Using Classical Comp with a reluctant writer

[homeschoolmom16]

I am looking into using the 4th grade curriculum pkg. with my dd for next year, but I am trying to decide if she's ready for Classical Composition. (She's has a fall birthday, so she's a little young for her grade.) We used Writing with Ease in 1st and 2nd grade, and tried Writing Tales this year, and my dd has done good work with these 2 programs. She can generate sentences, summarize a passage, and retell a fable in her own words, but she hates to write. If we did the whole thing orally, and I didn't require her to write any of her answers on paper, I think she'd be perfectly happy. She is an excellent reader, but not a very good speller, so I think her lack of spelling ability is part of the problem, especially when she has to write from dictation.

I looked at the MP 3rd grade grammar book samples, and based on what I saw, I think my dd would be able to do just fine with that book now. Also, we just started using the MP 3rd grade literature guides, and she can do the writing that's required in those, but she grumbles about it. How big a jump is it from 3rd grade writing to Classical Comp? I was a little intimidated when I looked at the samples from the Fable book. Should I try it next year, or are we better off waiting until 5th grade? If I do wait another year, what should I do for writing next year?

Thanks!
Sue

[tanya]

Hello, Sue.

There is no problem with waiting until 5th grade to start CC. In fact, if you are doing the 3rd grade lit. guides now, you may want to go ahead and do the writing projects that are in our English Grammar. They are tied directly to those 3rd grade novels and a much gentler writing program that is tied closely to WWE.

Regards,

Tanya

[homeschoolmom16]

Thanks for your reply, Tanya. I thought about just getting the MP English book to use now, and then moving on to classical comp. whenever my dd finishes, but I don't need any other books right now, and I don't want to pay shipping charges just for one book.
Also, are the 4th graders at Highlands Latin using Classical Comp. Fable this year? Do they find it hard or just right?

Thanks,
SUe

[tanya]

Sue,

Our 4th graders are doing CC this year, and the teachers have enjoyed it. But they are taking it slowly (following the 2 week/fable schedule), so it isn't terribly time-consuming, and it allows for baby steps in writing. Our 5th grade spent half a year on Fable and half a year on Narrative, and our 6th grade broke the year into thirds and is tackling the Chreia/Maxim right now. I haven't heard how that is going!

Regards,

Tanya