Home | Education | Homeschooling
A few months ago I shared a writing tip you could use in your classroom or homeschool. Since that time I was once again reminded how important it is to let our children have some ownership over their writing topics. Let me share my story.... Last week, my son's lesson was writing a biographical sketch in five paragraphs. We had recently been studying the Roman Empire, and I hoped that he would write on one of the church's founding fathers - not only would this reinforce those lessons, but he would also have the chance to delve more deeply into books which we hadn't had time to read earlier. Despite my excitement, I could see he was less than eager. As we spoke, I could see the disinterest reflected in his eyes. Once the conversation turned to baseball, his demeanor changed. He had just finished reading a book on baseball player Derek Jeter, and was fascinated, eager to learn more. When I suggested that he write his biography on Jeter instead, my son's eyes lit up with excitement. had to use at least three sources for his biography, only one of which could be from the internet. Before our talk was through, he already had two other possible sources lined up. That settled it - Derek Jeter it would be. Over the past week, he has been hard at work researching Mr. Jeter's life and collecting information. Today's assignment was to narrow the facts down to three, keeping his paper from becoming a full book. From this point, he will work on an effective outline and begin to write. Believe me, I have a much happier son because he is writing about someone he likes, not someone Mom told him to research. I know his paper will be much better, just because he has an interest in his topic. Do you let your kids take leadership, and ownership, in their writing topics? If not, why not? Next week, discuss an assignment and then let your kids choose their own topic. They will be so glad you did and you will be glad when you read their finished paper!
Article Source: http://www.just-article.com
Kerry Beck helps classroom teachers and homeschoolers with a lesson on writing a biographical sketch. She has a free mini-course that demonstrates to you how to teach writing at Teaching Writing.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
