Here are 3 workable ways to help teens learn independent writing skills.

3 Workable Ways to Help Teens Learn Independent Writing Skills

When my youngest started college, his freshman composition teacher asked him to stay after class for a moment. He was a bit nervous: Did he do something wrong?

The instructor simply wanted to know how he learned to write so well, “What level course did you take for writing in high school? What is AP Composition?”

My son told him, that no, he did not do AP Comp. He was homeschooled and learned to write well and write well independently.

My son gained his excellent writing skills, not because he loved writing (he doesn’t love writing). He gained good skills with good curriculum and independent writing experiences.

Here are 3 tips to help teens learn independent writing skills:

Tip #1: Use a curriculum that makes independent writing possible. You may have noticed that some high school curricula is so intense and complicated that many teens need adult guidance and supervision for the entire process.

We long ago learned (by vetting everything we produce on our own homeschool high schoolers and other local homeschoolers) that teens often learn best with:

• short lessons
• no-busywork instruction and assignments
• simple instructions
• adaptability to different levels of ability and interest
• rubrics

That’s what my son, the 7Sisters homeschool high schoolers and many other teens have used for successfully developing independent writing skills.

Tip #2: Set deadlines and enforce them. Many teens have not developed skills for planning writing projects and time management. Help them by teaching them to schedule backwards. This is a practical planning method where teens:

• put final deadlines on their calendar
• then move backwards to when rough drafts are due (put that on the calendar)
• then move backwards to halfway through the project (put that on the calendar)
• then move backwards to start date (put that on the calendar)

It’s easier to listen to Sabrina explain the process in Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Conquering the Crunchtime Craziness!

Tip #3: Don’t Hover. Using the checkpoints in Tip #2, have your homeschool high schoolers share their work with you. Remember the following 2 guidelines for parents when checking their progress:

*Don’t practically rewrite the paper for them. “Shouldn’t you have said it this way?” “Shouldn’t you use this example instead?” If your teens must write in YOUR voice, they’ll never learn to write independently.

Instead, use a rubric (make sure your teens checks their work against the rubric before showing it to you). 7Sisters Writing Guides include a rubric for grading writing projects.

While you’re planning for success, watch this encouraging Facebook Live from Sabrina about what teens need to write during high school.

Download a 7Sisters Writing Guide for your homeschool high schoolers!

 

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Click the image above to periodically receive real homeschool value in your inbox.

3 Workable Ways to Help Teens Learn Independent Writing Skills