As I mentioned in a previous post I have a simple homeschool philosophy. I make sure we are getting reading, writing and math done on a regular basis and consider anything else we do extra credit. I believe strongly that if a person can read, write and do math – they can do anything they want. They have the basic skills to learn to do anything they can dream of. I hold to this approach from first-grade through high school. I want my kids to have time and space to explore their own interests and to be excited about learning and discovering on their own.

Writing in our homeschool took some time to figure out and to develop a plan that worked for both me and the kids. I tried lots of different curriculums and all of them left so much to be desired. I didn’t like teaching writing and my kids really didn’t like doing their writing assignments. At one point my oldest was about 8 and we were working through a basic language arts book for second grade. At the end of the book it had a section about different types of writing. We spent a day talking about what a persuasive paper was, the basics of a business letter and several other types of writing.

As we finished up the book I had the thought that maybe I should scrap all the curriculums and simply have my kids write and write and write. It took a few weeks for me to come up with a plan and I was unsure if I was brave enough do my own thing and not follow an expert’s plan. After thinking about it for a few weeks I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try it and if it wasn’t working I could regroup.

I came up with a list of about eight types of writing and thought we could rotate through them doing one a week. Part of my plan was that the kids could choose to write about whatever they wanted. I would not assign topics and as long as it fit the type of writing we were doing, they could write about anything they wanted. I have tweaked my approach over the years but the basic idea has stayed the same. This is what a typical week looks like for an writing assignment.

On Monday we discuss as a group what this type of writing is and when it would be useful. We brainstorm ideas for topics and give a general overview of what is expected. Every eight weeks or so this is being repeated and discussed again. Throughout the rest of the week the kids are expected to spend an hour each day working on their writing assignment. Each day during our opener (more on this later) I check with the kids to make sure things are going well and they are making progress on their assignment. We spend a few minutes talking about what will make a stronger paper and things to be aware of when writing this type of paper.

By about Wednesday I expect to have a first draft that I can look over. I proofread the paper and make notes and suggestions for the final draft. This is a great opportunity to talk about grammar rules and to explain why I made the corrections that I did. By the end of the school day on Friday I expect each child to have a final draft for me to look over. The best part about this plan is that all the kids are doing the same type of assignment. My expectations are different for each child based on their age and ability. What I expect from my third-grader is very different from what I expect to see from my high-schooler. But we can discuss together what makes a good paper regardless of age and skill-level.

When my kids are able to write about topics they care about their writing is much better and they are excited to share with me something they love. I love seeing the diversity of topics and I know we are on the right track when I get a glimpse of their heart tucked in the corners of the latest writing assignment. My older kids each have a unique writing style, but they can all write very well, and have been able to hold their own on a college level.

My list of topics has been tweaked over the years but this is the basic list for our writing assignments – persuasive, informational, fictional story, friendly letter, business letter, and personal narrative. We have also at times done how-to, compare and contrast, and poetry. We also do research papers a couple of times a year. For research papers we take 6-8 weeks and focus on research skills, writing multiple drafts, citing sources, cover page and a PowerPoint presentation.

The most impactful advice I have received about teaching kids writing was in an interview with Andrew Puduea. He said that before you could ever hope to see your kids produce good writing you had to make sure they had something in their heads to write about. He said the more you filled them beautiful language the easier it would be for them to then write beautiful language. I have taken these words to heart and tried to make sure my kids were surrounded by beautiful and complex language. It takes years of putting good language in their minds before we see the fruits of our labors. But, it is a great day when we read a paper and realize that it is finally paying off and they are able to express in a small way what they are thinking and feeling.

Surrounding them with beautiful language is my favorite part of homeschooling and a topic that I have lots to say about. I often think that the reason I homeschool is so I have more time to read books with my kids and to make sure they have lots of time to read on their own. For me the strength of my homeschool is books. More on that in another post.