story writing topics

[smilesandsun]

Hello,

I wonder if anyone else has a similar problem? My DS only wants to write about one topic, any 'lead in' given all relates back to 'action' or 'army' type stories, which i can understand on some level, however the school doesn't want 'action' type stories. How do i gently move him to other topics?

I am just grateful he'll give it a go as he is dyslexic and any writing of stories is good I think.....

[smilesandsun]

Hi, No he (just 8yrs) is still getting to terms with the grammar, however the teacher doesn't like the topics. I think that the focus should be on the grammar, structure etc not the topic. Eight months ago he wouldn't have even written a story so it is a really big improvement for him, and to tell him he can't write action stories (toy story army men type thing) makes it much harder to get him to write ...

[learnandsay]

I'm not sure I'm following you. Are his stories appropriate for an eight year old? He's not actually writing about guts spilling out and people getting their heads pulled off or anything, is he? If he is, then I can see why the teacher doesn't like it.

But if he's writing about soldiers having guns, riding in helicopters and tanks, making muddy tracks and chasing each other through the jungle, then the fact that it's not her favourite subject is irrelevant.

I'm sure there are male teachers out there who don't like stories about flowers and ponies but that doesn't mean that girls shouldn't write about them.

What exactly is the teacher saying?

[learnandsay]

My question was for the OP, euphemia. It just happens to be beneath yours.

The OP gives the impression that getting him to write anything at all has been a struggle. I'd rather a child wrote about the same topic endlessly than wrote nothing at all. Another problem that I've heard of is some children don't seem to get the hang of writing descriptions and write inappropriate or overly abrupt ones like:

When asked to describe the scene he wrote: The scene was like a cupboard.

It is possible, (but not certain) that if a child enjoys writing about armies or action stories he can extend his descriptions (perhaps easily.) Perhaps he has an extensive or growing vocabulary. On the whole I'd be inclined to be pleased.

After a period of single topics, when the child's writing had begun to develop then I'd start attempting to divert some of those skills into writing about other topics, (maybe closely related ones at first, like vehicles, non military uniformed services and so on...)

[stargirl1701]

Been there

I had two girls in P6 last year who turned every story, in every genre into a romance. On the plus side, I guess they could write for Mills & Boon one day

[smilesandsun]

hi,

thanks for all the comments.
His stories are all appropriate, like robin hood & toy story and basic kid army type stuff. I think you're right they are just bored with the constant theme. However any writing is a big step, so I think gradual guidance about different topics is the way to go. I'd rather hear comments about structure than about the constant topic....

Thanks for your comments puts it in perspective.

[learnandsay]

How are you getting the teacher's comments, by the way? If you're reading your son's stories is there any chance you can write your own comments?

Is it anything like an exercise book that he's bringing home? Can you write something like: We worked on full stops over the weekend. We made some progress.

(Although, I have to say, my own personal experience (limited as it is,) of trying to get the school to follow my lead when I respond positively and hope that the school will look at what I've done and copy it, have failed horribly! The school just carries on as before!)

[mrz]

I think the teacher is looking for different styles of writing and if he continually falls back into storytelling of Toy Story, Robin Hood etc he probably isn't meeting the necessary criteria which may be to write a letter, instructions, non chronological report, recount ...

[learnandsay]

Maybe, but the OP is asking specifically about story writing. People have asked repeatedly for more clarification of what the teacher has said exactly, but it has not been forthcoming.

[mrz]

It would be unusual for 8 year olds to be doing "story writing" in school

[lljkk]

Given a chance DS-13 turns every writing assignment into a WWI battle, I get where you're coming from.
DS8 doesn't like writing at all, I am grateful for any original text he produces, even if it all reads like BeastQuest. We work on things like connectives, full stops, nicely legible handwriting, his usual targets.

[mrz]

Lots of children start off writing as instructed and quickly revert to storytelling and topics they feel comfortable with/enjoy which is fine at home but in school they need to show they can write for different purposes and in different styles.

[learnandsay]

Assuming the OP has got it wrong then, and her eight year old isn't writing stories: Suppose he's got to write a letter, why can't the teacher ask him to write a letter home from the front asking for a new pair of socks for Christmas?

The report can be a field report explaining that we have run out of clean drinking water and could the general please send some more?

The recollection can be about the four hours I had to stand on guard duty and what I saw.

I'm sure the boy will be delighted to oblige. The teacher gets her different styles of writing and mum is happy.

[mrz]

I'm assuming the OPs son is writing stories

[lljkk]

DS was writing stories in y3 (when he was 7, summer birthday). They were encouraged to make up their own myths. It was whole class, not just him. We discussed at.... ?Feb parents' eve?

Come to think of it DD won a school wide story writing contest when she was in y2.

[lljkk]

Flashback to DS1's y2 (not same as DS in my last post): they did loads & loads of story writing, too. I got sick of the homework which was always along lines of "Find your favourite fairy tale & write or draw something about it": because DS didn't like or know hardly any fairy tales.

[mrz]

A myth isn't the same as a story lljkk technically they require different techniques

[learnandsay]

Myths, legends and gospels are subsets of stories.