbread

- cinnamon/sugar toast

- surrogate grandparents who seem to love us (I praise you God for finally answering this prayer.....no small miracle!)

- a renewed love for Scripture

- Connie, Sandi, Paula, Margie, Liz, Steph, Arwen, Terri/Trevor, Terri Tiffany, Jess, Carolyn

- a dining room

- a play room

- a big yard

- a house payment that's still up to date

- hot running water

- a dishwasher, washer/dryer, heater

- fridge and cupboards full of food

- soft beds

- enough clean clothes

- a working vehicle ( even if the muffler is going bad)

- no cancer, no diabetes, no heart disease

- inner peace, even in the midst of trial

Good night, friends!  Forgive my sob story above.

Colossians 3:15-17 

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

sibling good times

A post I found on the benefits of fewer toys.

Thank you, Liz, for the stuffed animal recommendation for thunder fears!

While I made dinner, they were busy.  That's Playdoh in the picture, acting as mud.  Around here, Playdoh is often configured into roads for Hot Wheels cars, as well.   It has many uses, most of which drive me insane.  You with me on that?

My two oldest are 8 and 6, and they've finally decided to stop doing "abstracts".  Lately, they paint actual pictures.  This will be a tree.  I'm blessed by this turn of events.  Daddy gave a drawing lesson and they also painted birds with their watercolors.  

Another tree.

My present life entails a lot of bending over and picking up and putting away.  The baby flung all this, attempting to say, "I don't want another activity, thank you very much.  I want out of this booster seat!  Enough with brother's math-regrouping assignment!  Let me out!"  

Enjoying a beautiful, 58-degree spring day!

 My big boy!  He's become such a big help to me.  He loves contributing.

I'm blessed by the good time they have together.  Praise God!