Despite What You May Think, Writing Doesn’t Have to be Boring November 7, 2016 By Bekki 1 Comment This content may contain affiliate links. Know someone this will bless? Share on Facebook Share Share on Pinterest Pin it Share on TwitterTweet Send To Devices Send Inside: 3 Writer’s Skills that Students should learn long before heading to college. Stealing is bad. Teaching kids to be thieves is worse. “But I would never do that!” the person next to you, says. We never mean to teach our kids to steal, but if we let them copy other peoples work and call it their own then we are doing just that. When someone steals my work it makes me cry. Well, maybe not cry, but it does frustrate the tar out of me. Teach your kids that words can be stolen. It’s as easy as copy and paste. But it makes people cry. We need to teach our kids how to gather ideas, data, and research. But we also need to teach them how to package all that research and to create a unique piece of writing that does not steal from anyone. This is one of those skills that takes lots of practice. Photo by Luis Llerena We need to teach our kids how to gather ideas, data, and research. But we also need to teach them how to package all that research and to create a unique piece of writing that does not steal from anyone. This is one of those skills that takes time to develop and gives many homeschool parents nightmares at night. “But I don’t know how to do that!” homeschool parents cry. 3 Important but “Unfun” Skills Every Writer must Know 1. Paraphrasing 2. MLA Citation 3. Plagiarism– How not to get caught. {See the answer at the end of this article} I told you they were unfun. But they are necessary skills, just like driving defensively, CPR and cooking homemade pizza. I want to raise up writers, not thieves. Related: 44 Writing Ideas {Printable} at end of this article. Right now two of our five sons are chopping wood with their dad. They were driven to a dark scary piece of land with a borrowed trailer attached to our SUV. Once they were far off the beaten path they were directed to the freshly cut giant. My husband enthusiastically wielded a chainsaw and cut the trunk into manageable 500 pound pieces. Maybe, they were lighter. I couldn’t tell you for sure. I was delegated to watch the boys “hump the logs” out of the wood. (That’s men talk) Bonus to those of us born with more estrogen than testosterone. Those very heavy logs were carefully brought home. Enter my hero: My husband. He takes the boys to the hardware store and buys a couple of axes. While my husband looked the other way, each son looked at me with pleading eyes. “Save me mommy.” I said nothing. I trust that my husband, a manly man, is much more equipped to teach I trust that my husband, a manly man, is much more equipped to teach boys how to be men than I am. Plus, I had a cup of coffee to enjoy with my bon-bons. An hour later, the door bursts open and my wood-chopping sons walk in with a very distinct swagger. Lumberjacks in training. They were all wearing sawdust covered jeans, work boots and flannel shirts. You could taste the testosterone in the air. “Mom, that was AWESOME!” Funny how being taught to do something challenging and dangerous leaves a “lovely glow” on the face of a growing boy. Our young men need to swing axes. Even if it’s metaphorically speaking. I wish it were that same for basic writing skills. Writing is one of those skills that many of us have been forced into against our wills. But we shouldn’t group writing into the same category as forcing our 11-year old sons to shower daily. (I swear my kid believes that water will melt his manliness.) Just like forcing our kids to bathe is good for their health, their appearance and our nose, writing is good for their education, life preparation and is often our final exam as homeschoolers. How embarrassing is it when our kid shares on facebook, “I be so exsited! I git to go to diz-knee-land!” 39 Types of Writing to Teach Your Kids Text messaging Facebook posts Twitter tweets Instagram Descriptions Linked in Profile emails Friendly letters Grocery lists Birthday cards Comics strips Write to a prompt Letters to their Future Self Recipes Directions to the zoo Instructions for making the perfect cup of coffee Review a play Word webs Speech Writing Book Report Alternatives Cornell notes Outlines Essays Research Papers Poetry Music lyrics Mentor Sentences Newsletter Books Short stories Journal entries Captions for pictures Resumes Job applications Cover letters paraphrasing MLA citation Works Cited pages Blog Script writing Autobiography Believe in yourself. You can teach your kids to write. Believe in your kids. They have it in their hearts to become excellent writers. Believe in fairies. Because fairies make life magical. Related: 3 Insanely Simple Secrets to Teaching Kids to Write So what is the trick to plagiarizing and avoiding getting caught? Easy- do not plagiarize in the first place. Almost every child can write. Take them by the hand, expose them to something amazing, and teach them how to capture that moment on paper. Join me in raising writers, not thieves. Things for you to add to your teaching tool belt. These also make great additions to your emergency file. (Also known as “mom is sick and needs you to work independently today”) Download your 44 Writing Ideas {Printable} Download your guide to teaching Kids to NOT be thieves Grab your “Friendly Letters to Me” Pack Thanksgiving Writing Prompts worthy of making their way to the “keep me” pile. Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class. We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets. Enroll in the sneak peek class here. Know someone this will bless? Share on Facebook Share Share on Pinterest Pin it Share on TwitterTweet Send To Devices Send
[…] I plan English last. The older my kids, the more I plan. Younger kids need lots of time reading, being read to. Older kids need more and more time writing. Here is a great list to help you teach writing. […] Reply