When Writing Doesn’t Come Easily
Explaining Causes of Writing Problems
• Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide. The Mislabeled Child. New York: Hyperion, 2006.
• Larry Silver, M.D. The Misunderstood Child.* New York: Three Rivers, 2006.
• http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/writing
• William Van Cleave’s website, http://vcedconsulting.com/teacher-reading.php
Handwriting Curricula
Mary D. Benbow, MS, OTR/L. Loops and Other Groups: A Kinesthetic Writing System.
San Antonio: Therapy Skill Builders (Pearson), 1999.
Jan Olsen. Handwriting Without Tears series. Cabin John, Maryland: Handwriting
Without Tears. 2008. HWT also provides training workshops in teaching handwriting;
see www.hwtears.com
See also Diana Hanbury King’s Writing Skills, below, under “writing programs.”
Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar and Mechanics
Beverly Adams-Gordon. Spelling Power. Lynnwood, Washington: Castle-Moyle Books.
1997. www.castlemoyle.com
Janet Allen. Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12. Portland,
Maine: Stenhouse, 1999. www.stenhouse.com
Sam Burchers, Max Burchers, and Bryan Burchers. Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word
Power. Punta Gorda, Florida: New Monic Books, 1997.
Editor in Chief series (books or software) from Critical Thinking Books and Software
Paul R. Erwin. Winston Grammar. Battleground, Washington: Precious Memories
Educational Resources, 1992. You will need one complete kit, plus a card set and a
workbook for each student. www.winstongrammar.com or ChristianBook.com
Kenneth Hodkinson, et. al. Wordly Wise vocabulary series. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Educators Publishing Service, 2007. Visit http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/ for details.
iSpellWell software. www.ispellwell.com
Don McCabe. Sequential Spelling series. Birch Run, Michigan: AVKO, 1990-2006.
See www.sonlight.com, the website of Sonlight Curriculum, for details.
SpellingCity.com offers free online instruction, practice games, and tests, using your own
list of words. When Writing Doesn’t Come Easily 2012
By Kathy Kuhl Page 2
©Kathy Kuhl 2012. Adapted from Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner, 2009.
Articles and newsletter at www.LearnDifferently.com For a consultation, email
Kathy@LearnDifferently.com
Writer’s Workshop Resources
Ralph Fletcher. A Writers Notebook: Unlocking the Writer in You. New York:
HarperTrophy, 1996. See also his other books, How Writers Work: Finding a Process
That Works For You, and Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide.
Writing Programs
William Van Cleave, http://vcedconsulting.com, offers great tools and ideas for teachers.
Julie Bogart. Bravewriter.com offers help to parents teaching writing.
Diana Hanbury King. Writing Skills. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Educators Publishing
Service, 2004. http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/
Frode Jensen. Jensen’s Format Writing. Grants Pass, Oregon: Wordsmiths, 2002. Get the
second edition, which has examples of each format.
Andrew Pudewa. Institute for Excellence in Writing. www.excellenceinwriting.com
Accommodations
WordQ and SpeakQ software. As you type, WordQ predicts what your next word will be
and lets you choose from a list. SpeakQ takes your dictation and types for you. Designed
for folks with learning disabilities. Easier for your child to train to your voice than
Dragon, below, but more expensive. Free 30 day trial from http://www.goqsoftware.com/
Dragon Naturally Speaking also takes diction from you or your student. See
www.Nuance.com for details and a demonstration.
Spelling dictionaries are available from many publishers, including Educators Publishing
Service, which carries My Word Book, Words I Use When I Write, and My Content
Words. Visit http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/
Franklin makes many kinds of handheld electronic dictionaries—www.franklin.com. For
high schoolers, try the Speaking Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary.
Good handbooks: Write Source 2000 or Writers Inc. by Patrick Sebranek, Dave Kemper,
and Verne Meyer, www.thewritesource.com
Mannix, Darlene. Writing Skills Activities for Special Children. San Francisco: JosseyBass, 2004, was recommended by a parent and covers elementary writing skills.
Verticy Learning Academy is a homeschool curriculum for children with language-based
learning disabilities. From Calvert and Jemicy School, which serves children with LLD.
www.verticylearning.org
©Kathy Kuhl 2012. Adapted from Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner, 2009.
Articles and newsletter at www.LearnDifferently.com For a consultation, email
Kathy@LearnDifferently.com
