Hello, I am thinking about helping my child this summer. I have considered tutoring through Sylvan (etc) but the more I think of it the more I feel that I could make some strides with my child myself. I see it as home schooling for a two month period. My child’s IEP is for written expression. The products I am considering are Draft Builder and co writer that works in cojunction with an alpha smart. My thought is that I could invest in these products and use them during the school year too. My child will be in the 7th grade. The problem my child experiences is having the verbal thoughts but not being able to express them in the written form in an automatic way. Spelling is an issue, too. Other concerns are dropping comprehension scores, and some weaknesses in math. What do you think and do you have any other suggestions?????? Thanks
Re: Don't know about those particular products,
Thanks for the postings. It’s great to hear other people’s suggestions. What is the website for inspirations???
but I would endorse your idea to get some good curriculum materials and tutor him yourself.
I can recommend Sequential Spelling (http://www.avko.org) for the spelling piece. This is the best spelling program I have found, and most families really like it. For a 7th grader, you might be able to use the “adults only” version. The regular SS spelling program consists of 7 books of 180 lessons each, which can take quite a while to work through (even doing two lessons a day, which is what we do). The “adults” version is just two books, with longer lessons, and can be gone through faster. Several parents on the DyslexiaSupport list have said that the “adults” version has worked well for their teen-aged children.
I am not familiar with the writing products you mention. WriteShop is a writing curriculum geared for 6th grade and up. One of its advantages is that it is highly scripted with daily lessons, making it very easy for a parent to use. Website is http://writeshop.homestead.com/. A similar program is Institute for Excellence in Writing, which I have. This is actually aimed at a wider audience — works for 2nd grade through 10th grade. It is not scripted, which some people see as a plus and others see as a minus. The video presentations can also be seen as either a plus or a minus — it’s nice to have a teacher explaining things to you, but can be a bit slow. Website for this program is http://www.writing-edu.com/index.phtml. You can find more information about IEW at the IEWFamilies email list at http://www.groups.yahoo.com.
Many people also like a software product whose name escapes me now. It is a graphic organizer. Maybe someone else will post about it.
Mary