Evaluating Writing for the Home Educator - Free Rubric

Every writer has their own style, their own way of saying things, their own flavour.  When I'm writing for a blog, I use a somewhat conversational tone.  This helps the reader feel personally involved in my writing.  Right?

Stay objective while marking your child's writing.
Use a rubric

Writing a press release, an obituary, or a report require different stylistic elements.  But the bottom line is that no matter what we are writing there are certain areas that are un-bending.  

• Writing must be organized. 
• Ideas must be clear. 
• Word choice must enhance the readers experience. 
• The writing must be fluid, and well-presented.  
• The mechanics of the language must work.

As a home schooling parent/teacher, we are called upon to grade our child's writing.  And we must do this objectively. Grading Math, Science, or Geography can be cut and dried, since it's usually got a clear right or wrong answer. Grading Writing has more leeway, and more room for subjectivity. So we must purposely take a step back from our feelings about the piece or the author,

Enter the Writing Rubric.  If you've not heard the word before, a rubric is set of criteria with a scale of observations you can use to assign partial marks for each category in an assignment. It gives you a more objective way to assign points, and gives students specific feedback on areas they have done well, or could work to improve.

A good writing rubric will give you general areas of consideration for evaluation, and a gauge to measure them by.  Everyday Education offers a free writing rubric for use by home educators, taken from Evaluating Writing the Easy Way. by Janice Campbell author of Excellence in Writing and Transcripts Made Easy. 

The free rubric focuses on essay format, but if you're crafty you could adapt it to any style.  

History Blank Timeline

For those of you who might be interested in a blank timeline for use with Modern History, I've posted one on my StoryOfTheWorldBlog.

 The timeline was created for use with Volume 4 of Story of the World. And it's actually from 1700-2000 - in case we might like to note earlier events which influenced or led into events of volume 4.

 Anyway, if you're looking for a simple blank timeline, check it out!

Writers Inc Arrives!!

Our copy of Writers Inc. came in the mail today, and we couldn't be more pleased with our selection!

 Writers Inc. is an absolutely beautiful book.

Books should be beautiful, shouldn't they?  Writers Inc has a glossy black cover with gleaming shiny multi-colored foil sections that photos on the internet could never covey.  It has durable quality paper and feels like something you would like to clutch close to your heart, and keep well into your senior years (senior citizen not just senior in high school!)

The publisher recommends it for grades 8-12, and I'd say it's spot on.

So far, my review is 5 stars!.

Quotes from the Kitchen Table Reviews include:  

• "Cool, look at this, Mom! ”   and   
• "Wouldn't it be neat to become a famous writer, and write for a living someday?"

These words came from my 12-year-old reluctant writer.  This book is a keeper!!

Favourite Crochet Supplies

I have to admit to loving to make homespun gifts.
Here are some of my favorite Crochet Resources:

Books and Hooks:

Crochet Patterns:

These patterns are all visual tutorials. They write the pattern out with pictures of the steps, no abbreviations or complicated instruction!

   

Videos:

Awesome selection of video tutorials on how to make beautiful crochet stitches and projects!

Blogs:

Three Crochet Chicks

Kids and Technology - Email: 4 Tips for Parents

In this age of technology, parents are faced with decisions about allowing (or denying) things like cell phones, ipads, facebook and email accounts.

These forms of technology can enhance or diminish productivity and lifestyle.

Facebook can create social problems and hurt feelings; and it encourages children to divulge personal information on the internet.  iPads give children the ability to access internet in unsupervised areas of the home.  Cell phones are a whole topic onto themselves!

A good way to ease in, is with email.  

Allowing your child to have their own email account is a priviledge.  If done properly it's a good way for them to learn communication skills and typing skills while staying in touch with friends -   in a way that is convenient for homeschoolers.

If you decide to allow them to set up an email account here are a few tips:

1.  Don't let them use their name as the address.  This can lead to privacy issues that a child is not prepared to deal with.  John.Smith@yahoo.com can be an easy mark for predators, knowing their name gets them a foot in the door.

2. Maintain a rule that you must always have the password to the account so that you can check on it whenever you like.  And, do this - randomly.

3. Have the incoming mail to your child's account forward to your own email.  This way, you have your finger on the pulse of what's arriving in their inbox.  You won't know what's going out the outbox, but at least you'll know if there are any topics or issues which require discussion.

4.  Don't allow them to use their email address on websites, etc.  They should only give it to friends they know in real life.  This will eliminate Spam, Junk mail and other unwanted solicitation.  If you opt for Gmail, it has a pretty good junk filter.  I use it as my primary email account and all of the viagra, and make money/send money emails completely skip my inbox.

Personally, I think a good age to allow children to begin with email is around 12.  You may differ on this idea.  In my home this is an age where children are expected to do more around the house, take more ownership of their schoolwork and chores, and are generally interested in contact with people outside the home. (And I use it to remind them about school assignments, using my GoogleCalendar!)

What are your thoughts on this issue?

Related Posts:

Assignment Deadlines - Using Google Calendar       
Using Google for Writing Assignments               
Using Google Docs in Your Home School

Since you Asked - A Little Bit About Me.

I've had a few readers ask me about my background or my motivation for Blogging for home schoolers.  The two questions are actually quite closely related.

My background goes back to when I was 12 and I started teaching my best friend to play piano.  And then when I was in 9th grade and essentially taught 9th grade Math by something like the Socratic Method, though I'd never heard of Socrates.

No, I was not a child prodigy hired by a forward thinking school to teach my peers.

