kvmck wrote:Thank You! I had this exact question
and something else too... my son is no longer excited to do DITHOR. He doesn't understand how it will help him in life to be able to describe settings and talk about main characters. Ugghhh! It has me wondering if I am doing something wrong? I am finding that I am not very knowledgeable in this area (I mean, the "list the moods" question in the story map had me stumped
) and wonder if some of that hesitation is making this a negative experience for my son? He loves to read, but always starts to complain now when he sees me get out the DITHOR book and doesn't want to read on those days... help please!
We've found the kickoff to be a key way to get excited to begin a genre each time. So, I try to be sure to choose one that is bound to be a hit with my dc's personal interests in mind. Perhaps it's time to go all out and do a big one? I often times choose the easier ones to do, but one time we buried the "treasure" in the garden and did a treasure map to find it (for Adventure, I believe), and that was a HUGE hit.
Another thing that makes a big difference is the amount of pages they are reading aloud. What level is your ds doing, which book set (or which books did you choose), and how many pages about is he reading a day? All of this can make a big difference in how it goes. Book selections and pacing are so important. For example, my 7 yo reads just 2 pages out loud to me each day, and then reads 2 on his own. My almost 11 yo reads 1 page aloud to me (sometimes 2), and reads 10 on his own. If I had my 11 yo read a lot aloud to me, there would be balking. If I'd had my 7 yo read a lot independently (earlier on), he would have balked at that. Making sure to fill out the reading calendar at the onset of each genre is key as it stops the constant bargaining about what can or cannot be read each day for pages.
I've also figured out the hard way not to draw out discussions as I look for that one elusive "right answer" which is usually just the answer I would have given, and probably isn't necessary 99% of the time. Boys generally don't like drawn out discussions. If they give a short well-thought out answer that makes sense, that's good enough, and it's time to move on to the next question. Some dc may not take to the writing portion as well as others - usually because writing just is not their thing. There can be many reasons for this - maybe they physically struggle with the act of writing, maybe they are perfectionists and struggle with getting it just right, maybe they are poor spellers and need a model to look at when writing, or maybe they just have a poor attitude. All of these situations just make it all the more clear that writing is a skill that needs to be improved by working on it diligently. I've written their answers on a markerboard for them to copy in their Student Books to begin with, but then eased them into doing it independently over time. This has worked well.
The last thing is to be sure to do the projects at the end. They switch things up a bit and give dc some independence within a project, and they celebrate the conclusion of a genre. We make a big deal out of these! I explain the project options and let my dc choose their favorite. We then brainstorm and plan what needs to be done to complete the project, we show Dad the finished project, and often take pictures of it. This has made the end to every genre exciting and something to look forward to!
There have been times that our dc need to be disciplined for poor attitude or lack of obedience as well. If I have done all of the above things and there is still an attitude, then a consequence is given. Dad will often get involved. I want our dc to know that this is just not acceptable. As Karen Andreolo said, "No balking allowed!"
If I've been careful to choose an appropriate living book, scheduled a doable pacing, chosen an appropriate number of pages to be read aloud to me, not drawn out or added to the discussions, modified when necessary for the writing, done the kickoff and the project with gusto, and there is still an issue - then, yes, no balking is allowed.
I hope something here can help!
In Christ,
Julie
I've tried googling it but get some pretty bizarre results. Probably I'm not using the right terminology.
although, he has never complained about that part! Very often he wants to read more of the story. I am sensitive to his dislike of handwriting and either write his answers on a white board for him to copy, or sometimes he just dictates to me. The thing that really hit home with me is just accepting his answer and not making a big discussion about it. Yikes! I enjoy long drawn out discussions and bunny trails, but he doesn't. In fact he is continually telling me about a sunday school teacher who he doesn't enjoy very much becuase she is always explaining things in detail and going off in different directions. Sounds like me now that I think about it. 
Thank you for your insight and I'm excited to go try it out on my son!