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Writing Curriculum
Writing Curriculum |
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Write
Your
Roots
Another year-long writing project
from Carole Thaxton
Learn language arts while writing your family history!
For all students, grades 5-12
Students like Write Your Roots because:
- I learned so much about my family.
- Our family got a lot closer as we shared our lives.
- I didn't believe I could write a book, but I did!
Parents and teachers like Write Your Roots because:
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Use this energy for something productive!
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Finally, our family stories are being written!
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What a motivating way to get students to love writing!
Frequently Asked Questions
about
Write Your Roots
- Why should we use this curriculum?
- How does Write Your Roots differ from Learn to Write the Novel Way?
- Which should we use first: Learn to Write the Novel Way or Write Your Roots?
- How does it work?
- When is my child ready to use Write Your Roots?
- How many stories will they write?
- Can several children in the family use Write Your Roots together?
- What if my child is adopted?
- What materials will I need?
Why should we use this curriculum?
- Write for a reason
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Have the joy of discovering your family’s uniqueness
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Watch God’s hand at work in His own history
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Practice the thrill of investigation
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Learn how to research online
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Learn how to do historical research in libraries and government offices
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Spend time with family members, building and collecting stories
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Complete a writing assignment every week to add to the book
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Practice describing
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Build vocabulary and select most appropriate words
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Learn parts of speech and how to use them
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Practice using transition words to combine sentences
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Learn how to vary sentences for greater interest
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Learn how to organize thoughts into paragraphs and chapters
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Use imagination in creating titles
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Learn how to edit
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Learn and practice grammar rules
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Learn and practice spelling rules
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Learn and practice capitalization rules
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Learn and practice punctuation rules
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Design layout and book covers
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Plan a celebration to present the book
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Have a finished book for a portfolio
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Work together as a family
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Add to the family history collection
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Laugh a lot!
How does Write Your Roots differ from Learn to Write the Novel Way?
Both teach the same steps and standards of composition, but they differ in the following:
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Different purpose: Instead of a novel, Write Your Roots is biography.
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Different practices and examples: With the same standards and writing steps, students do other practices to reinforce what they learned in Learn to Write the Novel Way.
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Addition of research skills: On-line, library, and interview research are used to find family history.
Which should we use first:
Learn to Write the Novel Way or Write Your Roots?
It doesn’t matter. Both are one-year projects for grades 5-12. For less mature writers, Write Your Roots may be easier because it is a series of short stories. Also, the stories are based on real facts, so less imagination is necessary. We have recommended that students write two novels within their middle-school and high-school years, so a sequence could be as follows:
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Middle-school: Learn to Write the Novel Way (first novel)
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Junior high or early high school: Write Your Roots
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High school: Learn to Write the Novel Way (second novel, perhaps a historical novel)
The worktext is divided into 30 steps, which is designed for one step per week, which fulfills requirements for a full year of English composition. Students who have written their own novels through Learn to Write the Novel Way will “fly” through the “clean-up” of grammar, spelling, and punctuation, whereas less mature writers will need to progress more slowly and thoroughly.
Each step has three sections — Learn, Practice/Prepare, Apply. The Learn section is for you, as coach, to do WITH your student. The Practice/Prepare section is for the student to do independently, as reinforcement of what he learned. The Apply section is for him to apply what he has learned to his own book.
Once a week you, the coach, and your student meet to introduce the Learn section (1-2 hours). The student then does the assigned Practice and Apply sections (3-6 hours). When he has completed each activity, he checks the box next to the assignment. At the end of each week you and the student review and refine his work. When all the boxes of a step are checked, he is ready for the next step.
The amount of time spent each week is variable, depending upon your student’s level of competency, his speed of writing, and his ability to focus. There is a wide spectrum here. Take the time that is needed for proficiency. Put aside time for writing every day. If more time is needed for a particular step, by all means, take it. This program is designed to fit every student’s uniqueness. Adapt accordingly.
When is my child ready to use Write Your Roots?
If your child can write a short story, he is ready for Write Your Roots. Younger students will spend more time practicing the principles of writing, while older students may spend less time on the mechanics and spend more time researching and writing longer stories.
How many stories will they write?
During the year the basic student will write 12 stories that will be revised and tweaked several times for excellence in writing. More advanced students can continue to write a story per week while revising previously written stories. That means a student will write 12-24 stories depending on his ability, motivation, and the coach’s expectation.
Can several children in the family use Write Your Roots together?
Absolutely! It is a perfect family project. Even young children can write a story or two to add to the collection. Each child works from a separate worktext to learn the principles, do the practice exercises, and apply these exercises to his own work.
Each student may write his own book or contribute to one collective book. All children will research and all children will write, but there are several ways to distribute the tasks:
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For two children, have one research and write about mother’s relatives; have the second child research and write about father’s relatives.
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For more than two children, divide research and writing among surnames.
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Have the younger children focus on the most current family stories, while the older students focus on the more remote history.
My suggestion is to dig into the research together, distribute story assignments, and later decide how to compile them all.
This curriculum is also ideal for teaching within a co-op. Instructions in the Teacher’s Guide include hints for teaching within a group setting.
Several adopted children have already used this curriculum. Most have written stories about their new family into which they have been “grafted.” If children have information about their biological parents, they can certainly include stories about them as well.
For this course, students will work directly in the manual Write Your Roots. Principles they learn will then be applied to their family stories, which should be typed (double-spaced) on white bond paper. Each student should have a binder to contain all work in progress. Every time a revised copy is printed, it should be stapled to the front of previous drafts.
This is the only language arts curriculum needed for the year. Continue vocabulary and spelling programs (if needed). Some teens may need grammar instruction, but first check the scope of Write Your Roots. Wait to see how your child performs before adding more practices. Every family should own a good dictionary and a thesaurus (both in computer and book form).
The teacher should purchase the separate Teacher’s Guide, which contains answers to all Practice/Prepare exercises and tests as well as general suggestions for teaching this course.