When I was in 9th grade, our school guidance counsellor was assigned to teach 9th grade Math. We would arrive in the class to copy questions and examples from the board. The teacher would read what he had written, ask us to write it down and complete the questions.  When anyone would ask a question, he would just find the appropriate notes on the board and re-read them to the questioner

As you can guess, he had no idea how to teach Math.  It led to many frustrated students who wanted to understand.  Repeating the words he already said didn't help the student who didn't understand the concept, and he clearly had no way of explaining the concepts himself.

Everyone was frustrated.  And I understood the Math.

The Teacher in me couldn't resist facilitating.  And so, in an effort not to undermine his teaching or authority, I would, upon seeing those puzzled and frustrated expressions, raise my hand and say, "so do you mean...,"  and explain the underlying tidbit that was not on the board and clearly was needed to answer the student's question.

At first he didn't know how to handle my, um, assistance.  But after the first Math Test when I got 105% (there was a bonus question,) and the average mark on the test was 65%, with many students failing.  He changed his view of me.  After that, he would actually look my way when he was at a loss and I would politely raise my hand and explain the concept, usually by using some form of question. (Afterall, that's why you raise your hand!)

This was when I discovered that I could "teach."

So, 10 years; a teachers degree; and 5 years of school teaching later I finally left school and became a full time private piano teacher.  I had been teaching piano students during the time I taught public school.  And so, I knew how to use all the teaching theory while working with students one-on-one.

Teaching a classroom full of students of differing abilities is a demanding part-art part-magic vocation  And it didn't feel at all to me like why I had wanted to become a teacher.  It was when I left the system myself (almost 20 years ago, and before having children of my own) that I decided I would home school any children I might be blessed with.

So, today I teach piano and teach my children at home.  In both cases I feel like I make a difference.  My Purpose is to guide and motivate students to want to learn and to take ownership of their learning.  I don't "teach to the test"  I "teach students to teach themselves." In fact, I don't even like to use the word teach...because it implies I am doing something to you.  I am a motivator, coach, cheerleader, tutor, mentor, counsellor - any of those words work.

My aim is to work myself out of a job.  And the funny thing is, professionally, I keep most of my piano students through their teen years (and through high school) and some even on into university. (If they don't move away, they often don't quit!)

Why is this?  I believe it's because I make learning personal for them.  I don't just turn the page and teach the next song...well sometimes I do, but that's not usually the plan!

So, although I digress, the reason for the Blog, is that I believe that we all have the will and the ability to motivate and inspire students.  As home educators we come from varying backgrounds.  Some of us have Education Degrees, and some of us have a GED, some of use are simply Parents with no recognized certificate of learning.  My blog is my way of prompting others to think about different aspects of home education.

I write about the things I'm thinking about at the time, and you can take them or leave them.  It comes down to personal taste.  And I want it to be personal!  So, by all means take from me what you will and toss the rest!

Writing Reference Books for Home Schoolers

To prepare for good writing it's important to have a handy reference book for checking style, tone, syntax, grammar, punctuation and formatting.

Today I will review 2 options for Writers' Manuals.

 Writers Inc.

First of all, I like the pun in the title.  A book for writers can win me with wit, for sure!

The publisher recommends it for grades 8-12.

Reviewers on Amazon give it 4.6 out of 5 Stars.

Quotes from the reviews include:  

• "Writers Inc is a fantastic book that helps with all types of writing. ”   and   
• "The Best Writing Source that You Haven't Heard About"

From the table of contents, and a quick perusal of the "look inside" feature:  the book  includes extensive material on tools for writing, forms of writing, the writing process, proofreading, and even some charts and tables for reference.

 Write for College.  

The title of this book, strikes me as having a more serious tone than  Writers Inc.  


The publisher recommends it for grades 10-12.

Reviewers on Amazon give it 4.3 out of 5 Stars.

Comments written by reviewers indicate that is can be used beyond high school for college papers.  And that it is a clear and concise reference book.




Since my needs are for an 8th grader in his first foray into serious literature study and essay writing, I've ordered the Writers Inc.  And maybe will make a second purchase of Write for College in a few years when we've exhausted the material presented in this book.

Do you have a favorite writers manual?

Praise

Praise is one the most important ways we can help our children learn to do what is expected of them and to recognize their abilities.  It makes us feel good when someone tells us something nice.

She loves me, she loves me not, I LOVE ME.

Praise must be thoughtful.  Offering our children non-specific praise is a disservice.  

When you praise your child it is important to be specific.  Tell them exactly the trait or behaviour or skill that you have recognized as improving or newly learned.  Saying things like "you're great!" without a specific reason or example doesn't give the child anything to build on.

Say things like:

• Your printing is really getting neater, it's starting to look like a grownup's!
• You were a good friend today, helping _____ put away toys before we left.
• You were super-fast doing your journalling today, and it's well done.  You must have really been concentrating.

Model self-praise. 

Routinely, I can be heard saying things like this:

• I worked really hard today and got the whole _____ done.
• I'm really pleased with myself, I finished this faster than I had planned to.
• I feel good about ____.  I didn't want to do it, but now that it's done, I'm happy.
• I was a good friend today, listening to/helping/supporting ______.
• I am proud of my kids, I'm a good Mom.

Also, I ask them leading questions so they can express positive assessments of their own actions.

• How did you feel when you landed that back flip at gymnastics today?
• What did you think when you finished your math so quickly?
• How do you feel now that your room is clean?
• What did you think of that interaction with your friend, when they were sad about their dog dying?

Being the Mom of boys, I think it's important to model talking about feelings and give them words to explain theirs.  Girls, for the most part, seem to have no problem with this!  But, some might also need a little modeling and coaxing in this regard!