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<P align=center> <STRONG><FONT size=2> L</FONT></STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>iving the Homeschool Lifestyle <BR>HSB Connections - November 2007 </STRONG></FONT><FONT face=Arial></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG>Do the “Write” Thing </STRONG></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG>Part One: Attitude & Motivation </STRONG></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT size=2>by Jeanne Noorman </FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=2>Elephant jokes were all the rage when I was growing up. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT size=2>Q - How do you know if you have an elephant under your bed? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT size=2>A – You wake up and your nose is squashed to the ceiling! <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT size=2>Q – What’s the difference between eating peanut butter and eating an elephant? </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT size=2>A – The elephant doesn’t stick to the roof of your mouth! <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT size=2>Q – How do you eat an elephant? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT size=2>A – One bite at a time! <BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=2><SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>That last one isn’t really an elephant joke but fun words of wisdom that I learned as a young home-school mom and often still think back to when I find myself overwhelmed with a project whether it’s house cleaning, homeschooling or writing an article. </FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=2>When our oldest daughter had finished her freshman year in college, we asked her, “What do we need to do better with your sister’s high-school education?” <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>Her answer surprised me. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>“Mom, they need to write more. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>They need to write every day and in every subject.” <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>For several years, I had been the INCH convention workshop leader on teaching writing; I had always included writing in my curriculum, and my girls were good writers. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>Now, in honestly answering our question, Macia was telling me that where I had felt we were strong, we needed to be stronger. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>As we discussed it more, my daughter said that while she was strong in her writing skills that she hadn’t been prepared for the amount or the scope and variety of writing that would be required in college. </FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=2>Teaching writing is one of those columns that really has to be a series of articles. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>There are so many questions to answer! <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>How do you motivate your student? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>What kinds of writing should you teach? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>And how do you teach it? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>How do you evaluate and grade your student’s writing? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>And what do you do with a student who hates to write? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>As homeschooling parents, if we look at these questions and begin to get overwhelmed, then we ought to be able to relate with our student’s feelings when they receive a writing assignment especially when it is a big one! </FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=2>As our student receives a writing assignment and starts to think about what he/she knows (or doesn’t know) about the subject, along with all the aspects and requirements of the assignment, it can become overwhelming. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>It’s important as parents to recognize this and teach our children that the things we allow to overwhelm us will often seem like bigger problems than they really are. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>The easiest practical way I know of completing a huge project (and specifically a writing project) is the same way you eat an elephant, one bite at a time! <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: right 6.0in"><FONT size=2>I don’t think that elephant jokes are very popular anymore, at least I haven’t heard one in a very long time. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>So, if your children are like mine and think that elephant jokes are corny, how do you motivate them? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>What do we do for the student who just feels that he/she is a bad writer? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>And if your students are part of that majority of students with bad attitudes towards writing, how do we change those attitudes? <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>My answer may surprise you; you have to make writing fun and write every day. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: right 6.0in"><FONT size=2>Making writing fun is an achievable goal that just takes a bit of creativity on your part and your student’s. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>Instead of assigning a big (student’s perception = boring) research paper, using Scholastic’s <U>Horrible History </U>and <U>Horrible Science </U>series as an example, ask your student to compile a list of the quirkiest and weirdest things that he or she have discovered about what you are studying. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>Remember that writing is one of the arts (art is fun!) and release your students to be creative and have fun with their writing. <SPAN style="mso-sp****un: yes"> </SPAN>More creative and fun writing ideas next month! <U>
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